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Hosted by Impact Engine. Supported by Builders Vision, The Chicago Community Trust, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation
Welcome | 6:00 - 6:05 PM
Jessica Droste Yagan, Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Impact Engine
The Importance of Midwest Impact Investing | 6:05 - 6:10 PM
Debra Schwartz, Managing Director, Impact Investments, MacArthur Foundation
Deep Dive: Banks & CDFIs | 6:10 - 6:45 PM
Moderator: Aaron Seybert, Managing Director of Social Investment Practice, Kresge Foundation
- Lakota Vogel, Executive Director, Four Bands Community Fund
- Marianne Markowitz, Chief Executive Officer, First Women's Bank
Deep Dive: Place-based Venture Capital | 6:45 - 7:20 PM
Moderator: Joe Aguilar, Chief Investment Officer, Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs
- Andrea Zopp, Managing Partner, Cleveland Avenue
- Grady Buchanan, Co-Founder & Managing Director, NVNG Investment Advisors
Deep Dive: Role of Foundations | 7:20 - 7:55 PM
Moderator: Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, Executive Director, McKinney Family Foundation (MFF)
- Elizabeth McGeveran, Vice President of Investments, McKnight Foundation
- Kristin Carlson Vogen, Associate Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies and Innovation, The Chicago Community Trust
Call to Action | 7:55 - 8:00 PM
Priya Parrish, Partner & Chief Investment Officer, Impact Engine
SPEAKER BIOS
Joe Aguilar, Chief Investment Officer, Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs
Joe Aguilar is the Chief Investment Officer for Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs. In his role, Mr. Aguilar directs seven investment portfolios spanning across public and private market investments on behalf of the Illinois Treasury’s combined $56 billion investment portfolio including the Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund, a $1.5b impact investment fund investing across venture, buyout and private credit, the FIRST Fund, a $1.5b vehicle dedicated to infrastructure and real estate, two 529 College Saving Plans, the State’s Achieving a Better Life Experience program, Student Empowerment Fund, and the Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program. As the Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Aguilar leads all aspects of investment implementation, including the development of processes and procedures, asset allocation, the Office’s sustainable investment strategy, and the selection of investment products and managers. He is responsible for leading the investment team and the stewardship for all investments and external public and private market investment managers including venture, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private credit managers invested through the office’s platforms. Mr. Aguilar was previously the Director of Investment Analysis and Due Diligence with the Illinois State Treasury in which he led due diligence efforts in which he led the manager selection process, assessment, and monitoring of all investment managers and co-investments. Prior to joining the Illinois Treasury, he worked for Fortaleza Asset Management. Mr. Aguilar holds a B.S. with a double major in Finance and Business & Commerce from Aurora University and an M.S. in Finance from the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School. He also serves as a Board Member for the Council of Institutional Investors, Board Chair and Chair of the Investment Committee for the Field Foundation of Illinois and is an Adjunct Professor at Aurora University.
Grady Buchanan, Co-Founder & Managing Director, NVNG Investment Advisors
Grady Buchanan is an institutional and risk-based asset allocation professional. His focuses include venture capital fund investments as well connecting startup ecosystems across the globe. Grady co-founded NVNG Investment Advisors in late 2019 and serves as one of the team’s Managing Directors. He is focused on establishing stronger venture capital presences in regions throughout the US - managing a venture capital fund of funds tailored to meet the needs of local corporations and institutional limited partners. With NVNG, Grady is responsible for the fund of funds portfolio, venture capital fund sourcing and diligence, and for investment allocation decisions. Grady is based in Milwaukee, WI.
Kristin Carlson Vogen, Associate Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies and Innovation, The Chicago Community Trust
Kristin Carlson Vogen is the associate vice president of philanthropic strategies and innovation at The Chicago Community Trust. Vogen and her team engage families and individuals to focus their giving for impact and develop collaborative philanthropy strategies, leverage the knowledge of the Trust’s Program staff for the benefit of donor advisors, and enhance opportunity for impact investing. Prior to joining the Trust in 2018, Vogen was president and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, and previously worked at Bank of America/U.S. Trust as a philanthropic specialist. Throughout her career, Vogen has provided subject matter expertise to individuals and families on private foundations, donor advised funds, and endowment management for public charities. Presently, Vogen is a board member of Friends of the Children – Chicago and a trustee of Window to the World Communications, Inc. (WTTW 11/WFMT 98.7). Vogen earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, and her B.B.A. in Human Resource Management from Abilene Christian University.
Jessica Droste Yagan, Chief Executive Officer, Impact Engine
Jessica Droste Yagan is the CEO of Impact Engine, an investment firm with a mission to bring more capital to a market where financial returns are linked to positive social and environmental impacts. Impact Engine manages venture capital and private equity strategies that invest in transformative for-profit, positive-impact funds and businesses. Prior to Impact Engine, Jessica led the creation of McDonald’s Corporation’s global and U.S. sustainable sourcing strategies. At McDonald’s, she enabled the integration of ethical, environmental, and economic sustainability across all food and packaging sourcing. Jessica also worked in the field of urban economic development through the City Advisory Practice at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. Jessica has co-authored two Harvard University case studies on public-private partnerships and currently serves as a board member for the Metropolitan Planning Council, the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at Chicago Booth, and Fixer. Crain’s Chicago Business named her to its list of 40-Under-40 in 2013 and she served as a 2014 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. Jessica holds a BA in Public Policy from Haverford College, an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and an MPA from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.
Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, Executive Director, McKinney Family Foundation (MFF)
Stephanie Goodrid Lawson is the Executive Director of the McKinney Family Foundation, which strives to be the foremost catalyst for environmental advocacy, progress, and leadership in Indiana. MFF envisions an environmentally sustainable future for all Hoosiers achieved through inclusive democracy, strategic collaboration, and our resolute commitment to our mission. Beginning in 2016, Stephanie spearheaded a new grantmaking strategy focused on climate mitigation and adaptation, clean energy, decarbonization and electrification, environmental justice and sustainability, strengthening democracy, nonprofit capacity building, and environmental education. She founded and currently serves as the Chairperson for the board of directors for Indiana Energy Independence Fund, Indiana Conservation Voters, and the Indiana Democracy Collective. She also serves on the board of Audubon Great Lakes, Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute, American Piano Awards and Park Tudor School. She has presented at the Climate Infrastructure Forum in Barcelona, Spain and the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge Partners Meeting in New York. She is a member of the adjunct faculty at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Stephanie’s previous experience has been in public health , human rights and advancement. Stephanie holds an MPA in nonprofit management from the Indiana University O’Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a BA in global public health, international affairs and political science from The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.
Marianne Markowitz, Chief Executive Officer, First Women's Bank
Marianne Markowitz is President & CEO, First Women’s Bank, a women founded, owned, and led bank and the only bank ever formed to strategically serve the women’s economy and close the gender lending gap nationally. Previously, Markowitz served as the Acting Administrator and Regional Administrator for the Small Business Administration and as an interim member of President Obama’s Cabinet. Markowitz was appointed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve on the City of Chicago’s Small Business Advisory Council. Most recently, Marianne was Managing Director at CIBC, US where she successfully implemented a national SBA program. Before her time at the SBA, Markowitz served as trustee on the Obama for America Board of Directors, CFO for the 2008 Obama for America Presidential Campaign, and for the 2007 launch of the Obama Exploratory Committee. For 17 years Markowitz held leadership roles in finance and treasury at leading global institutions in the U.S., UK, and Switzerland. In 2023 Crain’s Chicago named her as a Women of Note, in 2024 she received the ATHENA Leadership Award. Markowitz is a member of the Milken Institute Executive Circle, International Women’s Forum, The Economic Club of Chicago’s membership committee, The Chicago Club, Reclaim 13 Advisory Council. Markowitz received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and an MBA from DePaul University.
Elizabeth McGeveran, Vice President of Investments, McKnight Foundation
As McKnight’s inaugural vice president of investments, Elizabeth McGeveran oversees the team that manages the Foundation’s $2.6 billion endowment. Elizabeth joined McKnight in 2014 to lead our impact investing program. In 2019, she assumed the role of director of investments, shepherding our endowment and helping deliver positive returns alongside mission alignment. In this capacity, she designed a market-rate solutions portfolio that aligns with the Foundation’s mission, advancing climate solutions and equitable communities and economies. Across the entire endowment, nearly one of every two invested dollars is mission-aligned. A leader across the Foundation and within her field, Elizabeth has paved the way for McKnight to become a leading impact investor, identifying investment opportunities that help increase universal prosperity and preserve our planet. Moreover, she has inspired our peer funders and the wider philanthropic field to harness their endowments as powerful changemaking levers in support of their missions. Elizabeth’s leadership and vision was a critical component to the Foundation’s commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire portfolio by or before 2050—the nation’s first of the 50 largest private foundations to do so. An investment leader since 1999, she was an early actor in developing environmental social and governance (ESG) approaches across the industry. As senior vice president for governance and sustainable investment at F&C Asset Management, a London-based commercial asset manager (now BMO Global Asset Management), she built this firm’s market-leading socially responsible investment team. Elizabeth is an independent trustee of funds at Boston Trust Walden, a longtime leader in incorporating ESG into its investment approach. She was an original member of the U.S. Advisory Committee for the FTSE4Good indexes, and currently volunteers on the investment committee at the University of St. Thomas in her hometown of St. Paul. She grew up outside Boston and graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota.
Priya Parrish, Chief Investment Officer, Impact Engine
As Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Impact Engine, Priya is responsible for fund and co-investment sourcing, diligence and management. She is also a member of the Investment Committee and author of The Little Book of Impact Investing (published by Wiley, 2024). Priya is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Strategy and Impact Investor in Residence at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and serves as an adviser to investment firms and asset owners developing and managing impact investment strategies. Prior to joining Impact Engine, she served as Chief Investment Officer at Schwartz Capital Group, a single-family office investing across global markets. Previously, Parrish was Strategy Head at Aurora Investment Management, a multibillion-dollar hedge fund, and managed development of investment products that incorporated environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) at Northern Trust Asset Management and KLD Research & Analytics. Parrish holds a B.S. in Business Management from Babson College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Debra Schwartz, Managing Director, Impact Investments, MacArthur Foundation
Debra Schwartz leads Impact Investments for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and serves on the foundation’s Leadership Advisory Team. Over the past 40 years, MacArthur has made impact investment commitments totaling more than $800 million to advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability and unlock additional investment that would not otherwise be possible. By deploying catalytic capital in the form of patient, flexible and risk-tolerant investments, Debra and her team extend the reach of MacArthur’s philanthropic programs while also building the field of impact investing globally. Complementary grantmaking managed by Debra’s team supports investor networks, knowledge-building, and other forms of field support. Prior to joining MacArthur in 1995, Debra was an investment banker in public finance at John Nuveen & Co. and worked for social welfare nonprofits in Chicago in counseling and financial management roles. She is a frequent public speaker and guest lecturer at leading universities, including the University of Chicago, where she originated and taught “The Business of Nonprofits” as an adjunct professor. In 2024, Forbes recognized Debra in its third annual list of “50-over-50” impact leaders. She also is a Sorenson Global Impact Leader, a past Social Enterprise Fellow at the Yale School of Management, and a past, presidentially appointed member of the U.S. Treasury Department Community Development Advisory Board. Currently, Debra is a board member of the Mission Investors Exchange and member of the International Women’s Forum Chicago chapter, for which she previously served as Treasurer and board member. Debra holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA degree from Yale University.
Aaron Seybert, Managing Director of Social Investment Practice, Kresge Foundation
Aaron Seybert is managing director of the Social Investment Practice at The Kresge Foundation. He previously served as a social investment officer supporting the American Cities and Detroit Programs at Kresge. He joined the foundation in 2016. Before Kresge, he served as executive director at JPMorgan Chase Bank, where he was the market lead for the community development banking practice focused on New Markets Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credit investing across the Midwest and South. Aaron started his career in impact investing at Cinnaire (formerly the Great Lakes Capital Fund) where he worked in fund management, asset management, and the underwriting of affordable housing investments on behalf of institutional investors. In addition, Aaron was responsible for launching several new lines of business at Cinnaire including starting up the CDFI lending and New Markets Tax Credit practices. In addition to his roles at Kresge, Aaron serves on the 5/3 rd bank national community advisory board, the co-chair of the Community Investment Guarantee Pool governing board, as a director of Lake Trust Credit Union, Invest Detroit’s Oversight Committee, and is a commissioner for the Detroit Housing Commission. Aaron is a frequent guest lecturer on the topics of urban development, impact investing, place-based investing, community development finance, affordable housing, and private philanthropy. A native of Michigan, Aaron earned a BS/BA in corporate finance and accounting from Central Michigan University, a JD from the Michigan State University College of Law, and an MSC in Cities from the London School of Economics. His research areas include development finance agency structure and governance, tax expenditure policy, urban redevelopment, tax incentives, and international development in legacy cities. Aaron has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times of London, the Los Angeles Times, the Federal Reserve.
Lakota Vogel, Executive Director, Four Bands Community Fund
Lakota Vogel is the Executive Director at Four Bands. In this role, Lakota provides leadership for Four Bands, establishes new and fosters existing partnerships, and leads and manages efforts to reach organizational goals. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Lakota served as the Assistant Director at Four Bands for five years. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America and taught on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation at Todd County High School. Lakota obtained her Masters in Social Work Degree from Washington University in St. Louis with the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies. Lakota individualized her course of study to concentrate in economic security and social development through the life course of American Indians. In addition to her educational experience, Lakota completed a summer fellowship with the National Congress of American Indians. She served on the Native American Alumni Board of Directors at the University of Notre Dame, and initiated program evaluations at the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and Washington Internships for Native Students to develop program components for American Indian participants. In recognition of her leadership, initiative, and dedication, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development named Lakota as part of its 2018 class of “Native American 40 under 40.” Currently, Lakota serves on USDA’s Equity Commission and sits on the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ board of directors. Lakota is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Andrea Zopp, Managing Partner, Cleveland Avenue
In her current role at Cleveland Avenue Ms. Zopp leads the organization’s work investing in and supporting minority and women entrepreneurs and their companies. Additionally, Ms. Zopp currently serves in a part-time capacity as Senior Advisor Legal and Business Affairs with the Chicago Bears Football Club. Previously she served as President and CEO of World Business Chicago, where she led the organization’s mission of inclusive economic growth, supporting businesses, and promoting Chicago as a leading global city. Prior to joining WBC, she served as Deputy Mayor, Chief Neighborhood Development Officer for the City of Chicago. Ms. Zopp has held executive leadership positions at several Fortune 500 companies. She was General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at Exelon Corporation and served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sears Holdings Corporation. Ms. Zopp also served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Sara Lee Corporation. As the former President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, she led the nationally-recognized organization's focus on expanding economic opportunity in underserved communities. Ms. Zopp also served as a federal and state prosecutor, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney and as the first woman and African American First Assistant in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Ms. Zopp currently serves on the boards of Relativity, a global e-discovery and document management software company, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a federally chartered wholesale bank with $90 billion in assets and Intelligent Growth Solutions, a Scotland based, vertical farm manufacturer. She previously served on the boards of Empowerment and Inclusion Capital I Corp. (NYSE: EPWR), Andrew Corporation (NYSE: ANDW) and Urban Partnership Bank. She is the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Chicago State University, and also serves on the boards of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Black Ensemble Theater. She received her BA in History and Science from Harvard University and her JD from Harvard Law School.