THOUGHT SHIFTS: Benefits of investing with the environment in mind

This Moderated Panel discussion will cover the criteria and decision points when evaluating investments and ROI on Green/Clean initiatives, and how having the environment in mind whilst taking decisions on investments and acquisitions can have benefits not immediately apparent.

Moderator:   

Christine Jantz, JantzMorgan LLC

SPEAKER BIOS:

Christine Jantz, CFA 

Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager  JantzMorgan LLC 

Ms. Jantz is responsible for the investment process, portfolio management, research, and development. Prior to co-founding Jantz Morgan, she held positions as a Quantitative Equity Analyst at Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC, Assistant Vice President at Putnam Investments, Senior Consultant at Arthur D. Little, Inc, and Director of Catalog Statistical Analysis at Sears. Her formal education includes an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Iowa, and, a B.A. in Mathematical Sciences from Bethel College. Ms. Jantz also works for NorthStar Asset Management, Inc. and is a Board Member of the ADL Alumni Association, Inc. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Janet BESSER   

VP of Policy and Government Affairs             

New England Clean Energy Council

Janet brings deep expertise and credibility to lead NECEC’s policy and government relations efforts. Most recently she was Vice President of Regulatory Strategy and Policy at National Grid, and previously was Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Janet has been in senior roles in the Massachusetts Energy Office and New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, and has been an executive and expert consultant on electricity markets, transmission, policy and economics at two leading consulting firms: Analysis Group and Lexecon. She also brings experience as policy director for a DC-based national independent power industry association, and is a nationally recognized expert on a wide range of energy policy issues with deep relationships across the industry.

Karina FUNK   Brown Advisory  Winslow Management Co.

Karina Funk joined Winslow Management Co. in 2007 as an equity research analyst and is currently Co-Portfolio Manager of Brown Advisory’s green strategies following the merger of Winslow with Brown Advisory.  Ms. Funk has over 10 years of green investing experience spanning early-stage ventures to debt and public equities.  She was previously a Principal at Charles River Ventures and an investment manager at the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust.  She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, an M.S. in Technology and Policy and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds a post-graduate diploma from the Ecole Polytechnique in France.  She is a CFA charter holder.

Jiong MA  Partner  BraemarEnergy Ventures

Jiong Ma has more than 14 years of research, operating and venture capital experience in the technology industry. Prior to joining Braemar, she was with the venture group at 3i, a global private equity firm. At 3i, Dr. Ma was responsible for investment in the information technology and cleantech sectors. Prior to 3i, Dr. Ma held several senior positions at Lucent Technologies and Bell Labs. Dr. Ma was also a founding team member of Onetta, a fiber networks start-up company. Dr. Ma received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.S. in electrical engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and a B.S. in physics from Lanzhou University, China. She is a graduate of the Kauffman Fellows Program, has published or co-authored 15 technical papers, and holds one U.S. patent. Dr. Ma serves on the board of Convey Computer, Fulham and Laser Light Engines and Powervation, and is a board observer at Luminus Devices.

Laura SESODY  Boston Properties  Director of Marketing

Laura M. Sesody, Marketing Director, oversees the marketing department for the Boston region of Boston Properties.  She is responsible for the region’s marketing, branding, and public relations efforts, supporting the development, leasing, and management of the company’s approximately 13 million square foot portfolio.  She has been involved in the marketing of several major green developments for Boston Properties, including 77 CityPoint in Waltham, the first speculative green office building in suburban Boston; Weston Corporate Center in Weston, a LEED Platinum build-to-suit project; and Atlantic Wharf in Boston, the city’s first green skyscraper.  Ms. Sesody received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Boston College in 1999 and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Carroll Graduate School of Management at Boston College in 2008.