The People Behind the Vision
Meet our Board of Directors & Investment Committee
Our Board & Investment Committee
Joe Evans
Portfolio Manager for The Kresge Foundation’s Social Investment Practice
Member of IPC Investment Committee
Joe is responsible for managing loans, guarantees, deposits and equity investments that support Kresge’s mission. He also works to originate, structure and close new investments in accordance with prudent social investment practices, relevant regulations and foundation priorities. He joined the foundation in 2014. Prior to joining Kresge, Joe worked for more than 10 years as a generalist with a nationally recognized consulting firm practicing in the areas of organizational development, nonprofit business planning, social investing and multi-funder initiatives.
Joe also served as an executive at a community action agency, and most recently was the director of lending for a specialty community development financial institution focused on expanding housing and educational choices for persons living with disabilities and their families. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Conn.
Bert Hunter
Chief Investment Officer of the Connecticut Green Bank
Member of IPC Investment Committee
Bert leads the finance team’s development of new and innovative financing programs that attract more private capital to scale-up the state’s clean energy investments, including energy efficiency, renewables and alternative fuel vehicles and associated infrastructure. Bert was Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Spectrum Capital, Ltd, an investment bank focused on commercial aircraft finance and investment in U.S. electric power generation. He was accountable for all financial control and served as the company’s senior risk officer, overseeing all extensions of credit and investment of the firm’s capital.
Prior to Spectrum, Bert was the treasurer of the international leasing company of Chemical Bank, where he managed the funding for a billion-dollar portfolio of aircraft and equipment loans and leases outside the United States. Bert is an alumnus, a former Trustee and former member of the Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University (BS) and received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kerry O'Neill
CEO of Inclusive Prosperity Capital
Member of IPC Investment Committee
Kerry’s prior work at the Connecticut Green Bank managing single family and multifamily financing programs and low-to-moderate income initiatives has given her tremendous exposure to the kind of institutional challenges – and opportunities – associated with clean energy investing for underserved communities. She and her team launched 11 products in five years using a channel marketing and partnership origination approach and a variety of financial structures, all sharing a focus on reducing energy burdens by expanding access to credit.
Prior to joining the Green Bank, Kerry was Senior Advisor at the Clean Energy Finance Center, a non-profit organization she co-founded. Kerry also co-founded Earth Markets, a consulting firm that developed and managed community-based social marketing programs to accelerate demand for energy efficiency. Previously, Kerry was EVP of Transaction Management, Product Development and Strategy at Clayton Holdings, an industry-leading provider of credit risk analytics and due diligence services in the mortgage-backed securitization market. She has also held executive roles in operations, marketing and strategy in diverse sectors including e-commerce, direct marketing, and educational services. Kerry earned a BS in computer science and engineering from MIT and a master’s degree from NYU Tisch School of the Art’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.
Elizabeth Crum
Housing Director for the Town of Snowmass Village, Colorado
Elizabeth has worked in housing and community development for more than 35 years and assumed leadership roles with housing coalitions and nonprofits. Prior to coming to the Town of Snowmass Village, Elizabeth was the Executive Director of the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development, a regional nonprofit building affordable housing for families and individuals in Massachusetts and Connecticut. She was also the former Executive Director of the Connecticut Housing Coalition. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in Urban Studies, she also continued her education at MIT and at the University of St. Thomas. Elizabeth is skilled in housing development, financial packaging and management and strategic planning.
Douglass Sims
Director of the Natural Resource Defense Council’s (NRDC) Center for Market Innovation
Douglass leads a team that provides analysis, advocacy and thought leadership on innovative financing for low carbon and climate resilient infrastructure. NRDC is a privately funded, non-profit environmental advocacy organization based in New York with offices around the US and in Beijing. Douglass was instrumental in the design and launch of the New York Green Bank in the United States and is a co-founder of global Green Bank Network, a membership organization whose founding members are the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (Australia), Connecticut Green Bank, GreenTech Malaysia, Japan Green Finance Organization, NY Green Bank and Green Investment Group, NRDC and the Coalition for Green Capital, announced at COP 21 in Paris.
Douglass also regularly advises jurisdictions around the world on the green investment bank model and is a member of the Standards Board of the London-based Climate Bonds Initiative. A project finance lawyer by training, Douglass began his career at Allen & Overy LLP, working on energy and infrastructure projects in Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean. Douglass holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.