US SIF: National Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Conference to Address Cutting Edge Issues

US SIF to Host 4th Annual Conference: Markets, Mission & Materiality

May 20-21, 2014 in Washington, DC

MAY 15, 2014 // WASHINGTON, DC: US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment will host its fourth annual conference, “Markets, Mission and Materiality” in Washington, DC, May 20-21.

Compelling topics for the investment industry and sustainability practitioners include:

Whether millennials are more interested than other investors in sustainable and impact investing;
New strategies and products in fixed income, community and impact investing;
How activists and company executives are working to build more sustainable companies;
The investment case for reducing income inequality;
Advancing ESG integration in investment practice;
The state of sustainable investment in European and Asian markets; and
Financing the shift from fossil fuels as well as addressing food security in the context of climate change.

More than 330 conference attendees have already registered. Conference speakers include experts in investment, business and public policy, including;

Anna Bernasek, Journalist and Author, The Economics of Integrity;
Headley Butler, President and CEO, Landon Butler;
Dave Castillo, CEO, Native Home Capital;
Elyse Cherry, CEO, Boston Community Capital;
Tom Daschle, Former Senate Majority Leader;
Ellen Dorsey, Executive Director, Wallace Global Fund;
Michael Jantzi, CEO, Sustainalytics;
Saru Jayaraman, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Restaurant Opportunities Center;
Erika Karp, CEO, Cornerstone Capital, Inc.;
Michael Lind, Policy Director, Economic Growth Program, New America Foundation;
Will Oulton, Global Head of Responsible Investment, First State Investments;
Andrea Phillips, Vice President, Goldman Sachs;
Dawn Rittenhouse, Director of Sustainable Development, DuPont;
Jessica Robinson, CEO, the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA);
William Rosenzweig, Managing Partner, Physic Ventures, LP;
Jennifer Silberman, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability, Hilton Worldwide;
Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Principal and Co-Founder, The Blue Haven Initiative; and
Laurie Spengler, President and CEO, Enclude.

Lisa Woll, CEO of US SIF, said “We are excited to be hosting our fourth national conference next week. With hundreds of attendees joining us, 35 generous sponsors, and more than 50 diverse and excellent speakers, we expect a thoughtful and provocative conference that addresses many issues that are important to sustainable, responsible and impact investors.”

Additionally, on May 20, immediately before the conference, a training will be held on the Fundamentals of Sustainable and Responsible Investment at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Fundamentals is an introductory course for investment advisors, planners and other financial professionals who want to learn the basics of sustainable and responsible investment.

New to this conference is a Student Scholarship Program, a special educational program of the US SIF Foundation in collaboration with its Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. Seven undergraduate and graduate students with demonstrated interest in a career in sustainable investment have been awarded complimentary registrations to attend the conference. These scholarships are made possible through the support of Campbell Soup Company.

The seven students selected for the scholarships are:

Marc Anthony Carr: The American University School of International Service, Masters in Social Enterprise with a focus on impact investing
Aashna Desai: Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, International Studies and Business with a concentration in Finance
Lisa Fillingame: University of Wisconsin, International Studies and Spanish
Bridget Realmuto: Columbia University, Sustainability Analytics, focusing on sustainable finance and investing
Candice Ruiz: University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School for Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), International Development
Alexandra Sutton: Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment
Alex Zorniger: Tufts University, International Relations and Entrepreneurship

Brief biographies of all the scholars can be found on the US SIF website.

The conference is sponsored by 35 companies including UBS, McDonald’s, Bloomberg, Boston Common Asset Management, Cornerstone Capital, Inc., Neuberger Berman, Pax World Investments, TIAA-CREF, and Trillium Asset Management. For additional sponsor information, please click here.

For full conference agenda details, including a list of breakout sessions, please click here.

For registration information, please click here.

WHEN: US SIF annual conference plenaries and breakout sessions will be open to the press on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. EDT and Wednesday, May 21, 2014 from 8:35 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT.

WHERE: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St., NW, Washington, DC.

TO PARTICIPATE: Attending news organizations and reporters must RSVP by Friday, May 16, 2014 by contacting Megan Smith of US SIF at 202-747-7820 or msmith@ussif.org.

Contact: Megan Smith, msmith@ussif.org, 202-747-7820

###

US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (http://www.ussif.org) is the US membership association for professionals, firms, institutions and organizations engaged in sustainable and responsible investing. US SIF and its members advance investment practices that consider environmental, social and corporate governance criteria to generate long-term competitive financial returns and positive societal impact. US SIF’s members include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, community investing institutions, non-profit associations, and pension funds, foundations and other asset owners.

This press release was originally published by US SIF which is solely responsible for its content.