2017 - Agenda - SILCNY

Sarah Tomolonius

Conference Chair, Co-founder, SILC

Sarah is the Conference Chair, Co-Founder, SILC. Sarah serves as President on the Board of HeARTs Speak, on the Young Executive Board of iMentor, on the Executive Council of the Alumni Council at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University and as Chair of the Sustainability Committee and on the Management Committee of the New York Alternative Investment Roundtable. Sarah received her BA in English from Vassar College and her MPA from SIPA at Columbia University, where she received a fellowship for International Finance and Policy.

Vice President

Michael Kraten

Professor of Accounting, Chair of the Division of Accounting, Finance, and Economics, Houston Baptist University, and Coordinator of Intellectual Content of SILC Global and SILC Houston Programs

Michael Kraten, PhD, CPA specializes in the development of business strategies that stimulate the generation of long term sustainable value. He maintains areas of expertise in communication techniques, corporate social responsibility, decision analysis, enterprise risk management, entrepreneurship, financial modeling, forensic analysis, sustainability, and valuation.

Dr. Kraten began his career in the assurance, advisory, and management consulting practices of Deloitte, one of the “Big Four” global accounting firms. After serving as a Management Consulting Partner in the New York headquarters office of BDO, then the sixth largest global accounting firm, he co-founded the entrepreneurial consulting practice AQPQ. The acronym refers to the academic and practitioner qualifications of the firm.

He is also a senior Professor at Houston Baptist University, where he designed and now teaches the graduate courses in entrepreneurial finance, advanced international accounting, and accounting theory, and the undergraduate course in advanced financial accounting.

Furthermore, he is the Founder and Director of the Faculty Learning Community on Sustainability, and the Founding Faculty Adviser to the Student Accounting, Finance, and Economics Initiative.

Dr. Kraten previously served as an Associate Professor for eight years at Providence College in Rhode Island, where he designed and taught the graduate capstone course for public accounting students and the undergraduate interdisciplinary colloquium on sustainability. The colloquium was sponsored by the Western Civilization program; it integrated content from business and the natural sciences with content from theology, philosophy, history, and english.

He previously taught at Suffolk University in Boston, Maastricht University in the Netherlands, the University of Massachusetts, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Connecticut. He has also presented his work at Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and other institutions.

Furthermore, Dr. Kraten founded and directed the Certified Sustainable Value Professional (CSVP) program of the Rhode Island Society of CPAs. He now develops and presents customized accounting, business planning, leadership, risk management, and sustainability seminars for the Business Learning Institute and IHRDC, a global human resources development firm in the energy industry.

These activities have enabled Dr. Kraten to deliver consulting services, courses, keynote addresses, presentations, and workshops for a wide variety of organizations around the world. His client organizations and collaborative partners have included entrepreneurial start-ups, multinational corporations, government organizations, global charities, and international universities on six continents.

Dr. Kraten has published in the Journal of Banking and Finance, the International Journal of Accounting, Research in Accounting Regulation, the CPA Journal, the Journal of Financial Planning, Accounting and the Public Interest, and other major outlets. His handbook Business Planning and Entrepreneurship: An Accounting Approach is published by Business Expert Press.

In addition, Dr. Kraten serves on committees and task forces of the American Accounting Association, and is an officer of the Public Interest Section of the Association. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the CPA Journal, the Planning Committee of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, and the Advisory Board of the Center for Professional Accounting Practices at Fordham University in New York City.

Dr. Kraten has earned a PhD in Behavioral Accounting from the University of Connecticut and a MPPM in Public and Private Management from Yale University. Previously, he earned a BBA in Public Accounting from Baruch College of the City University of New York. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Connecticut.

Helena Barton

Partner and Client Executive, Deloitte

CSR expert ► 15 years’ global experience in CSR governance, risk and compliance, advising
companies, investors and multi-lateral agencies on social, environmental and governance
risks.

Reporting and Assurance ► Strong expertise in CSR / Sustainability reporting and assurance, using international principles and guidelines such as Global Reporting Initiative, UN Global Compact, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, ISO 26000 and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Governance and Management Systems ► Lead auditor and verifier of CSR management systems and reporting, using standards such as ISO 26000 / DS 490001 and AA1000AS as well as OECD principles.

Standards Development ► Active contributor to leading CSR / Sustainability frameworks, standards and associations, including Global Reporting Initiative, AccountAbility, International Integrated Reporting Council, and Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels.

Social Impacts ► Social Anthropologist, PhD, with international experience in dilemmas around human / labour / land rights, rural development and community politics as well as related stakeholder engagement, due diligence and social impact assessments.

Communication ► Skilled writer and technical editor as well as lecturer, thesis superviser and public speaker on CSR issues.

Project Management ► Extensive experience gained through international assignments, running long-term, complex, multi-site and multi-disciplinary projects with geographically spread team members.

Specialties: Sustainability – Corporate Responsibility – CSR – Corporate Governance – Standard-setting and certification – Reporting – Verification – Assurance – Communication – Risk assessment – Teaching – Training – Stakeholder Engagement – ISO26000 – DS49001 – SRI – Sustainable investment – Social impact assessment – Human rights – Labour rights – Resistance to fraud and corruption – Equator Principles – Sustainable biofuels

Patsy Doerr

Global Leader, Social Impact

Patsy Doerr is an experienced speaker, columnist, thought leader and award-winning expert in the field of Social Impact, with expertise in corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion and sustainability. Her work in these areas has been featured by a number of publications and conferences including Forbes, The Hill, The Muse, Milken Institute and Sustainable Brands.

Since December 2011, Patsy has built and has been leading the corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion and sustainability functions at Thomson Reuters globally, which spanned more than 100 countries and 45,000 employees. In 2017, she successfully launched the ESG Institute, a cutting-edge resource and support center tasked with building awareness and understanding around Social Impact issues and metrics. Patsy’s impact and success is rooted in more than 25 years of experience building and leading functions for organizations including Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase.

Additionally, Patsy serves on several board and committees that align with both her business and personal passions, including All In Together, Samburu Girls Foundation, Women’s World Banking and Responsible Investment Association.

Patsy holds a BS in Biology from Washington and Lee University as well as a Master of Science (summa cum laude) in Adult Learning and Organizational Development from Fordham University. She has two children and lives in Manhattan.

Lee A. DeHihns, III.

Partner (Retired), Alston & Bird LLP

Lee DeHihns is a member of the firm’s Environmental and Land Use Group. He has practiced environmental law since 1974. He concentrates on regulatory matters and defensive litigation matters, including corporate audits, compliance program development, debarment, white-collar criminal defense, air quality, hazardous waste, water quality and wetlands matters for industrial and municipal clients. He is an author on the topics of water quality and quantity, corporate environmental responsibility, and citizen suits, and a frequent speaker to professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, the Georgia Municipal Association, and the Atlanta Bar Association. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Mr. DeHihns was ranked as a leading environmental lawyer in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers 2005. He is the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources 2005-2006, he was previously a member of the Council, 2001-2004, and Chair of the Water Quality and Wetlands Committee, 1999-2001 and a Vice Chair of that Committee, 1997-1999. Lee joined the firm in 1990 after serving four years as Deputy Regional Administrator of USEPA Region 4, the Agency’s senior career position in the Southeast. His career began with USEPA in 1974 in Washington, D.C. where he rose to the position of Associate General Counsel. Lee received a Senior Executive Service Meritorious Rank Award from President Bush in 1989.

Barry C. Melancon

CEO, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants; President & CEO at American Institute of CPAs

Barry C. Melancon is the President and Chief Executive Officer at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the national professional association of CPAs, with more than 412,000 members worldwide. As head of the largest body of CPAs in the world, Melancon is called upon to represent the Institute with state, national and international organizations and is sought after by key opinion leaders for his expertise. Under Melancon, the Institute has spearheaded a number of initiatives designed to benefit not only the profession, but also investors, business owners, lenders and the general public. These include audit quality centers; private company reporting standards; eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL); the computerized CPA exam; and two consumer financial literacy education programs. Also under Barry’s leadership the AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) developed a joint venture to establish the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation to elevate management accounting globally. More than 150,000 management accountants now hold the CGMA designation worldwide. Melancon also serves as the CEO and a board member of the Joint Venture, the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, which oversees all CGMA activities internationally.

Andrea Schmitz

Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety, Con Edison

Andrea Schmitz is Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety effective January 1, 2014. Schmitz was previously General Manager of Brooklyn/Queens Electric Construction where she was responsible for the overhead, services and subsurface construction groups. Schmitz joined Con Edison in 1996 and worked as a section manager and director in various units in EH&S including Gas EH&S, Asbestos and Wetlands, and Environmental Response Team and Chem Lab. In 2007, Schmitz became the Deputy Ombudsman. She became Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer in 2009. Before joining the company, Schmitz worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. where she worked on solid waste and air programs. She was also an adjunct professor at Columbia from 2004 – 2009 in the Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy Program.

Kristen Sullivan

Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Kristen Sullivan is a partner and leads Deloitte & Touche LLP and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s (DTTL) Sustainability Reporting, Assurance and Compliance services, working with clients to help address their sustainability disclosure needs. Kristen also serves as the DTTL Americas Region Sustainability Services Leader. Kristen brings extensive experience in sustainability reporting and assurance, focused on social impact. Kristen leads Deloitte’s efforts around social impact measurement and reporting, specifically focused on Deloitte’s services in support of the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS).
Kristen also leads Deloitte’s Conflict Minerals Advisory and Assurance Services. She brings specialized insights to this regulatory reporting requirement from her previous area of focus on Regulatory & Public Policy Matters for Deloitte, recognizing the broader policy as well as the compliance implications of this issue from a corporate brand and reputation standpoint.
Kristen serves as a member of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) North America Advisory Council, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Assurance Task Force, the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings (GISR) Technical Review Committee, the Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) Initiative Corporate Working Group, and serves as a member of the AICPA Conflict Minerals and Sustainability Task Forces. She also served on the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Working Group Kristen has authored a number of publications around the value of sustainability and non-financial disclosure and assurance, including conflict minerals disclosure and assurance.
Kristen has over 19 years of experience with Deloitte. Kristen is a CPA, CGMA and is GRI certified. She began her career with Deloitte in the Audit and Advisory services practice. She has also served in Deloitte’s National Office in several different capacities and served in a role working with the deputy CEO of Deloitte LLP focusing on regulatory and public policy matters.
Kristen serves as a member of the Eureka College Board of Trustees, the Global Social Venture Competition Advisory Board of the UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the Financial Women’s Association and the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk.

Marc L. Rinaldi

Partner-in-Charge of Financial Services and Director of Family Office Investments, PKF O’Connor Davies LLP

Marc Rinaldi is the Partner-in-Charge of PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP Financial Services and CEO of O’Connor Davies Administration, LLC. He has over 30 years of industry experience and is a leader in the fields of investment, entity, partnership and alternative investment accounting, ASU 820 valuation, risk management and international investment banking and proprietary trading. His clients include family offices, private foundations, endowments and private equity, hedge and venture capital funds. Marc also provides investment consulting to clients on investor due diligence, socially responsible investing, risk-based compliance management and performance reporting. Marc is a member of the Managed Funds Association and Global Association of Risk Professionals. He also serves on the New York State Society Investment Companies, Investment Management and Private Equity Committees. Marc recently presented on the impact of socially responsible investing on family office and private foundation investors at the firm’s annual Private Foundation Symposium and at a EY Global Hedge Fund Symposium in Amsterdam.

Tensie Whelan

Professor of Business and Society, NYU

Tensie Whelan joined New York University Stern School of Business in November 2015 as Clinical Professor of Business and Society. She will lead the School’s efforts around issues of business and sustainability, driving research and coursework on natural resource-based challenges including climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, poverty and unsustainable development. Professor Whelan was formerly the President of the Rainforest Alliance, where she worked since 2000. In 2014, she was appointed as the School’s 2014-2015 Citi Leadership and Ethics Distinguished Fellow.
During her tenure at Rainforest Alliance, she increased the organization’s budget from $4.5 million to $50 million; ensured that 17% of the world’s tea, 14% of the world’s cocoa and 5% of the world’s coffee was certified by the Rainforest Alliance; and increased the visibility of the Rainforest Alliance seal from zero to nearly 45%. Under her leadership, the organization recruited 4,000 companies and nearly 5 million producers and their families in more than 60 countries.
Professor Whelan has been working in the environmental field for more than 25 years. Her published works include one of the first books on ecofriendly tourism, Nature Tourism: Managing for the Environment. She has been recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics” by Ethisphere and was awarded the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award in 2012. She serves on the advisory boards of Social Accountability International and Corporate Eco Forum, and she is the co-chair of the steering committee of Sustainable Food Lab.
Professor Whelan has also served as the Vice President of Conservation Information at the National Audubon Society, Executive Director of the New York League of Conservation Voters, Managing Editor of Ambio and management consultant to nonprofit organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund.
She received a B.A. in Politics from New York University and an M.A. in International Communication from American University.

Mervyn E. King

Chairman, King Committee in South Africa

Mervyn King has chaired and been a director of several companies listed on the JSE and is probably best known as the Chairman of the King Committee on Corporate Governance in South Africa. However, he also serves as President of the Advertising Standards Authority, First Vice-President of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa, a member of the Securities Regulation Panel, which oversees all mergers and acquisitions in the country, Chairman of the Appeal Committee of the United Cricket Board and of the Automobile Association, Strate, the settlement arm of trades in equities and other instruments in South Africa, and of Brait Societé Anonyme. He was the South African representative at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris for nine years and still acts as an arbitrator and mediator in commercial disputes. He is associated in numerous ways with several other organizations including the Commonwealth Association of Corporate Governance, the World Bank and the United Nations, amongst others. A committed South African, dedicated campaigner for justice and fairness, an accessible and selfless man, Mervyn King has consulted, advised and spoken on legal, business and corporate governance issues in 39 countries, has written a book, The Corporate Citizen, and has received many awards.

Linda Klein

President, American Bar Association (ABA)

Linda Klein is the senior managing shareholder at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz and president of the American Bar Association.

Klein’s practice, based in Atlanta, includes most types of business dispute resolution, including contract law, employment law and professional liability, working extensively with clients in the construction, higher education and pharmaceutical industries.

In June 1997, Klein became the first woman to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia. During Klein’s term, she devised a proposal and advocated for the state to allocate funding for Georgia Legal Services and Atlanta Legal Aid to hire lawyers to help indigent victims of domestic violence. She organized a statewide group of community organizations and local and minority bar associations that together convinced the General Assembly to appropriate $2 million. Since then, the annual appropriations have helped thousands in Georgia with legal issues related to domestic violence.

Klein was one of the first women to lead a prominent Georgia law firm. She served as managing partner of Gambrell & Stolz beginning in 2001 and led the firm’s 2007 merger with Baker Donelson, becoming a Baker Donelson board member and Georgia managing shareholder.

She served as chair of the ABA’s House of Delegates, the second highest office in the organization, from 2010−2012. She has also served as chair of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, chair of the Committee on Rules and Calendar of the House of Delegates, chair of the Coalition for Justice, and chair of ABA Day, the Association’s Congressional outreach effort. She is a member of the Council of the ABA Section of International Law and also serves as a columnist and on the Board of Editors of Law Practice Management Magazine. In 2004, the American Bar Association honored Klein with the prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award.

She was an early member of the Board of Directors Network, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase diversity on corporate boards and general counsel positions. Her other community activities include leadership in Southface Energy Institute and the Buckhead Coalition. In June, Klein received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the State Bar of Georgia. In 2009, Klein was honored with the Randolph Thrower Award for Lifetime Achievement from the State Bar of Georgia and was named to the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers.

A member of the American Law Institute, Klein is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America”, “Who’s Who in America” and “Chambers USA.” She is regularly named to the “Super Lawyers” top 100 lawyers in Georgia, an honor bestowed upon only nine women in 2014. She is also regularly named one of the top 50 female lawyers in Georgia by “Super Lawyers.” In 1998, “Georgia Trend Magazine” named her one of the 100 most powerful and influential Georgians.

Klein earned her J.D. at Washington & Lee Law School in Virginia and her B.A. at Union College in New York.

Spring Lacy

VP, Corporate & Community Engagement, Prudential Financial

Spring Lacy joined Prudential in June 2013 as Vice President of Corporate & Community Engagement. Her responsibilities include providing strategic leadership and oversight in the execution of domestic and global employee and corporate engagement activities. In this role, she is responsible for all employee volunteer and recognition programs, including Dollars for Doers, Prudential’s national board placement program and other projects that help build the capacity of the nonprofit sector. Lacy also provides leadership for a team of relationship managers who work with the businesses to identify opportunities to address social needs while meeting business objectives.

Prior to her arrival at Prudential, Lacy served as the Vice President of Employee Engagement & Volunteerism for JPMorgan Chase. In that role, she developed employee engagement opportunities in local markets around the world, providing consultancy to over 70 volunteer leadership groups and t raining over 1,000 global coordinators. Her accomplishments include designing and implementing a technology infrastructure responsible for the disbursement of over 5,000 grants totaling over $3.5 million dollars annually, and developing and launching a successful coaching and mentoring program for volunteer leaders to help them develop leadership and professional skills. Lacy also managed the firm’s volunteer grant and matching gift programs, and the employee giving campaign.

Lacy also brings experience in the nonprofit sector having served as the Director of Strategic Community Initiatives for Central Jersey Community Development Corporation. She also has a wealth of experience in human resources having served as a Human Resource Manager for NBC, and Campus Recruiter for Anderson Consulting.
Lacy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College and a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Administration. She continues to serve the community as a board member for Dress for Success of Morris County and a member of Corporate Volunteers of New York.

Adam Weinstein

President of New York Hedge Fund Roundtable

Lily Trager

Dir. of Investing with Impact, Morgan Stanley

In addition to my work leading the Investing with Impact Platform at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, I am a co-founder of “WISE: Women Investing for a Sustainable Economy,” a global community of women seeking to take sustainable and impact investing into the mainstream.

Martin Whittaker

CEO of JUST Capital

Martin Whittaker is the CEO of JUST Capital. He is responsible for the overall leadership of the organization. Previously, Martin was a founding partner and investment committee member at Sonen Capital, an impact investing firm, where he led private equity, real asset and direct investing activities. Previously, Martin worked as Director of MissionPoint Capital Partners, a private equity firm; a Senior Vice President at Swiss Re, where he was part of the Environmental and Commodity Markets team; and a Managing Director at Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, Inc., a pioneering investment advisory and research firm within the environmental finance space. Martin is also co-convener of the CREO family office investment network; an investment committee member for Sonen’s private investment platform; and a Board member of the Carbon Disclosure Project U.S.

Martin received his Ph.D. from University of Edinburgh, an MBA from the University of London, an M.Sc. from McGill University and a B.Sc. from University of St. Andrews. Martin has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and provided expert testimony on environmental markets to the U.S. Senate.

Meghan D. Hely Walsh

Public & Charity Manager, Holland & Knight

Meg Walsh manages Holland & Knight’s Public and Charitable Service Department, which leads the firm’s global pro bono, community service and charitable giving initiatives. She was previously a member of the firm’s Corporate Law Practice Group and Nonprofit and Education Teams. In that role, she advised businesses and nonprofit entities on corporate governance, transactions, institutional funds and legislation.
While at Holland & Knight, Ms. Walsh completed a fellowship with the nonprofit corporation of MetroLacrosse, Inc., where she assisted with business and structural issues for the organization. Prior to starting her legal career, Ms. Walsh was an associate at a venture capital firm. She focused on the business models, capital structure, and governance of emerging companies, and worked closely with the leadership and boards of directors of the firm’s portfolio companies.
Ms. Walsh has been a volunteer for many years with MetroLacrosse, which uses the sport of lacrosse to inspire personal, athletic and educational success among urban youth. Through Holland & Knight’s Public and Charitable Service Department, she has been a volunteer at two public schools in Boston, the Boston Renaissance Charter School and the Josiah Quincy Lower School, as well as the Brooklyn Preparatory High School in New York.

John C. Dernbach

Commonwealth Professor of Environmental Law and Sustainability

John C. Dernbach is Commonwealth Professor of Environmental Law and Sustainability at Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Director of that school’s Environmental Law and Sustainability Center. Professor Dernbach has written on sustainable development, climate change, and other topics in more than 40 articles for law reviews and peer-reviewed journals, and has authored, coauthored, or contributed chapters to more than 20 books. He is the editor (with James R. May) of Shale Gas and the Future of Energy: Law and Policy for Sustainability (Edward Elgar 2016), the principal author of author of Acting as if Tomorrow Matters: Accelerating the Transition to Sustainability (Environmental Law Institute Press 2012), and the editor of Agenda for a Sustainable America (ELI Press 2009) and Stumbling Toward Sustainability (ELI Press 2002). He and Professor Michael Gerrard are the co-editors of a forthcoming book, Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States (ELI Press 2017).
Professor Dernbach coauthored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 18 prominent climate scientists in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency. He was a member of the National Research Council Committee that, in Sustainability and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011), made recommendations on how to institutionalize sustainability at EPA. His writings were extensively cited by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in its landmark 2013 decision in Robinson Township v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which has reinvigorated the Environmental Rights Amendment to the state constitution. Before taking his teaching position at Widener, Professor Dernbach worked in a variety of positions at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and served most recently as that agency’s policy director.

Rick Alexander

Head, Legal Policy at B Labs

Frederick (“Rick”) H. Alexander is Head of Legal Policy at B Lab. Before coming to B Lab, he spent 26 years at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, practicing corporate law, including four years as managing partner. He remains counsel to the firm.

Rick prepared the initial drafts of both the Delaware public benefit corporation legislation and the American Bar Association’s Benefit Corporation White Paper. He is a member of the Delaware Access to Justice Commission and an Inaugural Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel.

Named as one of the ten most highly regarded corporate governance lawyers worldwide, Rick has written two books, The Public Benefit Corporation Guidebook and The Delaware Corporation. His third book, Benefit Corporation Law and Governance: Pursuing Profit with Purpose, will be published in September 2017 by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. He has published articles in Harvard Business Law Review, Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Business Lawyer, Business Law Today, Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, Review of Securities and Commodities Regulation, Law360, Insights, and Agenda.

John White

Partner, Cravath, Corporate Governance

John W. White is a partner in Cravath’s Corporate Department and serves as Chair of its Corporate Governance and Board Advisory practice. He served as Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the SEC from 2006-2008. His practice focuses on representing public companies on a wide variety of matters, including corporate governance matters, public reporting obligations, public financings and restatements and other financial crises.

Marcy Twete

Exec. Dir, Corp Responsibility, ArcelorMittal

Marcy Twete is a leader in sustainability and responsibility in the corporate sector. She believes (to tweak a quote from Former President Bill Clinton) there is nothing wrong with corporate America that cannot be cured by what is right with corporate America. Marcy is the Division Manager, Corporate Responsibility and the Executive Director of the USA Foundation for ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel and mining company. There, she leads sustainability and corporate responsibility initiatives across the value chain for ArcelorMittal’s Americas region stretching from Canada to Argentina.

Prior to joining ArcelorMittal, Marcy spent nearly a decade in the nonprofit industry, working and consulting for organizations including WomenVenture, Pillsbury United Communities, Women Thrive, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, the University of Cambridge and others. She is also the founder and former CEO of a women’s career development initiative that attracted more than 1 million women to its services from 2012-2014 and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.”
Marcy is the Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network, a Trustee at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities. She lives in Chicago with her husband Charlie and her beloved tabby cat Betsey. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the College of St. Benedict and is currently enrolled in Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business’ Executive MBA program.

Christopher Johnson

CEO, Center for Justice, Rights & Dignity

John Wilson

Head of Governance, Cornerstone Capital

John K.S. Wilson is the Head of Corporate Governance, Engagement & Research at Cornerstone Capital Group. John has over 18 years of experience in socially responsible investing and corporate governance. He was Director of Corporate Governance for TIAA-CREF, the largest private pension system in the United States with assets under management of over $500 billion. In this role, he oversaw the voting of proxies at CREF’s 8,000 portfolio companies and engaged in dialogue with corporate boards and management to promote sustainability and good corporate governance. He also writes and presents widely about the relevance of social responsibility to investment performance for academic, corporate and investor audiences. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF in early 2008, John served as Director of Socially Responsible Investing for Christian Brothers Investment Services, an investment advisor to Catholic institutions. In that role, he led the company’s shareholder advocacy, social screening, and proxy voting functions as well as participating in the company’s outreach to religious communities around the United States.

An Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia Business School, John is also a member of the Advisory Council to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. He is a past Vice-Chair of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and was a founding advisory committee member of the International SRI Working Group, a think tank serving social investing professionals. John has also served on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Human Rights Working Group and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment Clearinghouse Steering Committee. He has an MBA and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a BA in English from Georgetown University.

Anita Househam

UN Global Compact LEAD

I am a corporate sustainability professional with over 10 years experience working with business, investors, government, intergovernmental organizations and civil society in identifying unacceptable risks to people and planet and addressing them through sustainable solutions. For the past 7 years I have worked for the United Nations Global Compact to advance its mission to create a sustainable and inclusive global economy. With extensive experience in fostering collaborative efforts to scale positive impact and minimize the negative impact business can have, I am dedicated and enthusiastic about my work in supporting business become a force for good.

Aaron Briggs

Corporate, Securities & Finance, GE

Mr. Briggs serves as Executive Counsel, Corporate, Securities & Finance, for General Electric. In this role, he is responsible for corporate governance, securities law and corporate finance.
Before joining GE in 2012, Mr. Briggs practiced law in the Los Angeles and Washington, DC offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits practice groups.
Mr. Briggs received his law degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 2007), where he was a Kosmerl Scholar and a member of the Chicago Journal of International Law. He received his undergraduate degree, with high honors, from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., 2004).
Mr. Briggs was named “Governance Professional of the Year” in 2016 by Corporate Secretary Magazine. He is a frequent speaker on securities/disclosure, governance and compensation-related matters and is a member of the Stockholder Relations Society of New York and the Society for Corporate Governance, where he serves on the National Conference Planning Committee as well as the Securities Law and Corporate Practices Committees.

Jason Ackerman

BNA CPAs & Advisors

EDUCATION
NYU with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Minor in Art History
CERTIFICATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
AICPA
SC Association of CPAs

FAVORITE THING ABOUT WORKING AT BNA?
Firm’s willingness to change and grow

VOLUNTEERING
Fort Mill History Museum
Junior Achievement

HOMETOWN
Fort Mill, SC

FAVORITE THING ABOUT ROCK HILL?
Riverwalk Carolinas

HOBBIES
basketball, golf, and playing piano

FAVORITE TV SHOW?
The Office

Madden DeGarmo Manion

Chief Development Officer, Points of Light

Madden Manion has a track record of fundraising success at Points of Light that spans more than a decade. As senior vice president of corporate partnerships, she greatly expanded and diversified Points of Light’s portfolio of corporate partners and developed a reputation for being a skillful manager, trusted corporate thought-partner and tireless advocate for volunteer service.

Manion has worked with some of Points of Light’s largest sponsors, including Chase, Target, the Walt Disney Company and Citi, building partnerships that engage the public in volunteer service while also increasing corporate employee engagement in community problem-solving.

Prior to joining Points of Light, Manion held business development and marketing roles in corporate America, including telecommunications companies TowerCom and Telcor Communications, SUCCESS Magazine, and Babbit & Reiman Advertising. She received a Masters in Public Administration, with a focus on nonprofit leadership, from Georgia State University. Her undergraduate degree is in history from Emory University.

Jeffrey Senne

Senior Dir, Corporate Responsibility, PwC

Jeff Senne is a Director on the PwC Corporate Responsibility team. In this role Senne oversee’s the firms operations and strategy function. He also has helped oversee embedding the firm’s Purpose position within PwC’s 41,000 people so it becomes a core part of the firm’s culture. Prior to joining PwC Senne was the Director of Sustainability Performance for Sodexo Inc, a Senior Advisor for the African Development Bank and the Head of Communications on Progress and Participation for the United Nations Global Compact. In these roles, Senne worked with company, university, civil society and governmental representatives in creating value by continually improving their organization’s social and environmental impact. Senne takes a continual improvement, “manage what you measure,” approach to organizational change by applying quality management methodologies to uncover value in systems and process improvements.

While with the United Nations Senne delivered trainings to over 500 Global Compact participants and stakeholders from over 50 countries and developed tools and methods for measuring, evaluating and communicating on the progress companies were making sure their corporate citizenship commitments deliver strategic value. Prior to joining the United Nations, Senne spent nearly 15 years in management, where he was a “disaster recovery specialist.” His work was to take over business operations that were underperforming and to redefine their business model and create sustainable and competitive company cultures. Creating, managing and motivating teams by defining shared goals, common values, and performance indicators were his forte. Senne has spoken on Corporate Citizenship to audiences around the world, regularly leads CSR trainings and is passionate about sharing how companies drive organizational change and value creation via their CSR implementation.

Our 2017 Speakers

Agenda

Wednesday, May 17, 2017—Program

A Few Highlights from Our May 16, 2017 Conference

Panel Discussion: Diversity In the Workplace

Making the Case for Corporate Community Engagement

Panel Discussion on Integrated Reporting

Commonsense Principles of Corporate Governance