Advisors
Lee Ballin (MBA '09) brings over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of sustainability, business and finance. He is an expert on reporting, disclosure and sustainability strategy, as well as a thought leader and highly sought after speaker on a wide range of sustainability topics. At FSI, Lee leads the firm’s Sustainability Advisory Solutions where he crafts and implements sustainability strategies for clients, while helping them navigate the ever-changing ESG regulatory landscape and voluntary disclosure frameworks. As a former practitioner, Lee understands the challenges that companies face from a reporting and program management perspective and takes a pragmatic approach that helps them achieve their sustainability goals and objectives. Lee began his sustainability career at Bloomberg, where he was a founding member of the Bloomberg Sustainable Business & Finance group. The group was the driving force behind integrating sustainability considerations into the firm’s operations globally and developing strategies to integrate ESG data, climate and other sustainability considerations into the Bloomberg Terminal. Lee then transitioned to BloombergNEF providing research and data to help companies, investors and policy-makers navigate the shift to a lower carbon economy. More recently, Lee served as Managing Director at Deloitte providing ESG consulting and ESG reporting services. Lee holds a bachelor's degree in Business Logistics from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business.
Jake Berlin (MBA '09) is the Vice President of Front-of-the-Meter Solutions for Stem Inc., an energy technology company with proprietary software focused on energy storage, solar, and electric vehicle optimization. Prior to this role, he was the Director of Technology to Market at the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority; served as Senior Manager of Distributed Grid Strategy at consulting firm ICF; adfgfounded and served as the Managing Partner of the Rethink Energy venture fund; held a variety of positions with the New York Power Authority; helped establish energy efficiency program management firm Willdan Energy Solutions on the East Coast; and worked to launch the distributed generation start-up Rentricity. He has also served on a number of non-profit boards, including, currently, the Center for Humans and Nature. Jake has an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BA from Brown University.
Casey C. Clark , CFA, is President and Chief Investment Officer of Rockefeller Asset Management. Mr. Clark is responsible for overseeing Rockefeller’s efforts to maximize alpha and positive outcomes by executing across four strategic pillars: Investments, Distribution, Business Operations, and Opportunities. He is also a member of RCM’s Management Committee.Prior to joining Rockefeller in 2019, Mr. Clark was Managing Director and Director of Sustainable and Impact Investing at Glenmede, where he helped launch and build Glenmede’s sustainable and impact investing business. Mr. Clark has authored numerous investment and sustainability-related publications and is often featured in print and broadcast media segments. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, received his MBA. from the Stern School of Business at New York University and retains the Charter Financial Analyst® designation. Mr. Clark is also an Advisor to New York University Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business.
John Cusack (MBA '84) is the Founder/President of Gifford Park Associates (GPA), advising firms on integrating sustainability into business around the globe. Previously, he was startup CEO of Innovest Strategic Value Advisors; served as Chief Sustainability Officer of Light Green Advisors; and was a senior P&L leadership executive of new clean tech subsidiaries of Asea Brown Boveri, where he managed green R&D funding and commercialization projects. He has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an MCE in Environmental Engineering & Science and BCE in Civil Engineering, both from Manhattan College.
Jorge Fontanez (MBA '07) is the Chief Executive Officer at B Lab U.S. & Canada. He also founded Marca Studio in 2015, a brand and marketing strategy consultancy, serving for-profit social enterprises and nonprofits. He is a First Mover Fellow of The Business & Society Program at The Aspen Institute. Jorge brings the mindset of an intrapreneur to his work, having dedicated his private sector career focused on stakeholder engagement at the intersection of marketing, technology and sustainability. His perspective on business as a driver for social change was formed by his experiences in leadership roles at Alcoa, Colgate-Palmolive, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Jorge received his MBA from Stern in 2007.
Jennifer Gootman (MBA '10) is a sustainability and ESG strategy executive with in-depth understanding of supply chain ESG issues. In late 2022 she joined lifestyle brand Tory Burch as the Global Head of Sustainability and ESG Strategy. Prior, she was the Head of Sustainability & Social Impact for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSI), leading social and environmental strategy and programming across the company’s eight brands. Under Jennifer’s leadership, WSI launched the first Fair Trade-Certified factory program in home retail and was a founding partner of the Nest Standard for Ethical Handcraft. She built on Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s leadership in responsible materials and ethical production to launch a comprehensive climate strategy, including the announcement of the company’s Science-Based Target for carbon reduction across the entire value chain. These efforts earned WSI a spot on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies list for 5 years running. Prior to joining WSI in 2013, Jennifer spent more than a decade with nonprofits and social enterprises in New York, Nicaragua, and India, working within design-driven industries to create impact through supply chain innovation. Jennifer is an Aspen Institute First Movers fellow and an advisor to NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business.
Jonathan Halperin is founder and President of Designing Sustainability. He creates and executes initiatives with nonprofit and commercial organizations that lead to systemic change. Passionate about the power of hybrid organizations and effective story-telling to drive social innovation, he has more than 30 years of experience in international affairs, food security, and climate change. He is also the Head of External Affairs at Greyston; designer of TeachFood! at Mundo Verde; a trustee of The Marcus Foundation; and on the President’s Council at Ceres.
Markus Kalina is the Managing Director of Atalo Capital, a boutique asset manager focused on value investing. Prior to starting Atalo Capital, he worked at Deutsche Bank in New York focusing on institutional consulting and equity sales. He is a CFA Charterholder who received his BA from Occidental College and his MS in Financial Engineering from Claremont Graduate University. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.
Joshua Levin is a Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at OpenInvest (recently acquired by JP Morgan, where is a Managing Director). OpenInvest builds cutting-edge, scalable ESG experiences in wealth and asset management, with a mission to fully mainstream values-based investing. Josh spent the prior six years at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), where he was a manager in the Sustainable Finance Program, and previously with various other NGOs working on sustainable finance and agriculture. He holds an MBA from NYU Stern, where he was a Catherine B. Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship, and a BA from Harvard University. Josh lives with his wife and three sons in Alameda, CA.
Paula Luff is the Director of ESG Research & Engagement at DSC Meridian Capital. She also founded VISO Strategies. She was the Director of Sustainability and Impact, working across the investment team to integrate ESG into the firm’s investment process and engaging with companies on financially-material ESG issues. From 2007 through 2015, Paula was vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Hess Corporation where she established and led the global social responsibility function for the company and integrated key ESG issues into operations. She also led engagement efforts on a range of sustainability efforts with host governments, NGOs, investors and other external stakeholders. Prior to joining Hess, Paula was senior director of strategic health partnerships for Pfizer Inc where she set global access strategy and led the design and implementation of global health programs and policies for the company and its foundation. Paula holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and master’s degrees from New York University and the New School University. Paula is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Long-term Strategy Group and is a former member of the Business Leaders Forum.
Graham MacMillan (MS/MBA '09) is the President of the Visa Foundation where he is responsible for developing and executing the Foundation’s grantmaking and impact investing strategy in support of its mission to help low-income and financially-underserved small businesses around the world. Previously, Graham was Senior Program Officer for Mission Investments at the Ford Foundation. His primary work focuses on strengthening institutions and applying technologies to change how capital markets’ allocate investment to be more long-term and sustainable. Previously, Graham was Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Partnerships at Citi where we worked with Citi businesses to drive economic and social impact with clients and other key stakeholders while contributing to Citi's broader Citizenship reporting requirements. Graham joined Citi as the Senior Program Officer for Financial Inclusion where he managed the Foundation's international grantmaking program in nearly 90 countries while also leading investments in innovation, thought-leadership and research. Graham received his BA from Colby College, MSc from NYU Wagner, and MBA through a joint program at NYU Stern, London School of Economics and HEC Paris School of Management.
Kate Marshall is Executive Director, Responsible Investment Solutions Specialist at Calvert Research & Management, a division of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM). In her role, Kate supports Calvert’s product development, client solutions capabilities and other strategic initiatives including ESG regulation and policy issues. Prior to Calvert, Kate worked on MSIM’s Sustainable Investing team to enhance the firm’s sustainable investment offerings through ESG portfolio analytics and client reporting and client advisory services . Previously Kate worked at BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) where she primarily advised private equity firms on ESG integration, including impact investing and ESG due diligence. Kate began her ESG career at Sustainalytics where she was the lead analyst for the Materials sector conducting company and sector-level research, advising clients on ESG integration, and contributing to research methodology enhancements. Kate holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of British Columbia.
Ozgem Ornektekin is founder and president of KO2 Consulting providing strategic sustainability and energy planning, implementation and management services for large public and private organizations. Prior to founding KO2 Consulting, she served as Chief Energy Management Officer (Deputy Commissioner) of the City of New York, Director of Office of Sustainability at New York University and first Director of Sustainability at NYC Department of Education. Before her leadership roles at the City and NYU, Ozgem was mechanical/energy engineer and project manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff and AECOM. Ozgem is adjunct faculty at New York School of Interior Design teaching building system courses. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Denver. 
Lawrence Pratt is Senior Lecturer at INCAE Business School in Alajuela, Costa Rica where from 2010 to 2015 he was Director of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS). He is founder and director of the Ecobanking Project and the Sustainable Markets Intelligence Center. Lawrence is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Management.
Tommy Stadlen is a technology entrepreneur. He is a co-founder at Giant Ventures, which backs purpose-driven technology founders solving the world’s biggest challenges. Giant is a multi-stage, thesis driven firm based in London, LA and Copenhagen. He is also the bestselling author of Connect: How Companies Succeed by Engaging Radically with Society. He is a former McKinsey consultant and previously worked for President Obama. 
Suma Swaminathan (MBA '15) is Vice President, Private Equity at Developing World Markets, a U.S. based impact investment manager that has disbursed over $1.7 billion in over 60 emerging and frontier market countries. Prior to DWM, Suma worked in business valuation and technology. She also has experience working with partner weaver cooperative societies in the handloom industry in India to promote strategies for financial self-sufficiency. Currently, Suma is a Steering Committee member of the Refugee Investment Network, a collaborative designed to create long-term solutions for global forced migration. Suma received her MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, where she was designated a Faculty Scholar for Social Enterprise, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India.
Jim Tolisano has designed and implemented natural resource and biodiversity conservation projects in more than 40 countries and integrated applied work in sustainable finance, conservation planning, conservation biology, and environmental education. He is also Adjunct Professor of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Studies at New York University.
Lorraine Spradley Wilson (MBA '12) is a Senior Advisor and former Chief Sustainability Officer of Novata, a software and services platform focused on sustainability within the private markets. Before joining Novata, Lorraine was managing director and head of investor solutions at JUST Capital. Prior to that, Lorraine held roles in investment management in New York at Bank of America Merrill, Third Avenue Management, and Goldman Sachs. Lorraine has also served on the board of several community organizations and is an advisor to the NYU Center for Sustainable Business. She earned an M.B.A. in finance, entrepreneurship, and economics from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a B.A. in government from Georgetown University.
Ward Wolff (MBA '17) is Associate Director of Upstart Co-Lab, a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors connecting impact investors with the creative economy. Ward oversees Upstart’s strategic partnerships, field building efforts, research, and investment pipeline of directs, funds and real estate. In this role Ward has worked with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) on the development and launch of the NYC Inclusive Creative Economy Fund and co-authored “The Community Reinvestment Act and the Creative Economy” published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He is a member of the California Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land, serves on the Middlebury Performing Arts Council, and is a mentor for MIINT, the national impact investing training program. Ward graduated from Middlebury College and received his MBA from NYU Stern.