The Future of Nature: Making an Impact

Impact investing seeks to attract new resources for critical conservation work with the goal of generating measurable environmental and social impact alongside a financial return.

Learn how the Nature Conservancy and other nonprofits are using impact investment to prompt social and environmental change.

Moderated by Steve Curwood of Living on Earth, the panel discussion will include Tracy Palandjian of Social Finance, Marc Diaz of The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest and David Wood of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Initiative for Responsible Investment.

A special pre-discussion networking reception will include catering by sustainable event design and catering company, Chive Events.

Tickets are $25 or $10 for students and can be purchased online via nature.org/future.

Time: An hour-long reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. A panel discussion followed by audience questions will run from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

Location: The Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, Wimberly Theatre; 527 Tremont Street, Boston.

Panelists and Moderator Bios:

Tracy Palandjian -- Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Social Finance

Palandjian is co-founder and CEO of Social Finance, a nonprofit organization that is leading the development of the social impact bond market in the United States. Previously, she was a managing director at The Parthenon Group, where she led the Nonprofit Practice. Prior to Parthenon, Palandjian worked at Wellington Management Company and McKinsey & Company.

She is the vice chair of the U.S. National Advisory Board to the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force. A native of Hong Kong, Palandjian graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, with a B.A. in Economics, and holds an M.B.A. with high distinction from Harvard Business School.

Marc Diaz -- Managing Director, NatureVest, The Nature Conservancy

Diaz oversees NatureVest, The Nature Conservancy’s impact investing division, which focuses on delivering measurable environmental outcomes as well as financial returns to investors. NatureVest fosters ways to invest in conservation by convening investors; developing and executing innovative financial transactions; and building an investment pipeline across multiple sectors, including agriculture, fisheries and environmental markets.

Diaz previously launched and managed the UNICEF Bridge Fund, a revolving loan fund that used impact investment to fast-track life-saving goods to children in need throughout the world. Diaz earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, an M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School, and an A.B. from Harvard College, where he majored in government.

David Wood -- Director, Initiative for Responsible Investment at Hauser Institute for Nonprofit Organizations, Harvard Kennedy School

David Wood directs the Initiative for Responsible Investment’s (IRI) research and field-building work on responsible investment across investor types and asset classes, including responsible investment strategy with pension fund trustees, impact investing strategies and tactics with foundations and private investors, the changing landscape of community investing in the U.S., and impact investing and public policy.

He holds a Ph.D. in History from The Johns Hopkins University. Contact him at david_wood@hks.harvard.edu. For more on the IRI see www.hausercenter.org/iri

Moderator:

Steve Curwood -- Executive Producer and Host, Living on Earth

Steve Curwood created the first pilot of Living on Earth in 1990. Today, the program is aired on more than 300 National Public Radio affiliates in the U.S. Curwood’s relationship with NPR goes back to 1979 when he began as a reporter and host of Weekend All Things Considered. He has been an award-winning print, television and radio journalist for more than 30 years. Curwood shared the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service as part of the Boston Globe’s education team. He is president of the World Media Foundation, Inc. and a lecturer in Environmental Science and Public Policy at Harvard University.
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The Future of Nature 2015 Boston Speaker Series is made possible by the generosity of Marilyn and Jay Sarles, David and Susan Leathers, and Eaglemere Foundation.

Each night of The Future of Nature features leaders in their fields discussing some of our most critical conservation challenges and opportunities. Join us next year for more Future of Nature events. To learn more, visit nature.org/future in the spring.

You can also join the conversation by tweeting your hopes and concerns, using the hashtag #futureofnature. Follow what your neighbors have to say at @Nature_NE.