Purpose-Driven Portfolios: Understanding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Criteria in Investing

Join Jesse Gerstin and Prentiss R. Smith for an explanation and exploration of  Socially Responsible Investing.  Brief presentations will be followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Jesse Gerstin is dedicated to promoting values-driven financial decisions, bringing over 15 years of experience on climate finance and clean energy projects. He currently serves as Vice President at Inclusiv, overseeing green finance training for 500+ community lenders across the US. Jesse also serves as Sustainable Investment Advisor at Query Capital, is faculty at Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability, teaching courses on sustainable accounting and impact finance and is also an active angel investor working to enable social entrepreneurs to access early-stage capital. Jesse has led programs to expand access to renewable energy for underserved communities in the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and SE Asia, both at the Clinton Climate Initiative and  SimpliPhi Power. He also worked on climate finance models in support of forest and marine conservation, largely in Indonesia and other island nations.
Jesse earned degrees in international development from Oberlin College, environmental economics from the University of London, and an MBA in Sustainability from Bard College.

Prentiss R. Smith is president of Prentiss Smith & Co., investment management, in Brattleboro which manages 400+ million in client accounts.  Mr. Smith develops the overall strategy for client accounts, and does research on individual companies.  He became President of the company in November, 2017.  The mission statement of the company, from their website, reads:  “We believe you should have the opportunity to invest your principles, without compromising your financial goals. Our objective is to find investable companies that balance the demands of all stakeholders: employees, customers, and shareholders, but also the wider community and the environment. At the same time, we strive to find investments that will be financially rewarding over the long term. It is our strong belief that these two goals are wholly compatible. In more than forty years of sustainable investing, our investment team has never felt disadvantaged in trying to satisfy both.