US SIF Hosts Annual Conference in Chicago May 11-12: A New Climate for Investing in Impact

    WASHINGTON, DC, May 04, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment will host its annual conference May 11 and 12 at the J.W. Marriott in Chicago, with special US SIF member programming on May 10. A New Climate for Investing in Impact will feature numerous leaders and experts addressing key issues related to sustainable, responsible and impact investing.

Said Lisa Woll, US SIF CEO, who will address the opening session and speak in the closing session on What's Next: How Will the New Administration Affect Sustainable and Impact Investing, "With one in five dollars invested using one or more sustainable investment strategies, our conference provides an opportunity at a key moment for investors, companies and policymakers to explore challenges and opportunities at the start of a new administration. This year's conference features an exceptional line up of speakers who will address the expanded interest in sustainable and impact investing across the globe."

Some of the issues to be explored during this year's plenary sessions include how to address climate change from the perspective of investors, policymakers and companies; how the new Administration will affect the policy priorities of impact investors; mass incarceration and the role of investors in creating resilient cities.

City of Chicago Treasurer Kurt Summers, who previously spoke at the US SIF 2015 conference, will provide welcoming remarks on Thursday, May 11. Treasurer Summers is responsible for the City of Chicago's $7 billion investment portfolio and will launch the Chicago Community Catalyst Fund later this year. The Catalyst Fund is a fund-of-funds that will make targeted investments in Chicago's 77 neighborhoods with an emphasis in the communities that need it most.

"I am thrilled to welcome US SIF and hundreds of conference attendees, leaders and experts focused on impact investing to Chicago," Treasurer Summers said. "Sustainable and responsible impact investment is key to driving the social change we need not only in Chicago, but in communities all over the country."

Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, author of Just Mercy, and a multiple award winner including a MacArthur "Genius" Award and inclusion on the 2015 Time 100 Most Influential People will talk about the profound challenges in our criminal justice system and addressing mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the US.

Other plenary speakers include:
- Andy Green, Managing Director of Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress.
- Ken Kimmell, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
- Craig Metrick, Chair of US SIF Board of Directors and Director, Manager Due Diligence and Thematic Research at Cornerstone Capital Group
- Eric Olson, Senior Vice President of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
- Kevin Parker, Managing Partner with Sustainable Insight Capital Management
- Matt Patsky, Chief Executive Officer and a portfolio manager at Trillium Asset Management
- Jennifer Pryce, President and CEO of Calvert Foundation
- Debra Schwartz, Managing Director of Impact Investments at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- William Towns, Executive Director of Benefit Chicago
- Shalini Vajjhala, Founder & CEO of Re:focus Partners

Topics to be explored in breakout sessions include:
- Asset Owners and sustainable and impact investing
- Infrastructure and climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Shareholder advocacy in the new climate
- Recent research on sustainable and responsible investing
- Intentionality and articulating impact in public equity
- Portfolio management and systematic risks
- Access to medicine
- New pathways for retail investors
- Investing in rural communities and small cities

To register for the conference or for more information please visit http://bit.ly/USSIF17. To become a US SIF member or to learn about the benefits of membership please visit http://www.ussif.org/join.

About US SIF

US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment is the leading voice advancing sustainable, responsible and impact investing across all asset classes. Our mission is to rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts. US SIF's 300+ members include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, community investing organizations, nonprofit associations, and pension funds, foundations and other asset owners.

US SIF is supported in its work by the US SIF Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization that undertakes educational, research and programmatic activities to advance the mission of US SIF. Learn more at www.ussif.org.

For more on the annual #USSIF17 conference, follow @US_SIF on Twitter.

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