David Berge, President and Founder of Underdog Ventures, LLC
David is the President and Founder of Underdog Ventures, LLC, a company which creates and manages customized community venture capital funds, integrating socially responsible investment, community investing and philanthropic components. Underdog Ventures was recognized as one of ten U.S. financial institutions providing especially strong benefits to the environment.
Through his previous consulting firm, he advised high net worth individuals and social venture institutions, while providing one third of his work on a pro bono basis for community development organizations. Previously, David was the Director of Vermont National Bank’s Socially Responsible Banking Fund, which he grew from $38 million to $208 million U.S. in targeted deposits, and was the Senior Loan Officer at the Institute for Community Economics.
He is the chair of the Underdog Foundation, as well as an advisory board member of Altrushare Securities, LLC, a board member of Mission Research, and a member of the Financial Innovations Roundtable, Social Venture Network and Social Investment Forum
He speaks frequently around the United States and Canada on issues of social venture investing, unique deal structures, and community investment. His work has been highlighted on NPR’s Marketplace, CBS and NBC news, Entrepreneur Magazine, Nations Business, Fast Company, the book, Aiming Higher , by David Bolier and a book titled, Making a Life, Making a Living , by Mark Albion.
David R. Boyd, Environmental lawyer, professor, author
David R. Boyd is one of Canada’s leading environmental lawyers. He is a Trudeau Scholar at the University of British Columbia, an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University, and a Research Associate at the University of Victoria. Boyd has advised the governments of both Canada and Sweden on environmental issues.
His most recent publication is a best-seller co-authored with David Suzuki titled David Suzuki’s Green Guide which shares great ideas about how to find fresher, tastier, healthier food, create an eco-friendly home, make sustainable transportation choices, reduce consumption, and be a green citizen.
Boyd also wrote Prescription for a Healthy Canada: Towards a National Environmental Health Strategy, Sustainability Within a Generation: A New Vision for Canada and Unnatural Law: Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy. His essays appear regularly in The Globe and Mail and other Canadian newspapers.
David is the former Executive Director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (now Ecojustice), Canada's leading public interest environmental law organization.
Melissa L. Bradley-Burns, Entrepreneur and social venture capitalist
Melissa is Founder and Managing Director of New Capitalist™ - providing business development, strategy, and capitalization assistance to emerging and social entrepreneurs. Its mission is to leverage human, financial and social capital to create economically profitable and sustainable individuals, businesses and communities. She is also the founder of Positive Impact™, which was launched at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. PI's objectives are to promote ethnic and cultural diversity within independent media through communication, capacity building and capital.
Melissa currently serves as an Advisor to Iron Leaf Investors, L.P. and Renewal 2 Investment Fund. She also holds board positions with Georgetown University Board of Governors, Social Venture Network (Chair), Co-Op America (Chair), the Creative Capital Foundation, the Tides Network and the Tides Foundation.
Her prior work experience includes serving as Vice President at UBS in the Private Client Group and serving as a Financial Regulatory Affairs Fellow with the US Department of Treasury.
Ms. Bradley’s educational background includes graduation from Georgetown University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the School of Business, and a Master’s in Business Administration in Marketing from American University.
Mike Cormack, In-house advisor and business consultant
Mike is currently working with Renewal2 analyzing potential investment opportunities for the fund. Previously he was Executive Vice President at NYSE Euronext where he oversaw the electronic equity business. He joined NYSE Euronext when the New York Stock Exchange executed a historic merger with Archipelago Holdings which enabled the NYSE to become a public company and merge with the first publicly traded equity exchange in U.S. history.
Joining Archipelago in January 2000, Mike was responsible for sales and operations in his role as President. He was part of a team that successfully executed several mergers and eventually took the firm into the public markets in 2004.
He began his career at American Century Mutual Funds in Kansas City in 1991 where he became manager of equity trading. American Century manages approximately $100 billion (USD) in assets and is a leader in the money management industry in lowering trading costs and investor advocacy.
Currently Mike sits on the board of Recovery Point Systems and Ecojustice Canada. Mike graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.
Anthony F. Griffiths, Business consultant and corporate director
Anthony has been associated with various companies acting as an independent consultant since 1993. Currently he is the Chairman of Russel Metals Inc. and Novadaq Technologies Inc. and a Director of Vitran Corporation, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, Gedex Inc., Jaguar Mining Inc., PreMd Inc., AbitibiBowater Inc., Northbridge Financial Corporation and Odyssey Re Holdings Corp.
He has also held such positions as: Vice Chairman, Chairman of the Executive Committee, and President and CEO of Harding Carpets Limited, Toronto; Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Cable America Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia; Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Mitel Corporation; Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Canadian Resins and Chemicals; Chairman and CEO of Canadian Cablesystems Limited, Toronto. From 1980 to 1989 he was associated with Connor, Clark & Company Ltd. of Toronto, an investment management group.
Previous directorships include Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., Cunningham Lindsey Group Inc., Hub International Limited, Leitch Technology Corp. and ShawCor Ltd.
Gary Hirshberg, Co-founder and President of Stonyfield Farm
Gary joined Stonyfield Farm a few months after its start in 1983 when it had just 7 cows and has grown the company to over $300 million in sales to date. His start with Stonyfield began with his role as Director of the Rural Education Center, the small organic farming school from which the company was formed. Stonyfield Farm partnered with Groupe Danone in 2001 and Gary was named managing director of Stonyfield Europe, a joint venture between the two firms with brands in the UK, Ireland, and France.
He has received six honorary doctorates, and has won awards for corporate and environmental leadership. His book Stirring it Up, published in January 2008, encourages socially minded business to call on individuals to realize their power to make a difference in the marketplace, while doing business in ways that adhere to a multiple bottom line.
He serves on several corporate and non-profit boards including Climate Counts, Honest Tea, Peak Organic Brewing Company, Solera Capital, and Sambazon, is the chairman and co-founder of O’Naturals, a natural fast food restaurant company and has served as Executive Director of The New Alchemy Institute.Back to top
Lisa Lorimer, Former President and majority owner of Vermont Bread Company
Lisa Lorimer is the former President and majority owner of Vermont Bread Company in Brattleboro, VT. In 2005 she sold a majority of the business to Charterhouse Group, one of the oldest private equity firms in the U.S. She continues to work with Charter Baking Company with a focus on acquisitions as she helps to execute her vision of creating a national all-natural and certified organic wholesale bakery to serve supermarkets and natural product stores. The company produces breads, rolls, English muffins and granola under the brands of Vermont Bread, Rudi’s Organic, The Baker, and Matthew’s All-Natural as well as private label products for Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Markets and other grocery store chains and national baking companies.
Lisa is a graduate of the Owner-President Management Program at Harvard Business School and currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Charter Baking Company, Union Institute and University / Vermont College (chair), The Vermont Community Foundation, and Chittenden Bank.
James (Jim) Morrisey, FCA, Senior Partner, Ernst & Young, Treasurer of the Tides Canada Foundation
Jim is a senior partner and the national leader of Tax Knowledge with Ernst & Young. He has over 33 years of professional experience in the firm's tax practice and currently is responsible for the national tax functions of the Canadian tax practice of Ernst and Young, including the divisions of Learning, Communications, Electronic Services and Knowledge Sharing
As a Tax Partner, he has advised corporate and individual clients in the public and private sectors on accounting, auditing, income tax, assessments, objections, litigations, and financial planning issues. He has lectured widely on the topic of Canadian taxation and authored several related books and publications
In addition, he is active on many committees and associations, including Chair, Immaculata High School Foundation Inc.; Chair, Sage Foundation; Treasurer, Endswell Foundation; Treasurer, Tides Canada Foundation; Treasurer, VON Canada Foundation; Chair, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; Board Member, Heart and Stroke Foundation for Brain Recovery; Past Treasurer, Ottawa Health Research Institute; Board Member, Sally Letson Foundation; and Board Treasurer, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research.
Jim is the 2007 winner of “The Partners in Research Biomedical Science Ambassador Award”.
Gordon Russell, General Partner of Sequoia Capital (retired)
Gordon has more than 20 years of venture capital experience with Sequoia Capital, an early investor in firms such as Apple, Cisco Systems, Yahoo and Google. Interested in philanthropy, he serves as chair of the Carnegie Foundation Finance Committee and is an ex officio member of the executive committee. Additionally he is on the board for the Woods Hole Research Center, the Ravenswood Family Health Center, and is a founder of the Sun Valley Writers Conference.
Specializing in high technology and healthcare, he has held executive positions in the biomedical and healthcare industries and is also a director of several private and public companies. Gordon graduated from Dartmouth College, where he now serves on the President's Council and the Native American Program Visiting Committee. He is the former chairman of the board of overseers of the Dartmouth Medical School. In 2005 he received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Dartmouth College.Back to top
Marjorie Torres, Social Venture Real Estate Entrepreneur
Marjorie is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Concrete Stories (CS), a commercial real estate advisory firm that provides landlords, tenants and investors with strategic advice, brokerage, negotiation and real estate development services. Started in late 2000, CS will close twice as many deals in this quarter than it had closed in the prior twelve months. In 1998 she founded MARTONO Enterprises which manages real estate projects and the turn-around of distressed properties.
Some of her other positions include: project manager at TOPA International Corporation; managing international accounts at Corporate Finance Group at ING Barings; financial analyst at Baseline Financial Services; and a management/engineering consultant at Merck & Co., Inc. and Flex/MIS Corporation.
In 2005, she was awarded Latina Excellence Business Award by HISPANIC Magazine. Columbia University also recognized her as one of their Top 40 alumni under 40 in its Young Lions feature.
She has been featured in the New York Times, Time Warner publications, HISPANIC Magazine, Hispanic Business, as a real estate expert in Donald Trump’s book "The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received", among other print and media outlets.
Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancity
As the head of Canada’s largest credit union, Tamara considers her role as a continuation of her career in public service as Vancity extends its financial success to facilitate positive social and environmental change.
Among her achievements as Deputy Minister of Finance for British Columbia from 2004 through mid-2007, Tamara oversaw the successful renegotiation of 100 per cent of expiring collective agreements in the public sector without strike or mediation and led the Ministry to two AAA credit rating upgrades. Her role included overseeing the government’s annual $100 billion borrowing and cash requirements and developing the government’s $36 billion fiscal plan. Her prior portfolio was as Deputy Minister and Executive Financial Officer for the Ministry of Health.
Tamara holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (History) from the University of Victoria. Her accomplishments have been recognized with the 2007 Knowledge and Leadership Award from the Association of Women in Finance; inclusion on Canada’s Top 40 Under 40™ and the 2003 Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to public service in B.C.
Bill Young, President and Founder of Social Capital Partners (SCP)
Bill is the founder of Social Capital Partners whose primary goal is to prove that businesses with a financial and a social purpose can succeed at both. SCP provides attractive financing to a variety of growth businesses that employ disadvantaged populations as part of their human resources strategy. SCP facilitates the recruitment of these individuals and ensures they have the appropriate skills to be successful employees.
Bill spent twenty years in the private sector leading high growth, entrepreneurial organizations prior to founding SCP in 2001. He was CEO of Hamilton Computers, a publicly traded computer company, which grew from $15 million in revenue to $250 million under his leadership and was sold to GE Capital. He was also the CEO and subsequently the Chairman of Optel Communications Corp (later Axxent) which was a leading CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) in the Canadian telecommunications market when he left in 2000.
Bill began his career as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and holds an Honours BA from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.Back to top
Brad Zumwalt, President of Zinc Ventures
Brad has been growing technology companies for over 20 years: in 1989 he joined Image Club Graphics (which was successfully acquired by Aldus Corporation, and in turn was acquired by Adobe Systems) and led the company through sustained revenue growth; in 1998, he founded EyeWire.com, a rapid growth on-line visual content and design company which was successfully acquired by Getty Images in 1999; in 2000, he was a founding partner of Social Venture Partners Calgary; and in 2001, he founded Veer.com which sources and delivers visual elements with imagination and style to support the creative community and was successfully acquired by Corbis Corporation, the privately held company of Bill Gates.
He is a Director of several technology companies, a member of the board of Alberta College of Art & Design, Science Alberta Foundation, University Technologies International, Norlien Foundation, Viewpoint Foundation, Social Venture Partners Calgary, and is a past president of Social Venture Partners International.
