BII - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Grants Advisory Council
- Planning Council ( MAPC ) Chief
Angela Brown is the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Chief of Economic Development and leads its work creating downtown and area plans for industrial, commercial, and mixed use for cities and towns throughout Metro Boston, assists municipalities with formulating economic developing strategies, and helps to address upstream and downstream factors and barriers to worker participation in the regional economy. At MAPC, she supports convening initiatives across government, private sector and community-based organizations around shared aims and promotes workforce development for low- and moderate-income job seekers, with particular emphasis on workers of color. Prior to joining MAPC, she spearheaded the economic inclusion and racial equity strategies for CFLeads, led the grantmaking portfolio of The Hyams Foundation, a private foundation delivering funding in greater Boston, directed the jobs and income program for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and served as a vice president for New York City Economic Development Corporation. She is a member of Boston Impact Initiative's grants advisory committee and sits on Third Sector New England's board of directors. She holds a B.A.in economics from University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Job Titles:
- CEO, Board. Investment Committee, Grants Advisory Council
Betty joined as CEO of BII in 2021. She is a business executive, impact investor and community leader with more than 24 years of experience. She is known as a powerful convener and changemaker. In 2022, Boston Magazine named Betty as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Boston and the Boston Business Journal named her as a 2020 Power 50 - Extraordinary Year Extraordinary People honoree. She is the co-founder of Amplify Latinx, a social venture that's building Latino economic and political power in Massachusetts. Before joining BII, Betty was the General Counsel at Compass Working Capital where she oversaw its legal affairs, compliance, and risk management. She serves on the Boards of Directors of The Boston Foundation, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Beth Israel Lahey Health, and Roxbury Community College. Betty obtained her JD and MBA from Northeastern University, and BA in History from Bard College.
Job Titles:
- Founder & President, Board and Investment Committee
- Professor
- Professor, Author
Deborah Frieze is a professor, author, entrepreneur and activist. She teaches impact investing at Tufts University's Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. In 2013, she founded the Boston Impact Initiative, an impact investing fund working to close the racial wealth divide and build a resilient and inclusive local economy in Massachusetts. Deborah is co-author (with Margaret Wheatley) of Walk Out Walk On, an award-winning book that profiles pioneering leaders who walked out of organizations failing to contribute to the common good-and walked on to build resilient communities. She is also founder of the Old Oak Dojo, an urban learning center in Boston, MA. Deborah has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Amherst College.
Eric Esteves is a connector, convener, philanthropist, artist, and community advocate. His life mission is to connect people to resources and opportunities in order to transform their lives. Eric is the former Executive Director of the Lenny Zakim Fund and before that was the Director of the Social Innovation Fund at The Boston Foundation. He's also worked for Root Cause, Harvard Business School, Lesley University, the Boston Impact Initiative, and the Boston Public Schools. Eric received both his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and his graduate degree in Information Systems from Northeastern University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President and Founder of Boston Common Asset Management
Geeta Aiyer is President and Founder of Boston Common Asset Management, a diverse, majority women- and employee-owned sustainable investor that has meaningfully improved the policies and practices of portfolio companies through impactful, proactive shareowner engagement. She combines over 30 years of experience in finance with a passion for environmental and social justice. Geeta was an early innovator in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and remains an influential leader today. She is the lead Portfolio Manager for Boston Common's US Large-Cap Value Strategy. She has received multiple awards, including recognition as an Innovator by Investment News and at the CERES conference for Building Sustainability into capital markets. For her diversity advocacy, she was named one of Boston Business Journal's Power 50 Movement Makers in 2021. In 2022, Geeta was honored with TiE Boston's Lifetime Achievement Award, which celebrates entrepreneurs who have pushed the boundaries of what is possible.
Kafilat Lawal comes to BII with over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, bringing a background in finance and accounting, operations, grant management, budgeting and reporting, as well as audit and compliance. In her previous role, Kafilat was the Director of Accounting at Achievement Network (ANet) where she spearheaded the upgrade of accounting systems and streamlined finance processes for improved efficiency. Prior to that, Kafilat worked at BellXcel managing its daily accounting operations. While at BellXcel, Kafilat implemented new systems to automate expense management and ensure timely financial reporting. At BII, Kafilat is passionate about building strong finance and operations in support of the mission and work. Kafilat received a BA in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Investment Committee Chair Private Equity and Lending at Gordon Brothers
Matthew Kahn currently works as a consultant, serving on the board of directors of a number of private and public companies. Previously, he spent 17 years at Gordon Brothers Group, where he was a founding member of the private equity and second lien lending business. Prior to joining Gordon Brothers in 1995, Matt was the CFO of Joseph Bank Clothiers and SVP Finance at Nature Food Centres. He is currently a trustee of MassBay Community College and chair of its finance and investment committee. He has an MBA and was also a CPA.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, Investment Committee
Michael Frieze was the founding Vice President of Boston Impact Initiative Fund and continues to serve on the BII Investment Committee. He also serves on the Board Investment Committee of the Gordon Brothers Group, setting the strategic vision for the firm, where he has served in executive positions for over 40 years. During his tenure, the firm expanded from a retail liquidator to a full-service provider of strategic business and capital solutions to healthy and distressed companies alike. Michael exemplifies Gordon Brothers' commitment to community service, having served in top leadership positions on many community and corporate boards. He has served on the philanthropic boards at the Dana Farber, Boston Children's Hospital; Combined Jewish Philanthropies; Brandeis University, College Bound; JOIN for Justice; Impact-Israel; Shalom Hartman Institute; American Technion Society, and Our Generation Speaks. Michael received his BA from Bowdoin College and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Job Titles:
- Board Representative for City Life / Vida Urbana. Executive Director at Boston Ujima Project
- Director of the Boston Ujima Project
Nia K. Evans is the Director of the Boston Ujima Project. Her educational background is in the areas of labor relations, education leadership, and policy. Her advocacy includes a focus on eliminating barriers between analysts and people with lived experiences as well as increasing acknowledgement of the value of diverse types of expertise in policy. She is a co-creator, along with artist Tomashi Jackson, of Frames Debate Project, a multimedia policy debate project that explores the intersection between drug policy, mental health services and incarceration in the state of Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Impact Investing Associate
Paulina Apone is BII's Impact Investing Associate. Originally from Oregon, she brings knowledge and experience supporting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in realizing their ventures. Prior to BII, she lived in New Orleans, where she worked with an affordable housing nonprofit formerly known as the Tulane/Canal Neighborhood Development Corporation, now People's Housing+. She also was a microentrepreneur financial advisor for Fund 17. Currently, her focus is on economic development for historically marginalized communities in the New England area and learning the local history and the effects it has on community development. Professionally, she strives to work with BII in community economic growth, using affordable and accessible real estate to mitigate displacement and supporting programs that emphasize environmental justice. Paulina holds an MBA from Brandeis' Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a BA in English from Portland State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Well - Being and Equity Specialist
Rose Felix Cratsley is a well-being and equity specialist, innovator, investor, and founder of Ivy Child International, a nonprofit that broadens access to mindfulness and healing education programs for children, youth and communities. As an entirely BIPOC-led organization, Ivy Child centers social justice and equity, with a special focus on often overlooked populations. Rose is also Trustee of the Felix Family Foundation, which honors the life and legacy of her father, Professor Felix Mathew. The Foundation focuses on expanding pathways in education and racial justice, addressing inequities and creating opportunities for communities of color. Rose is a TEDx speaker on "Unlocking Children's Potential Through Mindfulness." Most recently, Rose was honored among the 2022 "Powerful Women Leading the Mindfulness Movement" by Mindful Magazine.
Job Titles:
- Field - Building Program Manager
Samalid Hogan is a Latina entrepreneur and has served in key roles building partnerships across public, private, and civic sectors. She was the Regional Director for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network Western Regional Office and during her tenure, she co-founded the Western Mass Means Business collaboration, an alliance of small business technical assistance providers. Samalid is committed to serving her community and serves on several boards of directors including the Governor's Latino Advisory Commission for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Board of Trustees of Springfield Technical Community College, and President-Elect for the Springfield Rotary Club. Samalid received a BA in Economics from UMass Amherst and an MBA from Bay Path University.