A PARTNER DEDICATED TO YOUR FINANCIAL WELL BEING
This is more than our profession – it’s our life’s work.
Our Company
MISSION & VALUES
For nearly two decades leading in our field, we continue to hold the vision of a society that is sustainable and humane, imagining where capital needs to flow in our financial markets to help get us there.
We believe that, by directing our investments with intention, we can earn competitive financial returns capitalizing companies and sectors to make a positive impact in the world.
With that in mind, we serve responsible investors as fiduciaries, integrating their impact objectives and financial goals into an overall wealth management strategy, using a prudent and thoughtful process.
WOMEN-LED
Our committee-run practice is intentionally designed to integrate all of our diverse perspectives, knowledge and experience for the benefit of our clients.
PIONEERING
We continue the good work of our firm’s founding generation of clients and advisors who were industry pioneers in the field of Socially Responsible Investing since the 70s.
LEADERS
Each of our senior team members serve in industry leadership positions and have been recognized as leaders in the field of ESG and impact investing.
Our People
We are a diverse and dedicated team of carefully curated, highly qualified financial service professionals with a passion for the greater good along with decades of experience in the field of socially responsible, impact investing. Although we each have a unique story, we’re all driven to do meaningful work that we feel makes the world a better place.
CATHERINE WOODMAN
CFP®
Principal Advisor
CATHERINE WOODMAN
Principal Advisor
Experience & Industry Leadership
As one of the firm’s Principal Advisors, Catherine leads the advisory relationship for a select group of clients to provide a team-based, high-level wealth management service, while overseeing the direction of the firm. Catherine is responsible for portfolio management oversight, partnership relations, firm accounting, and team development.
For twenty-two years, Catherine has professionally managed investment portfolios exclusively using socially responsible and ESG investments. In 2017 Catherine merged her practice with Impact Investors to provide more robust wealth management services and a continuity plan for clients and their families.
As an industry leader, Catherine has been a published columnist and an expert panelist for several professional events, including at the Chartered Alternative Investment Association (CAIA) conference track on Impact and ESG Investing, titled “Do ESG/SRI Funds Outperform?”
Outside of our industry, Catherine has been an adjunct professor of investments and portfolio management, teaching courses such as Investing 101, Financial Independence for Women, and Analyzing Stocks. In addition she’s volunteered at numerous local non-profits including Piedmont Gardens, Earth Art, 8th Street Studios, and Cohousing Novato.
Catherine is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner and has a Master of Science degree in Integrative Psychology.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Past Board Member, Sustainable Business Alliance – 2001-2003
- Current Member, US SIF
- Current Member, Green America
- Past Expert Panelist, Chartered Alternative Investment Association (CAIA) - Do ESG/SRI Funds Outperform 2017
- Past Columnist, Women in Business on SRI Investing – 2001-2003
Education, Designations and Registrations
- CFP®: Certified Financial Planner™
- Current Uniform Investment Advisor Series 65
- Former General Securities Principal Series 24
- Former Registered Representative Series 7
- Former Uniform Securities Agent Series 63
- Master of Science in Integrative Psychology, JFK University
- B.A., Theater Arts, University of Iowa
Shane Yonston
AIF®, CFP®, MFP
Principal Advisor
Shane Yonston
Principal Advisor
Experience & Industry Leadership
As one of the firm’s Principal Advisors, Shane leads the advisory relationship for a select group of clients to provide a team-based, high-level wealth management service, while overseeing the direction of the company. Shane is responsible for strategic planning, partnership relations, compliance oversight, and firm communications.
For eighteen years, Shane has worked as a professional financial advisor deeply involved and passionate about the field of socially responsible investing, with an exclusive SRI/ESG advisory emphasis since 2004. In 2014, Shane launched Impact Investors as one of the country's first virtual advisory teams, fully focused on providing socially conscious investors with competitive, responsible portfolio management and financial planning, unconstrained by geography.
As an industry leader, Shane currently serves on the agenda committee for the ESG for Impact! Advisor-Focused Summit, which has been the nation’s leading industry conference for professional investment advisors specializing in SRI and ESG investing for over 30 years. In addition, Shane has maintained membership to the US SIF, the SRI/ESG industry trade group, since 2005 and has been honored as one of a handful of industry experts selected for their inaugural Policy Leaders program in 2018 as well as to teach a segment of their national course on sustainable and impact investing in 2017. Shane is frequently asked to speak at industry conferences as an expert on ESG and RIA management, helping other wealth managers incorporate best practices for their clients who want socially responsible portfolios.
Outside of the industry, Shane strives to make time to volunteer on non-profit boards, has often been quoted in publications such as CNBC, Financial Week, Investment News, and featured on ABC Channel 10 News, and earlier in his career he was recognized with San Diego Metropolitan's 40 Under 40 award, honoring up-and-coming professionals who are trailblazers in their career and in the community.
Shane is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary™, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, and has a Master of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Current Agenda Committee ESG for Impact Conference – since 2017
- Current Member, US SIF - since 2005
- Past Plenary Presenter at ESG for Impact Conference - 2021
- Past Expert Panelist, FPA Dallas: How to Implement ESG - 2020
- Past Expert Panelist, FPA NorCal: ESG Best Practices - 2019
- Past Expert Panelist, FPA Marin on ESG Best Practices - 2019
- Past Graduate, US SIF Policy Leaders Program - 2018
- Past US SIF Course Instructor: Fundamentals of Sustainable & Impact Investing – 2017
- Past Advisory Board Member, Self-Help Credit Union San Diego - 2017
- Past Sierra Club Presenter, Sustainable Impact Investing Series - 2015
- Past Board Treasurer, San Diego Leadership Alliance - 2013
- Awarded San Diego Metropolitan Magazine's 40 Under 40 - 2009
- Board Member, Outdoor Education Foundation of San Diego - 2007
- Founding Member, Net Impact Professional, San Diego - 2007
Education, Designations and Registrations
- CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing
- Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning, College of Financial Planning
- CFP®: Certified Financial Planner™
- AIF®: Accredited Investment Fiduciary™, Center for Fiduciary Studies
- Current Uniform Investment Advisor Series 66
- Former Registered Representative Series 7
- Licensed Agent: Life, Health and Annuity - CA Insurance License No. 0E68665
- Long Term Care Insurance (LTC) Certificate
Ian McLeod
AIF®, CFP®
Principal Advisor
Ian McLeod
Principal Advisor
Experience & Industry Leadership
As one of the firm’s Principal Advisors, Ian leads the advisory relationship for a core group of clients to provide a team-based, high-level wealth management service, while offering firm-wide leadership in various capacities. Ian serves on the firm's investment management committee, oversees our retirement plan services, and spearheads our various technology integrations.
For eighteen years, Ian has worked as a financial advisor specializing in socially responsible and impact investing. Ian began his career in 2002 at a small Berkeley-based Registered Investment Advisor that managed socially responsible portfolios, and in 2004 began to work with his own clients as an advisor to their investment and planning needs.
As an industry leader, Ian was recognized by the East Bay Times in 2006 as an early investment advisor fiduciary serving company retirement plans aligned with their social and environmental values. In 2012, Ian co-founded a San Francisco-based, fee-only SRI advisory firm to focus on investments and financial planning for working and middle class people. During his tenure there, Ian developed the firm's retirement planning department, further becoming an industry leader in socially responsible retirement plans for small to mid-sized companies and nonprofit organizations and he has spoken extensively on the subject, including in 2017 as a leading expert panelist on SRI Strategies for Advisors at the SRI Conference, the nation’s leading industry conference for investment professionals specializing in SRI and ESG investing for over 30 years.
Outside of our industry, Ian was the Board Treasurer for the Mission Asset Fund, providing financial literacy to marginalized communities for over six years, and continues to offer financial education pro bono and to support a variety of progressive organizations and campaigns in the Bay Area focused on immigrant rights, economic and racial justice, environmental sustainability, and workers’ rights.
Ian is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary™ and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Current Member, First Affirmative Financial Network
- Current Member, US SIF
- Current Member, Financial Planning Association
- Past Board Treasurer, Mission Asset Fund
- Past Board Member, Agape Foundation
Education, Designations and Registrations
- CFP®: Certified Financial Planner™
- AIF®: Accredited Investment Fiduciary™, Center for Fiduciary Studies
- B.A., Latin American Studies, University of Connecticut
- Uniform Securities Agent Series 66
Monica Miller
CAIA®
Portfolio Manager & Partner, Private Assets
Monica Miller
Portfolio Manager & Partner, Private Assets
Experience & Industry Leadership
As the Portfolio Manager for our High Impact Fund I, Monica is focused on both private debt and equity strategies. She is responsible for identifying new investment opportunities, managing the due diligence process, and leading the fund investment committee to place capital into pure play social and environmental enterprises. As Partner of Private Assets, Monica launched and manages the Bespoke private placements platform for our Qualified Clients.
Monica has more than twenty years of banking and investment management experience, heavily involved in deals related to sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, education, environmental conservation, clean technology, and social justice investing.
As an industry leader, Monica built multiple, structured, multi-strategy funds of hedge funds from scratch with a family office beginning in 1999, before there were many vehicles in this category, and then went on to lead their investment due diligence team for five years. Monica later co-founded the CAIA SF Chapter in 2007 and served as its Chapter Executive for twelve years. Monica has been a trailblazer throughout her career, including when she invested in the first available environmental markets trading hedge funds in 2007, when she’s performed due diligence and assisted global renewable energy and clean tech startups raise capital, and when, as the Impact Director for a family office foundation, she assisted in launching an innovative new economic model for permanently protecting biodiversity in Bhutan’s National Parks in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and the government of Bhutan. In 2021, Monica was recognized as an industry panelist at the ESG for Impact! Conference, offering advice to other investment professionals on how to best allocate client assets into private, direct, high-impact offerings.
Monica actively promotes the opportunity for women to enter the field of investment management. She was a Founding Member of CAIA’s Gender Equity Committee whose mission is bring more women and women of color into the alternative assets industry. She was the Founding Member of Women in Alternative Investing - an organization built by female prominent alternative asset professionals to share industry knowledge and connections. And she’s been an active member of Financial Women’s Association and 100 Women in Finance in order to support and network with women in the financial industry.
Monica holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst® designation and as a finance major, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree cum laude from the University of Tennessee.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Co-Founder and Chapter Executive, San Francisco Chapter of CAIA - 2008-2020
- Founding Member – CAIA Gender Equity Committee - 2017-2020
- Founding Member, Association of Women in Alternative Investing
- Past Moderator , ESG for Impact! Conference - 2021
- Past Advisor - Power, financing renewable energy in developing communities
Education, Designations and Registrations
- Charterholder of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation (CAIA), 2006
- Licensed California State Life and Health Insurance Agent #0C73664
- B.S. in Business Administration, Major in Finance. University of Tennessee, Cum laude, 1997
- Former Uniform Investment Advisor Series 65
- Former General Securities Principal Series 24
- Former Registered Representative Series 7
- Former Uniform Securities Agent Series 63
Christopher Alvarez
Portfolio Trading Associate
Christopher Alvarez
Portfolio Trading Associate
Professional Focus & Services
As an Analyst Associate, Chris provides the portfolio management team with timely information relevant to our investment decision making process while handling specific market research and asset analysis projects. Chris works closely with the Client Advisors, Portfolio Management, and members of the Client Services teams to provide a high-level wealth management service to our clients.
Currently Christopher is finishing his senior year at Northern Illinois University studying to receive a Bachelor in Science Degree, majoring in Finance with a Spanish minor. He wishes to eventually obtain a CFP® certification to help future clients reach their personal goals into retirement.
In his free time, Christopher is involved in a fraternal organization where he has held multiple high positions involving event, financial and group planning responsibilities. He likes to get involved in charitable events around campus that have helped local organizations and spending time with his second passion which is Film.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Current Member, USSIF: Forum for Sustainable & Responsible Investment
Education, Designations and Registrations
- B.S. Finance and Spanish, Northern Illinois University - 2022
Max Jacobs
Director of Client Services
Max Jacobs
Director of Client Services
Professional Focus & Services
As the Director of Client Services, Max leads the administrative team to ensure account paperwork is in good order, and that transactions are completed in a timely fashion. Additionally, Max often works directly with top clients to provide a paperwork and technology concierge service. He is a key person in many firm discussions around technology integration, client communications, and custodial relations.
At work Max enjoys being able to support his colleagues and helping them provide excellent customer service. He believes strongly that it is important to invest where your values are, and has been an SRI investor since he was 18.
A bit of a Renaissance man, Max graduated from University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art, and a minor in Sustainable Landscape Horticulture. During his four years at college he had opportunities to study abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico and work as an intern for a small tourism company in the Galapagos Islands. Before beginning his career in the Socially Responsible Investing industry, he worked as a ski instructor in Vermont, with a tourism company based in Denver, and also as a landscaper.
Max lives with his wife, eighteen-month old daughter, and dog in Salida, CO, where he works from his home office. In his free time Max enjoys telemark skiing and pond hockey in the winter, and mountain biking and skateboarding in the summer. He serves on the board of the Chaffee County Amateur Hockey Association, a non-profit dedicated to building a recreational ice rink based in Salida. The mission of CCAHA is meaningful for Max as he believes there should be more winter recreation opportunities for youth and families in his community. Staying active, and spending quality time with family help him maintain a positive and productive mindset at work.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Current Member, USSIF: Forum for Sustainable & Responsible Investment
Education, Designations and Registrations
- BA, Studio Art, University of Vermont
Alia Grimm
Director of Operations
Alia Grimm
Director of Operations
Professional Focus & Services
As the Director of Operations at our firm, Alia is responsible for overseeing daily operations, ensuring the implementation of robust quality management systems, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. Her commitment to excellence and passion for operational efficiency align perfectly with our mission to provide top-tier socially responsible investment solutions.
Alia is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in management, specializing in creating and maintaining quality management systems and procedures. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Portland State University and a certification in Business Technologies with Honors.
Throughout her career, Alia has demonstrated a remarkable ability to enhance production and support a cohesive staff. Her expertise in developing efficient processes and fostering a collaborative work environment has consistently led to improved operational performance and employee satisfaction.
As an environmental justice advocate, Alia supported the development of a zero-waste company, We Refill It, and continues to participate in the Zero Waste movement by helping others to understand the importance of going Plastic Free. She also helped start a collaborative podcast, focused on showcasing visionary voices within her community.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Current Member, USSIF: Forum for Sustainable & Responsible Investment
Education, Designations and Registrations
- BA, Liberal Studies, Portland State University
Esther Romanoff
Private Assets Associate
Esther Romanoff
Private Assets Associate
Experience & Industry Leadership
Esther is an experienced finance professional who focuses on innovative financial solutions in the cryptocurrency and AI sectors. With 11 years in accounting and 8 years in cryptocurrency investment, a unique blend of strategic advising, investment management, and entrepreneurship, she has shown adeptness in high-stakes negotiations and impactful asset management. Over the past decade, Esther has raised Capital for a VC/Hedge fund before transitioning to angel investing and syndications where she invests in heart-centered, impact-driven founders.
Esther’s passion extends to investing in founders and companies dedicated to improving the world. Her approach—merging empathy with analytical rigor—has proven essential in negotiating terms and ensuring deal success, underscoring her belief that strategic financial practices can drive sustainable growth and make a significant social impact.
As a speaker, Esther has contributed to the discourse on healthy entrepreneur mindsets, cryptocurrency, and AI direction. Her commitment to education and mentorship is further demonstrated by her efforts in building an executive and investor global network.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Board Member/Advisory roles in: RAZE finance (FinTech), Watering Hope (Nonprofit), Lazarus fund, & Shorely LLC (Engineering)
- Co-founder of an executive and investor community called the Super Founder Global Network
- Member of Women in Funds
Education, Designations, and Registrations
- Bachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Washington
- Former Securities Industry Essentials (SIE)
- Former Uniform Investor Advisor Series 65
Our Process
We form long-term partnerships with a warm welcoming process that’s led to over twenty years of shared success with hundreds of impact investors across the country.
GET TO KNOW YOU
Our concierge team of service professionals walk you through a series of scenarios before settling on the best investment strategy.
INVEST ACCORDINGLY
Our portfolio management philosophy stems from a dual mandate to achieve your financial goals as well as your social and environmental impact objectives.
REGULAR REVIEWS
Life can be unpredictable. We meet with you as often as is necessary for any given situation we might be facing together.
FIDUCIARY DUTY
We serve your financial best interests first and foremost and explicitly above our own. In our view, considering the global impact of our investments is part of our fiduciary duty of care.
