ABOUT US

Dr. Tobin is an ecologist and attorney with over two decades of private sector experience, having worked in the international finance industry for much of his career. Following a decade of corporate legal practice in the area of emerging markets finance, he turned his full attention towards the growing area of corporate sustainability, becoming Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainability at Credit Suisse. In 2016 he transitioned into a faculty position at Cornell University, where he teaches corporate sustainability, environmental and social risk management, impact investing, environmental finance, and related topics to undergraduates and graduate students in business and public affairs. In addition, he actively engages with industry and civil society to develop financial solutions to sustainability problems, including as co-founder of the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC). 

Suresh A. Sethi is a quantitative ecologist with over 15 years of experience working across disciplines to advance solutions to natural resource management problems.  Drawing from previous experience in the socially responsible investment sector, as a commercial fisher, and as the regional biometrician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, his research characterizes the dynamics of coupled human-natural systems and identifies strategies for sustainable ecosystem management. In 2016, Dr. Sethi joined Cornell University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment and Assistant Leader of the NY Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. He is a Faculty Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability where he collaborates with colleagues in finance and economics to catalyze financial flows for global biodiversity conservation.

Dr. Amanda D. Rodewald is the Garvin Professor and Senior Director of the Cornell’s Center for Avian Population Studies, which innovates scientific, computational, and data resources that transform how we understand and conserve the world around us. Dr. Rodewald leads an interdisciplinary & international program that addresses socioecological challenges linked to changing climate, land cover, and human activities in temperate and tropical landscapes. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Ornithological Society, and is a member of the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has published over 170 scientific papers, 10 book chapters, and 70 popular articles. Dr. Rodewald frequently collaborates with decision-makers, managers, practitioners, and private sector partners to advance conservation, and she has testified to Congress on environmental issues.

David Ng is a Professor of Finance in Cornell Johnson College of Business.  His research field is empirical asset pricing and financial institutions. He leads the Impact Finance Lab, which conducts academic research on financial markets that involves social, environmental and economic impact. He teaches courses on Impact Finance and Valuation.

Alejandro is a Sustainability & ESG Advisor with more than 10 years of experience supporting private and public companies in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Since 2017, Alejandro is a member of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability working group on Conservation Finance and served as a Graduate Research Associate and Instructor for the Cornell University undergraduate and graduate courses: AEM 2550 Corporate Sustainability, PADM 5570 Corporate Responsibility, AEM 4090 Environmental Finance and Markets, PADM 5572 Impact Investing.

Alejandro worked as a Senior Sustainability & ESG Associate at HXE Partners in the US from 2021 to 2022, and Sustainability Services Senior Consultant at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC in Europe from 2020 to 2021. Between 2018 to 2019, he served as an MBA Investment Associate for Prudential Global Investment Management (PGIM) Real Estate.

In December 2018, Alejandro obtained his Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Cornell University with a concentration in Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy (STIP) and a graduate minor in Real Estate. He is also a Cornell Fellow in Environmental Finance and Impact Investing (EFII) and an Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps Fellow.

Prior to his graduate studies at Cornell University, Alejandro worked as a Risk Advisor at EY Advisory Services from 2014 to 2016; Manager of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Social Science Research Center (CISEPA) from 2011 to 2013; Researcher of the United Nations Project of Political Analysis and Prospective Scenarios (PAPEP) from 2011 to 2012; Chairperson of the International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) from 2008 to 2009. From 2011 to 2016 he was a lecturer on Strategic Decision Making, Behavioral Economics, and Statistics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and the Peruvian National School of Public Administration (ENAP).

Originally trained as a mechanical engineer with experience in the water industry and now working as a policy lead for the UK government, Al has developed his career to bring together practical delivery, policy, and financial knowledge to the world of natural resources and conservation. In addition to his membership of the Cornell Conservation Finance team, he is also a member of the global AGWA policy network and is a governor at Preston Manor School in the UK.

Adrian D’Souza is a sophomore double majoring in Applied Economics & Management and Environment & Sustainability. His passion for the environment began when he attended ecology camp every summer as a child in Millbrook, NY. He is particularly interested in parasites, and spent a summer researching the effects of the Met52 fungal spray on black-legged ticks. In the future, he hopes to enter a career focused on environmental consulting, conservation finance, or impact investing. In his free time, he enjoys skiing in Vermont, photographing wildlife, biking, and eating spicy tuna avocado rolls. 

Annelie is a junior from Northern California studying the Environment and Sustainability with a concentration in Sustainable Business in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is incredibly interested in the intersection between business and sustainability as well as the role that the private sector can have in funding conservation initiatives. She joined the team in Fall 2021 and has greatly enjoyed her time so far working on an array of natural finance initiatives. Besides sustainability, she loves hiking, running, and tennis, and is a part of Best Buddies and Club Tennis at Cornell. 

Casey Martin is a senior from Darien, CT in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations with minors in Business and Law and Society. She joined the team in Spring 2021 and has spent time on projects relating to CPIC and research publications. Outside of the team she is involved with a consulting club, the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs, and Epsilon Eta – an honors sustainability fraternity. She enjoys cooking, skiing, and hiking.

Everett Sanderson is a senior from the Bronx, NY pursuing a double major in Applied Economics & Management and Environment & Sustainability. He joined the team in Spring of 2020 and has worked on the Financing Nature Report, the Little Book of Investing in Nature, and various other projects. Outside of the team, Everett leads an engineering project team that advises the City of Ithaca on carbon neutrality policy and is the president of Phi Gamma Nu, a professional business fraternity. He is working full time in sustainability investment banking after graduation. 

Josefina Uranga is a first-year student pursuing an M.S. in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and recently joined the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability as a Graduate Research Assistant. Prior to that, she worked for three and a half years at Rabobank in the Buenos Aires office, as an Associate in the Corporate Finance and M&A team. Josefina also worked at ICBC Argentina as an Analyst in the Corporate and Investment Banking team. She holds a BS in Economics degree (2014).

Jun is a rising senior at Cornell’s Dyson School, concentrating in Environmental, Energy, and Resource Economics with an intended minor in history. She’s passionate about all things sustainable within the realm of the private sector, from renewable energy and ESG investing to regenerative agriculture and slow fashion. In her free time, she enjoys spontaneous travel, listening to podcasts, and exploring the worlds of architecture and graphic design. 

Justine is a recent Cornell CALS master’s graduate. Prior to Cornell, she worked in agribusiness investment in East Africa, where she held leadership roles at cereal, cocoa, cotton, and vanilla companies and a rural impact fund. Previously, she was a management consultant for financial services clients at Booz Allen Hamilton in New York. She holds an MPS in Global Development from Cornell and a BBA in Finance from the College of William & Mary.