About CSP
We’re Driving Positive Change
– In a Big Way
CSP North America is an independent 501(c)(3)nonprofit that works in collaboration with the teams at the CSP at the University of Zurich and CSP Singapore.
The story begins in 2015 in Boston at the first Impact Investing for the Next Generation research and training program held at the Harvard Kennedy School. Bold ideas, strong partnerships, and the drive for impact rapidly grew into a university center dedicated to finding the answers to the complex question of how to make sustainable finance the default.
While the Impact Investing for the Next Generation program has been running since then, CSP North America was founded in 2022 to better serve audiences on the continent and self-made wealth holders in particular.
Today, CSP brings together academic research and practical training programs. The global team consists of researchers and program staff committed to transforming the most pressing impact-related questions into knowledge and turning knowledge into action.
Seth Fleisher
For the past nine years, Seth was CEO of Emerging360, an international development consultancy working on solutions to promote women’s entrepreneurship, SME development, and inclusive value chain initiatives in emerging markets. Previously, he was lead strategy and product advisor to IFC and the World Bank where he designed and launched a range of products to deliver access to information, skills, markets, and finance for 30 million entrepreneurs and small businesses in 40+ developing countries and 18 languages. He has led product and content teams for multiple Silicon Valley startups with an impact focus: for example, via digital platforms facilitating cross-border trade between SME suppliers in emerging markets and corporate buyers in North America and Europe.
He is also Co-Founder of Walk the Walk USA, a network of 7,000 progressive donors in 50 states mobilizing capital to power strategic civic engagement and democracy initiatives in historically disenfranchised communities.
Seth did Ph.D. work at Harvard, a Fulbright in Sri Lanka, and a B.A. at Swarthmore College. He’s based in Berkeley, California and is excited to be developing new avenues for extending CSP’s reach and deepening community engagement in the Americas, and ultimately growing CSP’s impact globally.
Erin Duddy
Erin Duddy is the Founder and Director of Programming and Engagement at CSP North America, the non-profit entity that is expanding the work of The Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at the University of Zurich. In her time at CSP, Erin has spearheaded a number of projects, including developing ACCELERATE: The Impact Investing Program for Entrepreneurs, as well as publishing applied research on integrating impact into family offices, and the role of international environmental goals in private banks. Prior to CSP, Erin drove sustainability initiatives in businesses, like Zurich Insurance and The Marriott, and within communities. She holds a Master’s in Sustainable Development from the University of Basel and a Bachelor’s in Parks and Wildlife Management from the University of Queensland.
Katherine O'Kelly
Katherine O’Kelly is the Program Manager for Training Design and Community Engagement at CSP North America, where she’s dedicated to understanding and meeting the needs of the CSP community through new and revised training programs.
Before joining CSP, Katherine brought a human-centered approach to a wide range of companies, from major consulting firms to startups and non-profits. She specializes in helping teams prioritize the user’s perspective in their strategies and decision-making.
COLLABORATORS
Nancy Reid, CTFA
Nancy Reid designs strategies for families to align their investments with what matters most to them by shaping investment policy, trust strategy, and advisor search for impact. Her advisory career began on Wall Street and has since evolved to focus on the intersection of investing and human flourishing, with leadership roles at EnVest, Canopy, and Seattle Impact Investing Group (SIIG). She is of counsel at Phīla Engaged Giving, where she develops strategies for individuals and families to amplify their philanthropic values through their invested wealth. From 2013-2020, she launched and chaired the Seattle chapter of TIGER 21, a peer learning network focused on investing, legacy, and family dynamics. She holds a BA from Yale University, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a CTFA (Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor) designation from the American Bankers Association.
At CSP North America, Nancy plays a key role in training program design and facilitation.
CSP NORTH AMERICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Falko Paetzold, Chair
Dr. Falko Paetzold, Chair
Falko is the Initiator and Managing Director of CSP. Before CSP, Falko was a fellow at IRI, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT Sloan, Sustainability Analyst and M&A Consultant at Bank Vontobel, and partner at Contrast Capital. Falko is the founder of GreenBuzz, an international network of sustainability intrapreneurs, and Falko holds a MBA from the University of St. Gallen and a PhD from the University of Zurich.
CSP NORTH AMERICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Falko Paetzold
Initiator & Managing Director, CSP Zurich
Naiana Miranda, Secretary
Having immigrated from Brazil to the United States as a child, Naiana and her family were prey to the issues of racism and financial inequality. Facing and overcoming these challenges motivated her to become a strong advocate for social and economic impact, diversity & inclusion, and reducing wealth inequality. Naiana’s family founded a global language services company specializing in the healthcare and life sciences industries.
Her exposure to this purpose-driven company for the last 20+ years has contributed to her knowledge and passion for entrepreneurism. She co-founded and is a managing partner at MSH Partners where she among others, identifies opportunities to incorporate impact investing in their portfolio. She also advises small, diverseowned companies on directional strategies to scale their businesses through The Center for Innovation, Excellence and Leadership.
Prior to that, Naiana founded Raise the Bar, a leadership development company that helped small businesses leverage their human capital to empower their employees. She holds an MBA from Babson College, is the Family Office Chair for GFC and sits on the Board of the Babson Alumni network.
Naiana is currently bringing together stakeholders and impact investors to address deforestation in the Amazon rainforest as climate action. Please contact Naiana if you would like to participate in this impact effort, join the impact trip she is organizing, or if you have contacts in the local area that you can introduce her to.
Faye Walsh Drouillard, Treasurer
Faye Walsh Drouillard is Founder & General Partner of WakeUp Capital, an impact VC fund investing in innovative sustainable and inclusive early-stage B2B technologies. A former social entrepreneur unwilling to accept the status quo, she backs visionary founders in Ireland and Europe tackling complex social and climate related challenges with significant market opportunity and measurable impact. Focus areas include sustainable agriculture, circularity, renewable energy systems, health equity and inclusive education and financial services.
Jim Chowdry
Jim Chowdry is an Advisor working for his family office and is based in the bay area. Prior to this Jim worked for Toniic, an impact investing network based in the US and Europe and Confluence Philanthropy. Jim has also worked in the ocean conservation space educating the public about issues facing the oceans using immersive technologies like virtual reality and 3D printing to create interactive experiences aimed at creating empathy for the oceans and its inhabitants. He has worked with scientific and academic partners such as the National Geographic, Smithsonian and The World Bank. When he’s not in the city Jim enjoys hiking in the Marin Headlands and snowboarding at Lake Tahoe. He is also an avid scuba diver and you can find him underwater searching for the elusive nudibranch or trying to capture the perfect shot of an acrobatic sea lion.
Raffi Mardirosian
Raffi Mardirosian focuses on climate change mitigation and local community resilience. He is Managing Partner/Co-founder at Izuba Energy, a leading developer of renewable energy projects in Africa. He also founded and leads Cambridge Creative Development, a community-oriented real estate development and impact investing company. He is also VP Strategy at Sublime Systems, a technology startup spun out of MIT to make the world’s first carbon neutral cement. Raffi is an active investor and advisor to technology startups focused on climate change mitigation.
He previously was VP, Business at Ouster (NYSE:OUST), a leading lidar & robotics technology company. Prior to Ouster, Raffi was VP, Business Development at MODO Fuels, focused on production of ultra low carbon fuels (biomass residues to jet fuel, diesel, & gasoline), a Principal at Flagship Ventures (where he focused on launching and investing in companies in climate change mitigation), and President at Midori, a startup with a breakthrough carbohydrate catalysis platform focused on human & animal health. Prior to Midori, Raffi developed renewable power projects in Africa, including the first utility-scale solar PV plant in Africa (excl. South Africa) which comprised 6% of Rwanda’s power & broke the record for fastest African energy project finance deal to reach financial close and interconnect. He formerly was a business analyst at McKinsey & Co., where he specialized in healthcare, national competitiveness, sustainability and resource productivity, and global public health. He has also held roles at BNP Paribas in Latin American project finance and the Reserve Bank of India in central banking policy.
Raffi serves as adviser to a range of organizations including Ashoka, where he works with social entrepreneurs on business model scaling strategy, and Peace First, a Boston-based non-profit dedicated to creating the next generation of peacemakers. He is a member of the Board of Directors of eKutir, a social enterprise using a train-the-trainer model and mobile technology to transform agriculture in India. He previously was curator of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community in Boston, and spoke at the Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.
Raffi holds bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University in Economics and Public Policy, with honors in International Security and Cooperation, and conducted graduate work in International Policy Studies.
