Thought Leadership

Highlights and Insights: Top Quotes from the 2024 National Conference

During our recent 2024 National Conference, we had the privilege of hearing from some of the most insightful and influential voices in the impact investing industry. These thought leaders shared their wisdom on a range of topics, offering valuable perspectives and inspiring ideas throughout the sessions. Here, we’ve compiled a list of standout quotes from our esteemed speakers. Their words of wisdom capture the essence of the discussions and highlight the key themes that emerged throughout the event. Dive in, and let their insights inspire and guide you on your own impact investing journey!
 

Notable Quotes

Activating for Equity in a Time of Change plenary: 
“As the leading network of foundations and philanthropic asset owners engaged in impact investing, MIE has alway been deeply focused on creating peer-to-peer connections, learning, and collaborations that drive innovation and growth in the field. This community-building is what makes MIE so special.” 
  - Matt Onek, President & CEO, Mission Investors Exchange
 
Unlocking All Assets for Impact plenary:
“To get to racial equity, you have to get racial healing. That means connecting with people on a human level, hearing their story and understanding why their perspective is important. The core of equity is making sure that everyone has an opportunity to thrive.”  
  - La June Montgomery Tabron, President & CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
 
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund during Empowering Change through Impact Investing plenary:
“Hour of fate - the moment that sits between the promise and peril of our future. If we don’t take this as the central threat we could face as humans, going to face the perils of the future. Have to act now. In partnership with all of you. We need you to be successful. There is no way possible that we can achieve what we need to achieve if you are not all committed with your capital - human, social. …We need you. That’s a simple call to action.” 
  - Harold Pettigrew, President & CEO, Opportunity Finance Network
 
Scaling Healthy Food Access through Impact Investing; Impact in Action hosted by Everytable:
“We recognize that food can be a precursor to poverty, we also recognize that food is also a pathway towards economic development. There’s an opportunity to make a big impact across our food system. It’s a great access point for investors to see comprehensive support across sectors because there’s a lot of intersection with food. Food is a key component that connects us to a lot of issues and solutions that we are facing.” 
  - Alba Velasquez, Executive Director, LA Food Policy Council
 
Activating for Equity in a Time of Change plenary: 
“The system in place for years is not outcome driven. Right now, everything is process based. We have to hit the ground running. People need to see a difference immediately. People will figure out how to fix the system along the way.” 
  - Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles
 
The Net Zero Commitment: Learning from Peer Journeys breakout session:
“Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s not time yet because it’s definitely, definitely time… we’ll never make it to a better future if we aren’t investing in change today.” 
  - Elizabeth McGeveran, Director of Investments, McKnight Foundation
 
Building Community through Inclusive Entrepreneurship; Impact in Action hosted by Slauson & Co.:
"There is a difference between having access and inclusion. It's not enough to just provide access to opportunity for diverse managers and entrepreneurs because we also need to provide them the tools to create wealth." 
  - Carolina Huaranca Mendoza, Founding General Partner, First Close Partners
 
Activating for Equity in a Time of Change plenary:
“We who allocate capital need to jump through the hoops instead of the people trying to access the capital.” 
  - Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation
 
Unlocking All Assets for Impact plenary:
“What sets foundations apart is not the scale of the capital, it’s the independence of the capital.” 
  - Sam Gill, President & CEO, Doris Duke Foundation
 
Implementing Diverse Manager Strategies in an Evolving Landscape breakout session:
“The greatest transfer of wealth is happening from Baby Boomers to millennials and millennials care about the impact of their dollars. The business case cannot be argued with. Firms will become irrelevant if they do not listen to the needs of the next generation of leaders. We should stand firm and proud.” 
  - Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, CEO, Red-Horse Financial Group
 
Accelerating Investing in Clean Technology through Public-Private Partnerships; Impact in Action hosted by the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator:
“You have to keep your foot on the gas. There’s been a millennium of doing things the wrong way. We need to continue to evolve and innovate, be more inclusive, and be able to learn from mistakes. Growth has to be intentional. This is what we’re doing at LACI.” 
  - Jim Casselberry, CEO and Co-Founder, Known Holdings, and Board Chair, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
 
Hollywood during Empowering Change through Impact Investing plenary:
“You can do a lot with a little, and you can do even more with a lot,” 
  - Ava DuVernay, Award Winning Filmmaker
 
Unlocking All Assets for Impact plenary:
Advice? “Get off the sidelines. It’s not that hard – start easy and small, invest in CDFIs. As you do it and get more comfortable, you can get more complex in approach. You’ve got to use all our resources and platforms and assets. It’s up to all of us to encourage our colleagues who aren’t in the room, who are still on sidelines, and help them to see how they can get in the game.” 
  - Nicole Taylor, President & CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
 
Activating for Equity in a Time of Change plenary: 
“DEI is about women, it’s about veterans, people with different kinds of abilities, people of color–the majority of Americans. How do we make sure we have systems that are fair for the majority of Americans and those who have been furthest from power and opportunity?” 
  - Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO & President, Ariel Investments
 
Mobilizing Federal Investment Capital breakout session:
“All of us here today are making the road by walking it. We have never seen this level of capital available in our lifetime. We can be fearless and concrete in this work.” 
  - Archana Sahgal, Founder & President, Hyphen
 
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund during Empowering Change through Impact Investing plenary:
“Trying to shift the narrative around climate change and adapting to a net-zero future - from a massive uncontrollable problem to an opportunity for families, business, communities - save on energy bills, clean up air, create quality jobs - that’s what this has to be about if we’re going to see a future. Has to be about opportunity and hope, solving real life problems.” 
  - Beth Bafford, CEO, Climate United
 
Activating for Equity in a Time of Change plenary:
“The only thing that defeats a powerful narrative is a more powerful narrative. We are winning. This is what a multicultural, multiethnic world looks like, and it’s going to be beautiful.” 
  - Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green
 
Advancing Indigenous Communities place-based impact investing workshop:
“I don’t think you can do this work really well unless you are walking with the people doing the work.” 
  - Karla Miller, Vice President, Program, Northwest Area Foundation
 
Unlocking All Assets for Impact plenary:
“If you can grab a young person every year - give them an internship. Create hope. You get people like me. That’s why I’m sitting here.” 
  - Jay Brown, Co-Founder & Vice Chairman, Roc Nation and Marcy Venture Partners
 
Hollywood during Empowering Change through Impact Investing plenary:
“As humans, narratives and storytelling are the air we breathe. We have to be inspired by what we see, feel, touch, and breathe, in order to break through the inertia. Messages have to resonate. Narrative, media, messages help add fuel to the fire.” 
  - Roy Swan, Director, Mission Investments, Ford Foundation
 
Exploring the Intersection of Impact Investing, Wealth Creation, and Movement Building; Impact in Action hosted by Genesis LA and the Community Coalition:
"This project is an example of the passion and impact that community brings when it has a seat at the table." 
  - Óscar Alvarez, Senior Manager of Community Planning, Community Coalition
 
Shifting Power within Impact Investing breakout session:
“When you’re not grounded in the lived experiences of the communities you are meant to serve or want to serve, there’s an ivory tower effect–a disconnect.” 
  - Bubul Gupta, President & CEO, Pacific Community Ventures
 
As we reflect on the remarkable insights shared at our National Conference, it’s clear that our speakers have left us with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Their words serve as a powerful reminder of the potential we have to create meaningful change through thoughtful and strategic impact investing. We look forward to continuing the conversation and driving forward the mission of impact investing together!

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