VIDEO - Decarbonize Your Money: Investments, Banking, Offsets

The first in our Systems Change series. This panel discussion covers how to decarbonize your money from personal investments, and business or organizational investments, to where you bank. And, it dives into how a new local carbon offsets program might work, providing local investment opportunities that will make a difference. Learn about some options for putting your privilege and money in the service of creating real change on a system-wide level.

We are very thankful to the amazing panelists who made this conversation possible!

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PANELISTS

Susan Estep, Portfolio Manager, Willow Creek Capital Management, Inc.

Contact: susan@willowcreekcm.com, (406) 830-3286

A Montana native, Suzie began her more than 35-year career in financial services working on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1981. In 1987 she joined J.P. Morgan and in 1989 became vice president of institutional sales and trading. Returning to Montana in 1992, Suzie joined the Missoula branch of A.G. Edwards. Six years later, she was a founding broker when Smith Barney opened a Missoula location, and in September 2005 Suzie moved to Merrill Lynch.

Suzie works with clients to develop a personalized financial strategy through customized portfolio management, tax and estate planning, and charitable giving to help position retention of their legacy assets.

Suzie and her husband have a son who lives and works in Seattle. She enjoys gardening and on warm, sunny days you can catch her on Orange Street walking her dogs!

Keith Fitchner, financial advisor, Edward Jones + Sam Reinhart of Calvert Funds

Contact: Keith Fitchner, keith.fichtner@edwardjones.com, (406) - 542-8790

As an Edward Jones financial advisor, I believe it's important to invest my time in understanding what you're working toward before you invest your money. Whether you're planning for retirement, saving for college or just trying to protect the financial future of the ones you care for the most, we can work together to develop specific strategies to help you achieve your goals and dreams. 

I often meet my neighbors face-to-face and always offer a confidential, no-cost initial meeting to outline my clients goals and dreams. Helping people achieve their goals and dreams inspired me to become an Edward Jones financial advisor. 

I graduated from the University of Montana with honors in 1998. That same year, I married my college sweetheart and we have been married for 22 years. We have two beautiful children who are active and keep us busy with their many sports and clubs. I enjoy playing golf and running (mostly half marathons). A long-term goal is to run the NYC Marathon one day.

The world also is changing, with environmental and social pressures growing more acute.  The good news is there's a growing realization that sustainable companies can be part of the solution to today's global challenges such as climate change.  Investors are coming to realize that companies can be differentiated based on how well they manage their environmental and social impact and the strength of their governance.  I hope to make a difference to enjoy the planet and community I live in.  I was born and raised in Montana. I enjoy a quiet day fly fishing on the many rivers in Montana. My family and I also enjoy hiking around Montana and camping. We make a point to visit Glacier National Park and hike each and every year.

Caroline Lauer, Program Director, Climate Smart Missoula

Contact: caroline@climatesmartmissoula.org

As Climate Smart Missoula's Program Director, Caroline works on a wide range of projects to help make Missoula more resilient and equitable. Her focus for the last year has been developing our county-wide resiliency plan, Climate Ready Missoula, working with the local architects, engineers, and developers to decarbonize Missoula's building sector, and establishing the Footprint Fund, a local carbon offset fund. She holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she focused on the intersection of climate change, affordable healthy housing, and creative financing mechanisms. 

Jack Lawson, President and CEO, Clearwater Credit Union

Contact: Jack.lawson@clearwatercreditunion.org; (406) 273 - 8183

Jack Lawson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Clearwater Credit Union, a $675 million credit union in Western Montana. Clearwater is Montana’s second largest credit union and its largest Treasury Department certified CDFI.  The credit union’s 160 employees serve 51,000 members from 6 branches in and around Missoula. 

 Prior to joining Clearwater, Jack worked for 5 years as a Chief Operating Officer at Self-Help Federal Credit Union, a nationally recognized community development lender with operations in North Carolina, California, Florida and Chicago.  Prior to working at Self-Help he spent about 10 years at Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union, working first as the credit union’s founding organizer and then as its Chief Executive Officer. He holds a BA in Biology (University of Vermont), an MA in Development Studies (University of London, SOAS), and an MPhil in Economics (Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research).