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Staff Biographies

Investment Team

Geeta Aiyer, CFA, President/Portfolio Management. Working as a portfolio manager for socially-concerned individuals and institutions allows Geeta to combine her commitment to social justice issues with her training and experience in investment theory and finance. Geeta was formerly President of the Walden Asset Management division of the United States Trust Company of Boston (USTC), a pioneer and market leader in socially-responsible investing. She has worked with investments for almost 20 years. Geeta’s prior work experience also includes tenure with United States Trust Co. Boston and Cambridge Associates. She has founded two prior companies, Walden Capital Management (1994) and East India Spice (1987). She received her MBA from Harvard University and her BA and MA degrees from the University of Delhi, India. Geeta serves on the boards of the Worldwatch Institute and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Matt Zalosh, CFA, Portfolio Management/Securities Research. Matt manages domestic and international accounts and is responsible for investment research on the financial services and healthcare sectors.  Matt began his career at State Street Research and Management in Boston over 10 years ago.  From 1997 to 2001, he worked at Dodge & Cox in San Francisco, where he covered banks and REITS and helped the firm launch its international mutual fund.  Matt received his BA, cum laude, in Economics and International Studies from Colby College, and has an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) , where he specialized in emerging markets and worked on development consulting projects in Mexico and Ecuador.

Carol Malnick, Portfolio Management. Establishing Boston Common's presence on the west coast, Carol provides portfolio management services to our high net worth and institutional clients. With over 24 years of experience, Carol has managed socially responsible investment portfolios at Trainer Wortham (a division of First Republic Bank), Nelson Capital Management, Harris Bretall, and most recently with Stanford Investment Group. Carol received her BA from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has served on numerous national and community boards, including the Northern California Community Loan Fund and the Social Investment Forum.

Praveen Abichandani, CFA, Securities Research. Praveen brings nearly 15 years of investment analysis experience in equity research and corporate development in the telecom and media industries.  He spent the last seven years as an equity analyst at Fidelity Investments, Citigroup Asset Management, and most recently at a hedge fund.  While at Fidelity, Praveen managed the Select Industrial Equipment fund for two years and the Select Advisor Electronics fund for a year.  At Citigroup Asset Management, Praveen was responsible for equity research of the global semiconductor sector.  During his business development career at Cox Communications and GTE Wireless, Praveen worked extensively on projects in Mexico.  He has also lived and worked in Japan and Germany, early in his career at GTE.  Praveen received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and his BS in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University in India.

Nancy G. Spady, CFA, Securities Research. Nancy brings almost 20 years of investment experience to Boston Common. She was an analyst and co-portfolio manager for a significant investment firm in the Midwest, where she ultimately became a Managing Director. Previously, Nancy was voted an Institutional Investor All-America Research Team Runner-up in two financial services categories while working on Wall Street. She received her MBA from Harvard University and her BA, with honors, from Swarthmore College. Nancy served as a trustee for the Village of Glencoe, Illinois, on the finance committee of Quest Academy, and as co-class agent for Swarthmore College.

Margien Tolson, CFA, Securities Research. Margien joins Boston Common's west coast office with over 20 years of experience in equity research and portfolio management. Previously, she worked at Stanford Investment Group, and for Trainer Wortham, a division of First Republic Bank, as a manager of Socially Responsible Investment portfolios. Margien served first as Director of Research and then as Chief Investment Officer at Nelson Capital Management and worked at RCM Capital Management in both portfolio management and research positions. Margien received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Nathan Foley-Mendelssohn, CFA, Quantitative/Financial Research. Nathan builds quantitative tools and assists in financial research in support of the investment and portfolio management process. He also works on our systems and operations. Nathan received his BA degree, with honors, in History and International Relations from Harvard University, and previously worked as a scientific computer programmer at an oceanographic laboratory in California.

Social Research & Shareholder Advocacy Team

Steven Heim, Social Research/Shareholder Advocacy. Steven is primarily responsible for social research on domestic and international companies and for our shareholder advocacy work. In collaboration with Geeta Aiyer, he has contributed to the book The SRI Advantage: Why Socially Responsible Investing Has Outperformed Financially, (New Society Publishers, 2002). Steven received two Bachelor of Science degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Steven currently lives in Vermont and was a licensed foster parent for 8 years. He served on the Board of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group for 15 years. He is webmaster for Boston Common's web site. Steven is the Co-Chair for ICCR’s Global Warming Working Group and is on the Steering Committee of the Social Investment Forum’s Social Investment Research Analyst Network.

Lauren Compere, Client Administration/Compliance/Shareholder Advocacy. Lauren has primary responsibility for working with Boston Common clients and is involved in the day-to-day oversight of Boston Common’s sub-advisory relationships. Lauren coordinates Boston Common’s international shareholder advocacy initiatives, including proxy voting and shareholder dialogue. Lauren received her BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont, Cum Laude, and her MS in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University. She has completed the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Certificate Program at Boston University. Lauren is the Co-Chair of the Access to Health Working Group of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and is on the Steering Committee of the Social Investment Forum’s International Working Group.

Dawn Wolfe, Social Research/Shareholder Advocacy. Dawn conducts social research on domestic and international companies and aids in our shareholder advocacy effort. Prior to joining Boston Common Dawn worked as an account executive and development consultant for non-profit organizations across the US. Dawn has a history of interest in human rights and labor and has served as a journalist in Chile covering human rights abuses there. She has researched employment issues in the NAFTA countries with a heavy emphasis on Mexico, where she spent time with the Foreign Affairs Ministry working on economic competitiveness issues. She received her BA in Communications and Spanish from Santa Clara University and her MA in International Affairs and Economics from the Johns Hopkins University where she specialized in emerging market finance and Latin American political economy.

Seema Bharwani, Social Research/Shareholder Advocacy. Seema is primarily responsible for conducting social, environmental, and governance research on domestic and international companies.  She also helps further our shareholder advocacy efforts.  Prior to joining Boston Common, Seema worked as a consultant and as an executive director for non-profit organizations. Through her work with the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, Seema assisted many companies in developing and strengthening their corporate citizenship programs.  She has also worked in Reebok's Human Rights programs to update the company's workplace standards for suppliers. Seema received her BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Wake Forest University and her MBA and MA in Social Work from Boston College.

Client Service and Admininstration Team

Alexander Jovanovic, Trading/Operations. Alex is primarily responsible for portfolio operations, trading, and marketing. He also works with Lauren Compere on client reporting. Alex received his BA, magna cum laude, from Tufts University with a double major in International Relations and Economics. Alex most recently worked as a Marketing Assistant for the Tufts University Summer Programs Office, where he conducted marketing research and worked on publications.

Emmanuel Sabiiti, Portfolio Associate/Trading. Emmanuel is primarily responsible for portfolio operations, trading, and client service. He also assists Lauren Compere and Alexander Jovanovic with client reporting and marketing. Before joining Boston Common, Emmanuel worked at Meyer Capital Partners as a Research Assistant, and also interned at Burchfield Resources LLC, a venture capital firm in Vermont. Emmanuel received his BA from Middlebury College with a major in Mathematics and a minor in French.

Elena Togashi, Portfolio Associate. Elena works on the client service team for our international clients. She also assists with marketing and social research. Prior to joining Boston Common, Elena worked as a corporate client manager and a prime broker for Goldman Sachs. She worked in the foreign exchange division in the New York and Tokyo offices. Elena received her BA from Brown University, with a concentration in International Relations focusing on political economy and development.

Marykelly Smith, Controller. Marykelly is responsible for the management of the financial operations of the firm. Before joining Boston Common, Marykelly worked at the Boston law firm of Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP in various financial roles including Controller for most of her seventeen years there. Marykelly received her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Boston College. She actively volunteers her time to several organizations including St. Joseph Parish and School as PTA Treasurer and School Finance Board member.

Kristin Shoop, Administrative Associate. Kristin supports the Boston Common Investment, Client Service, and Social Research teams as office manager, in addition to marketing and conference coordination. Prior to joining Boston Common, she was an Event Coordinator and Sales and Marketing Assistant for The Lavin Agency, an international speakers bureau in the corporate and university markets. Kristin received a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and participates in the writing and theater communities with her involvement in local, nonprofit and volunteer organizations.