Michael Lent, CIO
Michael
is a founding principal and the CIO of Veris Wealth Partners. For 18 years,
he’s been delivering financial planning and investment consulting services to
high-net-worth families, family offices, and foundations. Michael has been
recognized by the Calvert Foundation for his advocacy of blended-value community
investing and is regularly cited by major media outlets such as AP and Reuters
on matters pertaining to sustainable investing. Prior to Veris, he co-founded
the New York office of Progressive Asset Management, the first
full-service broker/dealer to focus on socially responsible investing.
Earlier
in his career, while working on economic development issues in Central America,
Michael realized that, for his work to achieve its full impact, he and his
colleagues would need sustained access to new financial resources. So he began
to focus his efforts on outreach, educating others who also recognized the
important link between capital and social change. He now helps others use their
resources to achieve personal financial goals while having a positive impact on
the world around them.
Michael
is the Treasurer and a Trustee of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, which was established in 1925 and is committed to building
leadership and organizing capacity among young people in communities of color,
empowering them to dismantle structural inequity based on race and class. He
serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of US SIF, The Forum for
Sustainable and Responsible Investment, an association for professionals,
firms, institutions and organizations engaged in socially responsible and
sustainable investing. In addition, Michael is a member of the Investment
Management Consultants Association (IMCA), which sets standards and practices
for the investment management consulting profession. He received his
Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation in 2002. Michael
also has a B.A. in Biology from the University of California
at Santa Cruz. He lives with his wife in Brooklyn, NY.