Blue Haven Initiative

Liesel Pritzker Simmons is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, where she serves as investment strategist over a portfolio spanning traditional equities, direct investments, and philanthropic programs aimed at competitive returns alongside social and environmental impact. She co-founded the family office with her husband, Ian Simmons, building it around impact investing and ESG criteria. She is also Co-Founder of the IDP Foundation, which supports universal primary education, and she studied African History at Columbia University.

Daniel Wanjira is Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives at Blue Haven Initiative, where he oversees the philanthropic and catalytic capital portfolio and works on impact investing field building and deploying patient capital to market solutions. He previously worked as a strategy consultant at the International Finance Corporation in Washington, D.C., as a senior advisor at Energy 4 Impact leading energy access programs in Africa, and as a management consultant at Ernst & Young in Nairobi. He holds an MSc in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a BSc in Actuarial Science from Strathmore University.

Hari Joy is Managing Director of Private Investments at Blue Haven Initiative, where he leads the firm's in-house investment portfolio across the full investment lifecycle and serves on portfolio company boards. He previously worked in private equity at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, covering tech services, industrials, consumer, and healthcare deals, and in investment banking at J.P. Morgan focused on M&A and equity and debt transactions in financial services. He holds a B.S. in Economics and an MBA, both from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kelly Escobedo is Managing Director at Blue Haven Initiative, a family office, where she oversees the deployment of capital across asset classes including traditional equities, direct investments, and real assets such as real estate. Her responsibilities also cover trust and estate management, property and risk management, real estate acquisition, insurance, and human resources, and she manages relationships across the firm's partners and employees. She previously worked in the claims department at Chubb in Chicago and studied Business Administration at Northern Illinois University.

Simon Thompson is Managing Director of Civics at Blue Haven Initiative, where he leads strategy and partnership building for the family office's Civics portfolio, which focuses on innovation, markets, and democracy. He first joined Blue Haven in 2014, rejoined in 2021 as Associate Director of Civics, and became Managing Director in 2024. Between his stints at the firm he led political and advocacy work in Maine, including grant-making and campaign organizing, and he graduated from Harvard College in 2014.

Chris Jurgens is a Director on Omidyar Network's Reimagining Capitalism team, where he leads strategy and a portfolio focused on how corporations and capital markets can support more inclusive capitalism, and oversees impact investing field-building work. He previously served as Director of Private Sector Partnerships at USAID's Global Development Lab and was a Partner at Accenture, including as Director of Global Programs for Accenture Development Partnerships. He holds a Master's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a B.A. in economics and international studies from Miami University.

Dave Horwich is Founding Partner of LAVA Strategies, which he co-founded with Jennifer Lee, advising funders and nonprofit organizations on strategy and issue advocacy. He previously led advocacy and political engagement work at Beyond Advisers and Civitas Public Affairs Group, with work spanning issues such as marriage equality, climate change, civics education, and mental health. He holds a BA in political science from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Dereka Young is an executive assistant and project manager who provides organizational and administrative support to Ian Simmons and is part of the Blue Haven Civics team. She has previously worked in consulting, biotech, life science, and private equity, and has held roles including marketing and project coordinator, regional operations manager, and office manager. She holds a BA in Communications.

Jennifer Lee works on advocacy and electoral campaign strategy, focusing on grassroots organizing and coalition building. She served as Director of Grassroots Outreach for the 2018 JB Pritzker campaign and worked on efforts including the ERA ratification in Illinois, equity-focused adult-use cannabis legalization, and expanded access to children's mental health services. She co-founded LAVA Strategies with Dave Horwich after founding and leading JCL Consulting, a firm centered on campaign and grassroots work.

Jonathan Kirschner is an investor and advisor working with impact-driven entrepreneurs. He previously headed investment management and chaired the investment committee at the Omidyar Network and its education-focused spin-off Imaginable Futures, and served as Senior Portfolio Manager at USAID's Development Innovation Ventures during the Obama administration, where he also advised on blended finance and the Power Africa initiative. Earlier he worked in early-stage investing in Brazil and Colombia, led international expansion for CPM Braxis, and began his career at Bain & Company; he holds an MBA from Stanford, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a BSFS from Georgetown.

Karinelis Ayala-Gonzalez is Operations Coordinator at Blue Haven Initiative, where she manages logistics for the operations team, leads process improvements, documents workflows, and provides administrative support to Managing Director Kelly Escobedo. She previously held roles in the facilities service industry, including Operations Support/Transition Manager at UG2 in Boston. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Framingham State University.

Lauren Rosales Farello is Director of Operations & Impact at Blue Haven Initiative, where she supports back-end processes for the family office's investment portfolio and oversees impact measurement across asset classes and the portfolio management software. She previously spent four years at the Aspen Institute's ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs) and worked on Align Impact's philanthropic and impact-first investing team, conducting diligence for high-net-worth individuals and family foundations. She holds an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Megan McCarthy is Director of Partnerships at Blue Haven Initiative, where she sources external relationships, supports investment strategy across the portfolio, and provides family office and portfolio operations support. Since joining in 2018, she helped shape the firm's philanthropic strategy around impact investing and climate, and launched its catalytic investments strategy. She previously worked on Omidyar Network's impact investing team, in Goldman's Private Wealth Management division, at Deloitte, and as a Princeton in Asia Fellow, and holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BS in Business Administration and Finance from Georgetown University.

Michael Barry is Chief Investment Officer at Georgetown University, where he oversees the endowment and retirement plan and coordinates the university's Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility. He previously served as Chief Investment Officer for the University System of Maryland Foundation, was a Senior Research Associate at Cambridge Associates, and began his career at KPMG. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Fairfield University, a master's from the Johns Hopkins SAIS, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Nick Panagiotou is Executive Assistant and HR Manager at Blue Haven Initiative, providing administrative and executive support to Co-Founder and Principal Liesel Pritzker Simmons and managing HR systems, employee benefits, and events on the Operations team. He previously worked in the Development & Alumni Relations office at Boston University School of Law and as a Group Exercise Assistant at Sports Club/LA in Boston. He holds a BA in Communications & Journalism and Theater.

Paul Tregidgo is an advisor to Blue Haven Initiative and the former Vice Chairman of Debt Capital Markets at Credit Suisse in New York, where he also served as Global Head of Debt Capital Markets and Global Head of Emerging Debt Capital Markets. He founded and co-chaired the bank's Impact Investing Advisory Council and led its Global Government Client Segment. Before joining Credit Suisse First Boston in London in 1985, he practiced international financial law in London and Hong Kong, and he holds a law degree from Downing College, Cambridge.

Priya Parrish is Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Impact Engine, an institutional venture capital and private equity impact investor, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Strategy and Impact Investor in Residence at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She previously served as Chief Investment Officer at Schwartz Capital Group and as Strategy Head at Aurora Investment Management, and developed ESG-focused investment products at Northern Trust Asset Management and KLD Research & Analytics. She authored The Little Book of Impact Investing and holds a B.S. from Babson College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Renée Beaumont is a former Partner at Generation Investment Management, which she joined in 2015. She previously served as Managing Director and Global Head of Business Development at Providence Equity Partners, and before that spent nearly a decade at Goldman Sachs as a Managing Director in its Merchant Banking Division, where she led institutional business development and earlier headed Power & Energy Investing for the Infrastructure Fund. She began her career as an attorney at Shearman & Sterling and clerked for the British Columbia Court of Appeals; she is also the founder of Radical Mind.Set.™.org.

Sanzida Mohsin is Project Coordinator for Blue Haven Civics, where she supports project development, management, and execution and manages the Civics internship program. Her work centers on tax reform advocacy, civic engagement, and public policy efforts related to reducing corruption in U.S. elections. She joined Blue Haven Initiative in 2023, previously interned at Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's office, the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, and the New York City Administration for Children's Services, and holds a BA in Political Science and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College.