Program

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9:00 a.m.

Coffee and Event Check-In

9:30 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Steve Mital, Director of Sustainability, University of Oregon
Quinn Haaga, President, Associated Students of the University of Oregon
Clay Hurand, Student, University of Oregon

9:45 a.m.

Understanding Risk, Decision-Making, and Investments in the Face of Climate Change

Paul Slovic, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon

10:00 a.m.

Roles and Responsibilities of Fiduciaries

Susan Gary, Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Fiduciaries are trusted to manage institutional assets and can integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment policy. Professor Gary discusses why a university foundation might want to consider climate risk as part of prudent investment decision-making.

10:20 a.m.

UO Foundation

Jay Namyet, Chief Investment Officer, University of Oregon Foundation

James Shephard, Chair, University of Oregon Foundation

Presentations by the current UO Foundation board chair and the chief investment officer on the roles, responsibilities, and mission of the foundation. An exploration of how the foundation invests, examining current opportunities and risks—including ESG factors—to best serve the university.

11:00 a.m.

Stretch and Coffee Break

11:15 a.m.

Student Pitch Contest

Max Fleisher, MBA Candidate, University of Oregon

Finalists in the Impact Investing Pitch Competition propose new and innovative ideas for consideration by the University of Oregon Foundation.

Noon

Lunch Buffet

12:30 p.m.

Remarks and Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Michael Schill, President, University of Oregon

12:40 p.m.

Keynote Address: Investing to Avoid the Risks—and Capture the Opportunities—of Climate Change

Kate Gordon, Senior Advisor, Paulson Institute

Climate change seems like a long-term issue, but there are short-term investment decisions made every day that must take climate risk—from physical impacts to regulatory changes—into account. The Risky Business Project analyzes these risks and offers key investment opportunities for a carbon-constrained world.

1:30 p.m.

Managing Climate Risk

Dave Chen, Founder and Chair, Equilibrium Capital Group

How do investment managers manage climate risk? How can investment be used to address climate change? What tools can managers use to evaluate risks?”

2:00 p.m.

Stretch and Coffee Break

2:15 p.m.

Developing Climate-Competent Boards: Climate Risk and Opportunities as a Governance and Strategic Issue

Emilie Mazzacurati, Founder and CEO, Four Twenty Seven

As climate change becomes an increasingly visible issue for investors and corporations, governing boards need to understand new expectations for “climate literacy” and how climate change—from physical risk to carbon regulation—may affect their organization’s long-term performance.

2:50 p.m.

The Role of Ethics in Investing

Steven Brence, Senior Instructor, Department of Philosphy, University of Oregon

David Lewis, Consultant, Ethnohistory Research

John Bellamy Foster, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Oregon

This provocative session explores the ethical responsibilities we have to pass on an inhabitable environment to future generations. Panelists will pose questions individual and institutional investors can use to guide decision-making.

3:50 p.m.

Concluding Remarks