The sustainability nonprofit Ceres has welcomed new members to its Board of Directors and President’s Council. Ralph Izzo (former Chairman and CEO of the Public Service Enterprise Group) joined the Ceres Board of Directors in June. Marc Diaz (Chief Commercialization Officer at Terviva), Marc Pangburn, (Chief Financial Officer at HASI), Eric Pitt (Chief Commercial Officer at Emergent), Catherine Von Burg (Founder and former CEO & President of SimpliPhi Power, Inc), and David Young (Senior Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group) have all joined the President’s Council in recent months. Ceres President’s Council members serve as ambassadors for Ceres and enhance the organization’s impact through direct support, expertise, and outreach.
“Our newest members have deep private sector expertise in their own respective industries, and we are thrilled they are joining Ceres at this critical time,” said Ceres CEO and President Mindy Lubber. “Their invaluable insights and strong relationships in our space will be hugely helpful as we work to advance our mission and theory of change and deliver more impact and engagement in the global transition to a just and sustainable future.”
Meet our newest members:
Ralph Izzo
Ralph Izzo was chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) from April 2007 through December 2022 and served as president since 2006. Prior to this, Mr. Izzo was president and chief operating officer of PSEG’s subsidiary, Public Service Electric and Gas. Mr. Izzo is a well-known leader in the energy industry as well as the public policy arena. He is frequently asked to testify before Congress, speak at conferences and to organizations on matters pertaining to national energy policy.
Marc Diaz
Marc Diaz serves as Chief Commercialization Officer at Terviva, bringing to market a new agricultural crop by investing in communities to regenerate land and improve livelihoods. Prior to joining Terviva, Mr. Diaz spent a decade as an impact investing field leader where he launched and led NatureVest, the impact investing platform of The Nature Conservancy, and the UNICEF Bridge Fund, where he served as Managing Director.
Marc Pangburn
Marc Pangburn is executive vice president and chief financial officer of HASI (NYSE: HASI), a leading investor in climate solutions. As CFO, he is responsible for all financial functions, including accounting, treasury, capital markets, and investor relations. Mr. Pangburn joined HASI in 2013 and previously served as co-chief investment officer from 2021 to 2023. Before that, he was a managing director responsible for the company’s structured investments in both the Grid- Connected and Behind-the-Meter renewable energy markets.
Eric Pitt
Eric Pitt is an experienced capital markets and technology leader with a deep interest in addressing climate change. He is the Chief Commercial Officer for Emergent, where he oversees distribution, trading, and capital markets. Emergent is an NGO that works with tropical forest countries and the private sector to arrange large-scale transactions of high-integrity carbon credits at the jurisdictional level. Mr. Pitt also serves as an advisor to several companies and investment funds focused on climate and markets. Previously, Eric was a consultant for Ceres, advocating for climate-aligned, pro-growth financial policies.
Catherine Von Burg
Catherine Von Burg has a broad range of experience as a founder, entrepreneur, impact investor, advisor, public speaker, and author. Her career spans a diverse portfolio of research and development, strategic planning, policy and regulatory initiatives, executive leadership, entrepreneurship, and multidisciplinary team-building in the fields of biomedical engineering, health and human services, renewable energy technology, and environmental conservation. Ms. Von Burg has worked extensively in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, leveraging strategic partnerships to fund, innovate, and operationalize programmatic and technology-driven solutions to solve real-world problems with commercially competitive, market-based results.
David YoungÂ
David Young currently serves as Senior Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Young has decades of experience in the social, public and private sectors in developing strategy and transforming these organizations to achieve greater social impact at scale. He strives to support businesses in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, while finding profitable new business with higher social value, and being recognized by their stakeholders for doing so.
In joining Ceres, they said:
“My motivation is based on the belief that successful businesses over the long term realize that the best way to serve their shareholders is by running a company that is respectful of its employees, customers, communities served, the planet, etc.,” said Mr. Izzo. “What could be more powerful than aggregating a group of like-minded investors and other organizations in making sustainable business, which is synonymous with long term success, the default mindset of management teams.”
“I'm excited to support Ceres' efforts to help investors and operators steward carbon, water, and biodiversity with nature positive strategies,” said Mr. Diaz. “In my experience as a natural capital investor and an executive at Terviva, a regenerative agriculture company, I see the value Ceres creates through its communities of practice such as Climate Action 100, Food Emissions 50, and Nature Action 100, which lead the way for businesses to embed climate resilience and natural resource stewardship in their enterprises."
"Joining the Ceres President's Council is a unique opportunity to support a mission that is core to our strategy at HASI: demonstrating that climate investing leads to long-term shareholder value," said Mr. Pangburn. "I look forward to working alongside other Council members to drive progress toward a more sustainable future through business results."
“Incorporating sustainability, especially climate and nature, into financial decision making is essential to long-term investment returns, the health of our economy, and all of our lives and livelihoods,” said Mr. Pitt. “Ceres is a guiding voice and trusted authority on environmental action in the capital markets. I am excited to be a part of the Ceres President’s Council and support their innovative work with investors, companies, policymakers.”
"As an entrepreneur, CEO, and impact investor, I have experienced firsthand the healthy returns that come from companies operationalizing and investing in environmental, social and responsible governance (ESG) goals with metrics and analysis to mitigate risk, identify opportunities and build shareholder value,” said Ms. Von Burg. “I am honored to join the President’s Council and contribute to Ceres' pioneering work.”
“It’s an honor to be part of Ceres President’s Council. Ceres continues as a steadfast and positive force helping capital and companies gain insight on their externalities, enabling them to make better decisions and take bolder actions that propel a more sustainable and competitive economy,” said Mr. Young.
Learn more about the Ceres Board of Directors and the Ceres President’s Council.
About Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.