At the beginning of our fiscal year on July 1, 2024, four of our Governing Board Directors were sworn into new leadership roles. We want to express our gratitude for our Board Directors’ dedication to Delta by highlighting their impressive backgrounds.
New Officers on the Governing Board of Directors
Delta Institute’s governing Board of Directors provides oversight and management of Delta Institute. Board Directors serve up to two terms of three years each (for six years total) and participate in at least one of our three standing Committees: Development; Finance; and Governance and Nominating. Our Board adheres to best practices in nonprofit governance and signs an annual participation agreement outlining their roles and responsibilities to Delta Institute, as well as identifying any conflicts of interest that may impact their service.
Vanessa Roanhorse
Board Chair
CEO of Roanhorse Consulting, LLC
Vanessa Roanhorse is the CEO of Roanhorse Consulting, LLC an Indigenous-led social enterprise that purposefully works to change power dynamics in health and economic systems to build a world in which our children and grandchildren will thrive. She sits on the boards of Delta Institute, Seven Fires, Potlikker Capital and is an advisor to the Ecosystem Building Leadership Network, Decolonizing Wealth, and Sandia Lab’s Department of Energy’s BOOST initiative. Vanessa is a 2022 Miss Porter’s School Donaldson Awardee, a 2021 Paypal Maggie Lena Walker’s Emerging Leader Awardee, and a 2020 Conscious Company Media’s World Changing Woman in Sustainable Business Awardee. Vanessa is the founder of Roanhorse Consulting, a founding member of Zebras Unite, a co-founder of Native Women Lead, and a co-founder of the Rematriating Economies Apprenticeship. She is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and resides in unceded Tiwa territory with her partner and 10-year-old son.
Ashley Bakelmun
Board Vice-Chair; Chair of Governance & Nominating Committee
Managing Director – RW Ventures, LLC
Ashley is Managing Director at RW Ventures, an economic development firm that specializes in market-based inclusive growth. She recently managed the completion of an inclusive economic growth strategy for Portland, Oregon, in addition to an Inclusive Blue Economy Strategy for the Illinois/Wisconsin region. Prior to joining RW Ventures, she conducted academic research on complex “urban questions” with a goal of working towards just cities – specifically focusing on intersections between urban design/planning with inequality and segregation.
Her focus on equitable development began with an environmental lens; during her 5 years in Washington DC, she worked for GreenShape, LLC and Gensler as a sustainability consultant. There, she led design and construction teams to deliver sustainable master plans on education/corporate campuses and achieve LEED certification in new construction projects. Ashley has a BSA in Mathematics and Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Urban Development and Design from UNSW Sydney. Ashley volunteered on the Delta Emerging Leaders Associate Board from 2020 to 2022.
David Fording, CFA
Treasurer; Finance Committee Chair
Partner/Portfolio Manager, US All Cap Growth and US Equity Sustainability Strategies – William Blair
David joined William Blair in 2005 and has been Partner since 2009. He manages 50-60 stock high quality growth portfolio targeting long-term capital appreciation and works with team of 16 research analysts in assessing ideas across all sectors and market caps; in-depth incorporation of ESG factors into investment decisions; lead role in portfolio construction/risk management, client service, new business presentations. He was a founding member of the WBIM ESG Leadership Group, leading US Growth team efforts to enhance/deepen ESG integration across all of our strategies while coordinating efforts on a global, multi-asset basis; shared responsibility for evaluating 3rd party ESG data and ratings vendors.
His specialties include: ESG (Founding member of WB Investment Management’s ESG Leadership team); investment and analysis; research capabilities, strategic direction and operational execution. He has his MBA from the Stern School of Business, New York University, and his BA in Economics and Certificate in Peace and Justice Studies from Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts. He is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.
Mike Harrington, LEED GA
Secretary
Director, Sustainability Engagement – The Tishman Environment And Design Center, The New School
Mike Harrington is responsible for supporting the work of the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School by liaising with offices and departments throughout the university and implementing projects that advance The New School’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. Before joining the TEDC team, He worked at Elevate Energy, organizing around creating equity in the energy efficiency market and has helped manage an organic food bank garden for people with compromised immune systems. He also served on the associate board of the Green City Market, Chicago’s largest farmer’s market. He obtained his Master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School and has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in Psychology, with a specialization in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Mike is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at The New School, researching the intersections of urban design, planning, and environmental justice. He is a long-term supporter of Delta Institute, having served as one of the founding members and co-chairs of the Delta Emerging Leaders and BOOST program.
If you or someone you know might be interested in making a difference by joining Delta’s Board of Directors, please consider emailing us for more information. Or if you know of an emerging professional who would be interested in joining the Delta Emerging Leaders Associate Board, you can click here to learn more.