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Liesel Pritzker Simmons bio

Liesel Pritzker
Simmons

Co-Founder & Principal

Liesel Pritzker Simmons is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, where she oversees, as an investment strategist, a portfolio focused on holdings that generate competitive financial returns and address social and environmental challenges. The portfolio spans asset classes, from traditional equities and direct investments to philanthropic programs.

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Ian Simmons Bio

Ian
Simmons

Co-Founder & Principal

Ian Simmons is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, where he oversees a portfolio focused on investments that generate competitive financial returns and address social and environmental challenges.

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Kelly Escobedo Bio

Kelly
Escobedo

Managing Director

Kelly Escobedo is Managing Director at Blue Haven Initiative, where she is responsible for overseeing the deployment of capital across the family office’s asset classes, from traditional equities and direct investments to real assets, such as real estate.

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Dave Horwich

Dave
Horwich

Managing Director

Dave Horwich is Managing Director of Blue Haven Civics. He has deep experience in issue advocacy, political engagement, and building issues-based social impact movements.

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Jonathan Kirschner

Jonathan
Kirschner

Managing Director

Jonathan Kirschner is the managing director for Blue Haven Initiative’s direct investments.

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Kayuri Bhimani
Kayuri
Bhimani
Senior Associate

Kayuri helps lead diligence on investment opportunities for Blue Haven Ventures in addition to providing operational support to the mission-driven companies within its direct investment portfolio

Lauren Farello
Lauren
Farello
Director of Operations

Lauren manages special projects for Blue Haven’s portfolios and builds partnerships within and beyond the organization. She supports the Managing Director of Operations.

Megan McCarthy
Megan
McCarthy
Director of Partnerships

Megan sources and strengthens relationships with Blue Haven’s peers and partners across the family office. She helps develop and articulate its investment strategy, provides family office and portfolio operations support, and optimizes relationships with investment partners and industry associations.

Sanzida Mohsin Bio
Sanzida
Mohsin
Project Coordinator

Sanzida supports the Blue Haven Civics team on project development, management, and execution, focusing on advancing tax reform advocacy, civic engagement, and public policy initiatives.

Nick Panagiotou Bio
Nick
Panagiotou
Executive Assistant/HR Manager

Nick provides administrative and executive support to Liesel Pritzker Simmons, including scheduling, travel arrangements and event coordination. He also works on the Operations team, managing HR systems, employee benefits and culture-building events.

Simon Thompson
Simon
Thompson
Associate Director of Civics

Simon works on Blue Haven Civics projects aimed at strengthening democracy, driving positive policy change and creating a fairer economy. 

Daniel Wanjira
Daniel
Wanjira
Senior Associate

Daniel helps drive Blue Haven’s process for grantmaking and philanthropic investments, from pipeline-building to due diligence and portfolio management. He serves as a point of contact for business partners, grantees, consultants and co-funders and works on strategy development. 

Dereka Young Bio
Dereka
Young
Executive Assistant

Dereka, an experienced executive assistant and strategic project manager, provides organizational and administrative support to Ian Simmons and is a member of the Blue Haven Civics team.

Our Advisors

Blue Haven’s impact investing journey began with an equity portfolio assembled and managed by traditional investment advisors. Transitioning to a portfolio aligned with the values and family-legacy prerogatives of Blue Haven’s founders without sacrificing financial returns required extensive input from best-in-class advisors steeped in innovative approaches to investing. Today, Blue Haven’s dedicated in-house team and its advisors work on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities that create positive change and deliver financial returns.

Michael Barry Bio
Michael Barry
Senior Advisor

Michael joined Georgetown University as Chief Investment Officer in June 2011 and oversees the university’s investment portfolios, including its endowment and retirement plan. In addition, Michael coordinates the university’s Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility.

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Renée Beaumont
Renée Beaumont
Senior Advisor

Ms. Renée Beaumont is a former Partner at Generation Investment Management, a firm that focuses on sustainable capitalism. Prior to joining Generation in 2015, Ms. Beaumont served as Managing Director and Global Head of Business Development at Providence Equity Partners LLC where she oversaw all business development, marketing and investor relations activities globally across its private equity and credit platforms.

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Chris Jurgens
Chris Jurgens
Senior Advisor

As a Director for Omidyar Network’s Reimagining Capitalism team, Chris leads the firm’s strategy and portfolio of work focused on how corporations and capital markets can contribute to a more inclusive capitalism.

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Paul Tregidgo
Paul Tregidgo
Senior Advisor

Paul Tregidgo is former Vice Chairman - Debt CapitalMarkets of Credit Suisse based in New York. He obtained his law degree from Downing College Cambridge. He currently serves on the Board of ACCION International, the Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Inclusion and the Council of Global Advisors, Yale School of Management.

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Investing for impact

Blue Haven Co-Founders Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons and their team invest with high standards and expectations across asset classes.

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