|
|
|
| |

Offering preeminent research of corporate social and environmental performance, Calvert's in-house Social Research Department adds another dimension to our portfolio management expertise and includes specialists on the environment, labor, international human rights, community relations, and defense.
Research Methodology Calvert's social investment research analysts gather information from both government and non-government sources. Typically, Calvert's social research methodology falls under three broad areas:
-
Conducting an industry review: Placing a company's practice within an industry peer-group analysis. Occasionally, we create our own industry peer groups for analytical purposes.
-
Analyzing company-specific practices: Reviewing all social and environmental materials and networking with a vast array of organizations.
-
Reviewing country context: Reviewing the political, economic, and social environment of the countries in which a company is domiciled and has operations.
Calvert social research regularly seeks input from a variety of expert advisors to help inform our research process. For example, we convene symposia to address particular topics, such as sustainable electricity, biotechnology, high technology, and the World Bank.
In-House Expertise Calvert has one of the largest teams of social investment research analysts in the US. Each analyst specializes by social issue and by sector. Calvert's 14 analysts have a combined total of more than 100 years' experience in social issue analysis and advocacy. They have competence in 15 languages (English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Japanese, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Portuguese, Serbian, Croatian, and American Sign Language) and collectively hold 14 postgraduate degrees. In addition to evaluating companies for inclusion in the Calvert portfolios, the analysts are also active in encouraging companies to improve through our shareholder advocacy strategies.
Staff Biographies
|
Bennett Freeman, Senior Vice President for Social Research and Policy University of Oxford, MA in Modern History; University of California at Berkeley, AB in History. Mr. Freeman manages Calvert's Social Research Department and directs its research and advocacy work. From 2003 until early 2006, he led Burson-Marsteller's Global Corporate Responsibility practice advising multinationals on policy development, stakeholder engagement and communications strategies related to human rights, labor rights and sustainable development. During the Clinton Administration he served in three positions as a political appointee in the State Department, most recently as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor from 1999 to early 2001. In that capacity, he led the development of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, the first human rights standard forged by governments, companies and NGOs for the extractive sectors. Earlier in his career he was Manager-Corporate Affairs for General Electric and a presidential campaign aide to former Vice President Walter Mondale. Mr. Freeman currently serves on the Board of Directors of Oxfam America and the Steering Committee of Amnesty International USA's Business and Human Rights program.
|
|
Alya Z. Kayal, Esq., Manager of Social Research and Policy University of Minnesota Law School, JD; Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, BA, Sociology and International Communications. Ms. Kayal joined the Calvert Social Research Department in August 1994 as an International/Human Rights Analyst. Ms. Kayal manages a team of analysts on social research. She is responsible for analyzing the social, environmental, and corporate governance performance of potential investments. Ms. Kayal has focused specifically on human rights practices, labor and human rights impacts in the supply chain, and corporate impact on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Her primary industry focus is the retail industry, including apparel, footwear and toys. Ms. Kayal has previously worked at the US Department of Labor's International Labor Affairs Bureau; the US Information Agency; and the United Nations. She is a co-author of The Forty-Fourth Session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the Special Session of the Commission on Human Rights on the Situation in the Former Yugoslavia, 15 Human Rights Quarterly (1993). She is also the author of the Human Rights chapter of the Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Indicators.
|
|
Stu Dalheim, Manager, Advocacy and Policy Wesleyan University, BA Philosophy. Mr. Dalheim has been with the Calvert Social Research Department since August 2000. He specializes in the homebuilding, construction, and natural resource industries, and covers business practices for the department. He has eight years of experience in environmental advocacy and research. Mr. Dalheim previously worked for the environmental organizations Greenpeace and American Lands Alliance.
|
|
Amy Augustine, Senior Social Research Analyst University of Kansas, BA English. Ms. Augustine joined the Calvert Social Research Department in June 2002. As the Workplace Practices Analyst, she is responsible for analyzing corporate practices and their impacts in the areas of diversity, labor relations, worker safety, and international labor rights. Ms. Augustine's industry specializations include media and retail, and she continues to work on various Calvert initiatives, including efforts promoting board diversity and the global empowerment of women. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Social Investment Research Analyst Network. As Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women Campaign Coordinator for the state of Maryland and a member of the D.C. Women's Human Rights Action Team, Ms. Augustine extends her diversity and human rights expertise outside of Calvert.
|
|
Stephanie Cuttler, Senior Social Research Analyst University of Michigan, MBA and MS Environmental Policy; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BS, Environmental Science and Policy. Ms. Cuttler joined the Calvert Social Research Department in 2004 to research product safety, public health, consumer fraud, and other product-related issues. As the healthcare sector analyst, she has developed an expertise in healthcare related environmental, social, and governance issues and has also developed social investment guidelines for the sector. Ms. Cuttler has more than eight years experience in socially responsible investments and corporate sustainable development. She has worked in the sustainable development group at Dow Chemical Company and spent four years as an environmental analyst with the Investor Responsibility Research Center.
|
|
Lily Donge, Senior Social Research Analyst Yale School of Management, MBA; Yale Graduate School, MA, International Development Economics; Claremont McKenna College, BA Economics and International Relations. Ms. Donge came to Calvert from the World Resources Institute in 2001. She specializes in the energy sector, and covers environmental issues and Indigenous Peoples' rights. She has previous experience in investment services from Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette and equity research from WI Carr in Southeast Asia.
|
|
Julie Frieder, Social Research Analyst Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, MS/MPA Environmental Science and Policy; University of Rochester, BA Psychology. Ms. Frieder joined Calvert in April 2001 as an environment analyst. She has over a decade of experience working on environmental matters, including eight years with the US Environmental Protection Agency and assignments with the President's Council on Sustainable Development and the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment.
|
|
Ellen B. Kennedy, Social Research Analyst University of California at Berkeley, MA Latin American Studies (International Development); Haverford College - BA Philosophy. Ms. Kennedy joined Calvert in 2000 to research consumer safety, health and other product-related issues, as well as animal welfare and toxics. She focuses in particular on the food and agriculture industries. She has over 10 years of experience in environmental research and advocacy, and has also worked on international development, gender, and agricultural projects. Ms. Kennedy previously worked for Winrock International and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
|
|
Erica Lasdon, Social Research Analyst University of California at San Diego, BS, Biology, BA, History. Ms. Lasdon joined Calvert in 2005 to research food and consumer- product issues. She focuses on the biotechnology and financial services industries, and brings 10 years of research, analysis and advocacy experience on a wide variety of social issues. Ms. Lasdon previously served as Deputy Director of Research for People for the American Way Foundation.
|
|
Mike Lombardo, Social Research Analyst Fletcher School, Tufts University, MALD; Boston College, BA, Psychology. Mr. Lombardo joined Calvert in November 2005 as a Workplace analyst. He is responsible for analyzing corporate practices and trends in labor relations, workplace diversity, and worker health and safety. Mr. Lombardo's professional background in international development and policy - with a focus on governance and human rights - includes experiences at the World Bank, on Capitol Hill, and with several development organizations in South America.
|
|
Shirley Peoples, Senior Social Research Analyst Spring Hill College, BA, Education/History and Political Science. Ms. Peoples worked in the nonprofit sector prior to joining the Calvert Legal Department in 1990. In 1994, Ms. Peoples joined the Calvert Social Research Department. As the Community Relations Analyst, Ms. Peoples is responsible for analyzing the corporate citizenship of companies. In addition, she monitors the financial services industry with a focus on the US and international banking sector. She has successfully engaged several financial institutions in dialogues urging them to improve their community relations records. Ms. Peoples is also responsible for the development and implementation of Calvert's proxy voting guidelines. She is currently completing a Masters of Management program at the University of Phoenix.
|
|
Baljit Wadhwa, Social Research Analyst Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Microbial Biology from the University of Calgary; Masters of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, Canada. Ms. Wadhwa joined Calvert in 2005 to provide Indigenous Peoples' rights and human rights analysis to business practices. Ms. Wadhwa's company focus includes the extractive, insurance and aerospace industries. Ms. Wadhwa's professional experience includes sustainability consulting services such as stakeholder engagement workshops, traditional knowledge studies, applied environmental and social research, sustainability reporting and performance measurement for a range of clients including government departments, international development agencies, civil society organizations and clients in the extractive industry. In addition to her time in the United States and Canada, Ms. Wadhwa has lived and worked in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia. Her current professional interests include green buildings and social enterprises.
|
|
Devin Zeller, Social Research Analyst The George Washington University, MBA, Environmental Management and Policy; The University of Vermont, BA Economics. Mr. Zeller joined the Calvert Social Research Department in July 2005. He covers environmental issues as well as the Automotive, Oil and Gas Services, and Beverages industries. Before completing an MBA, he worked in small-business development in Guatemala, Central America and has further experience in housing finance and portfolio management.
|
|
Donna C. Gomez, Database Analyst Bowie State University, BS, Computer Science. Ms. Gomez is responsible for entering and maintaining all company information in the Social Research database and Extranet, as well as monitoring that all portfolio holdings are in compliance with Social Research decisions. Ms. Gomez previously held positions as Fixed Income Trading Assistant and Portfolio Systems Analyst for Calvert Asset Management Company. |
|
|