What's Happening

By Dee Ann Joyner, Associate
Director of Portfolio Advisory Board

The Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) held its spring meeting March 23-24, 2023, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center. The first day was devoted to business items, shareholder advocacy, and community impact investing. The second day focused on strategic planning. PAB member Joe Barker opened the meeting each day with a beautiful reflection and prayer.

The following are highlights from the meeting.

Community Investing

Following a presentation on community investing trends by Charlene Van Dijk, Senior Advisor for Community and Economic Development for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Sister Marilín Llanes, OP, Portfolio Manager, presented an update on the PAB community impact loan portfolio. She then presented five loans for renewal and two new loans for approval.  

The PAB approved the following loans for renewal:

• The Religious Communities Impact Fund, a collaboration of communities of religious Sisters that the Adrian Dominican Sisters joined in 2017 and was founded by Corinne Florek, OP, almost 15 years ago.
• Global Partnerships: A borrowing partner with the Adrian Dominican Sisters since 2008, this community development financial institution (CDFI) invests in sustainable solutions that help people living in poverty increase their incomes and improve their lives. It invests in social businesses that bring essential goods and services to marginalized populations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Ecumenical Church Loan Fund (ECLOF): The PAB has been in partnership with ECLOF since 2018. It provides financial and non-financial services to micro entrepreneurs and small-holder farmers in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, including the Dominican Republic and the Philippines.
• IFF: Since 1988, this CDFI has provided support to strengthen not-for-profits and the communities it serves by offering leadership, capital, and real estate solutions. It operates in 10 Midwestern states, including Michigan, and has been a borrowing partner with the Adrian Dominican Sisters since 2014. Until its expansion, it was known as the Illinois Finance Fund.
• Latino Community Credit Union: The board approved renewal of a Certificate of Deposit with this bilingual, federally insured credit union and CDFI, which was founded in 2000 to serve impoverished communities in North Carolina. PAB has invested in this mission-driven partner since 2006.

New loans were approved for the following borrowing partners:

• Capital Good Fund: This CDFI was founded in 2009 with a mission to create pathways out of poverty and advance a green economy through inclusive financial services. It grants loans nationally and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. The PAB is especially pleased to partner with Capital Good because it specializes in smaller loans at affordable rates that help clients build credit scores. It offers car loans; immigration loans to cover costs like green card acquisition and citizenship; emergency loans for unexpected expenses; and consumer loans and weatherization loans to make homes more energy efficient. Loans are offered through a financial technology (fintech) platform.
• Redbud Financial Alternatives Fund: This CDFI focuses on fostering community strength and individual financial stability through providing equitable financial products and services to impoverished counties in Appalachian Kentucky. It fills the gap created by banks and exploited by high interest rate payday lenders and check cashing agencies. It offers one-on-one personalized services, paired with financial counseling.

Shareholder Advocacy

Pat Zerega, PAB consultant with Mercy Investment Services, and Judy Byron, OP, PAB consultant with the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investing, presented a report on their activities for the 2023 proxy year. They have engaged with 34 companies on 66 topics in three major areas of focus: protection of human rights, healthy persons and communities, and environmental sustainability. 

In addition, they filed 17 shareholder resolutions, 13 of which were accompanied by some form of dialogue with the companies. One of the resolutions (with Johnson & Johnson) was withdrawn when the company agreed to support the shareholder request for a third-party audit of the racial impact of its policies, practices, and products. The Adrian Dominican Sisters supported signing on to 24 letters, joining other faith-based investors in expressing viewpoints on actions of various companies at odds with our social impact criteria.

Following the mid-year report, Pat and Sister Judy were joined by Mary Minnette of Mercy Investment Services and shared their observations on trends in shareholder advocacy to inform further discussion by the PAB as part of its strategic planning process.

Celebrating Corinne Florek, OP, and Judy Byron, OP

Cynthia Crim, center, Chair of the Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB), stands with Corinne Florek, OP, left, and Judy Byron, OP, as the PAB thanks them for their service.
 

The PAB and members of the General Council expressed gratitude to Sister Corinne and Sister Judy upon their retirements for their many contributions to PAB. Sister Corinne retired effective June 30, 2022, as portfolio manager, and Sister Judy will retire as shareholder advocacy consultant on June 30, 2023. Contributions were made to the Opportunity Resource Fund and to the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Council respectively in honor of Sisters Corinne and Judy. 

Cynthia Crim, PAB Chair, thanked the retirees on behalf of the PAB and Corinne Sanders, OP, General Council Liaison and voting member of PAB, led a toast before members of PAB shared stories and appreciation.

Strategic Planning

Day two of the PAB meeting was devoted to engaging the board in a discussion of a proposed strategic planning process recommended by its Strategic Planning Committee. Cynthia and Sister Marilín began the day by leading a discussion of the book The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. Members of the board had been asked to read the first three chapters of the book, which introduces the premise that racist policies impact everyone, not just those persons they are designed to hurt.  

Following a discussion of how this impacts the work of PAB, the board spent the rest of the day discussing a logic model, the Theory of Change, as a framework for strategic planning. The discussion was led by PAB member Carla Mannings and Sister Marilín.

After an explanation of the Theory of Change Model, Carla and Marilín presented proposed vision and mission statements recommended by the Strategic Planning Committee. The board adopted the following to guide its work:

PAB Vision: Rooted in the vision, mission, and enactments of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, the Portfolio Advisory Board envisions a beloved community without poverty, hunger, homelessness, and ecological degradation. The beloved community is shaped by its collective voices and is committed to promoting racial and gender equity and systemic changes to policies and practices of institutions inhibiting its realization. Building on its collaborative strength, the beloved community is an active, healthy, and thriving space where all are welcome and have a voice.

PAB Mission: The mission of PAB is to use the assets of the Adrian Dominican Sisters to build the beloved community. We invest in community organizations that create opportunities for those who are marginalized and that embody values of collaboration, inclusiveness, right relationship with Earth, and racial and gender equity. We use our voice as shareholders in corporations to promote policies and practices that build the beloved community.  

The board then reviewed the outputs from the PAB September meeting discussion of the Enactments and agreed upon four overarching themes for the strategic plan: 

 • Shareholder Advocacy
 • Community Impact Investing
 • Alignment of the Work of PAB for Greater Impact
 • Collaboration with Internal and External Partners

A fifth area, Sustainability, will be integrated with the Shareholder Advocacy and Community Impact Investing themes.  

The board began work on developing impact statements for the four themes and affirmed continuing to use the Theory of Change framework for its planning process. The Strategic Planning Committee will take the work of the board back to further develop each theme and return with recommendations for the board to consider in September.

The meeting ended with honorable closure. Please see the PAB website for monthly articles on our borrowing partners and shareholder advocacy activities.
 

Feature Photo at top: Attending the Portfolio Advisory Board Spring 2023 meeting are: standing, from left, Joseph Barker II; Associate Dee Ann Joyner, Director; Bibiana “Bless” Colasito, OP, General Council Co-Liaison; Marilín Llanes, OP, Portfolio Manager; Kristine Cooper, Office Manager; Cynthia Crim, Chair; Pat Zerega, Consultant; Carmen Mora, Vice Chair; Mary Minnette, Consultant; Carla Mannings; Corinne Sanders, OP, General Council Co-Liaison; and Janice Brown, OP, General Councilor and former Board member. Seated or kneeling, from left, are Corinne Florek, OP, retired Consultant; Judy Byron, OP, Consultant; and Mary Priniski, OP.