DAWN EDWARDS
Dawn connects the dots and puts the pieces together. She is a capital markets, strategy and networking expert. She brings her strong institutional relationships formed through 25 years of work at global capital markets firms and non-profit organizations to her founding role leading global business development, corporate engagement and marketing strategy to Pomegranate Consulting. She began her career trading securities in emerging markets at Lazard Freres. This experience laid a firm bedrock for understanding and seeing trends and issues that affect the success and integration of markets into broader global trends. In 2006, Dawn co-founded and ran AltruShare Securities, the first institutional brokerage firm specializing in community investment and the only nonprofit owned brokerage firm in the country. AltruShare, strategically based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, combined comprehensive and competitive institutional brokerage services, a unique research product and an experienced management and trading staff. AltruShare’s profits supported the AltruShare Opportunity Funds benefiting locally based community programs addressing youth development, education and economic opportunity. Previously, Dawn managed institutional investor and issuer relationships as Senior Managing Director of Institutional Markets at Mission Markets, an impact investing capital markets firm based in New York City. Dawn’s network sits at the intersection of finance, technology, compliance and execution and is positioned and ready to engage major asset owners to consider projects from the start up level to the development of funds that aggregate assets, diversify risk and create inclusive wealth building opportunities for communities across finance, health, education, agricommerce, housing and energy. Dawn continues her passion for community service by serving on the board of the National Disability Institute, a leading advocacy group for disability policy in the United States.
AARON MARTIN
Aaron is a sustainability and policy expert. He has been involved in impact investing for a decade and has a deep understanding of the infrastructure needed for entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses, having worked with hundreds of sustainable enterprises preparing them to raise capital. Additionally, Aaron has worked in global business operations for large corporate companies and clients in the energy, environmental and capital markets sectors. Prior to launching Pomegranate Consulting, Aaron worked at Mission Markets as Managing Director of Operations and Platform Development, where he implemented and managed internal operations and systems and led platform development for Mission Markets’ impact offering and community technology platform. Aaron also headed client services, business development and marketing for private impact companies raising capital via the Mission Markets platform. An avid environmentalist, Aaron directed Mission Markets Earth, an online Environmental Credits marketing platform and co-authored the chapter, "The Role of Electronic Marketplaces in Scaling Environmental Markets," in Josh Donlan's book, “Proactive Strategies for Protecting Species." Aaron holds a BS in Environmental Geosciences from the University of Notre Dame and an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and The Earth Institute. He brings his technical, financial and policy expertise and deep commitment to environmental and social justice to sustainable projects.