Shawn Lesser, President
Shawn Lesser founder and president of Sustainable World Capital, he has long standing relationships with Sustainability Portfolio Managers throughout the World. Shawn has over 15 years of experience in national and international institutional equity sales. His previous affiliations include co- head of international institutional equity at Morgan Keegan in Atlanta GA and Managing Director at NBA Deutsche Bank in Atlanta. Shawn is conversational in both German and Spanish. As a frequent speaker, Shawn showcases his knowledge of renewable energy investing subjects. In addition, he participates with a variety of renewable energy, sustainable technology and advocacy groups including the Sustainable Investment Forum. He also serves on the Board of Team Type 1 Charity.
Michael Whelchel, Co-Founder
Michael Whelchel is co-founder of Sustainable World Capital's Private Equity Fund Division. He has played key roles in the formation of two private equity firms both focused on middle market companies. He has sixteen years experience financing, acquiring, selling, growing, and operating small and middle market companies. His experience has included start-ups and later-stage companies in a range of industries. He is also Managing Director of Watershed
Capital. He received his BA summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Michael is a board member of SJF Advisory Services, the Green Chamber of the South and CreateHere and is a member off the Social Venture Network, Investors Circle, Net Impact, and US Green Building Council.
Debra Goundrey, Director
Debra is a Director at Sustainable World Capital's Private Equity Fund Division and brings a wealth of experience in the global financial services sector and a focus on opportunities in cross border investment, private equity, wealth management, sustainability, strategy, marketing and distribution. Based in New York, Debra has specialized in capital introductions between asset managers and investors in North American and Australia/Asia. Prior to joining SWC, Debra was Invest Australia’s Investment Director, Financial Services based in the Australian Consulate-General, New York. She also worked at Rio Tinto where she managed the Future Fund, focused on delivering Rio’s CSR imperatives. Debra has an MBA from Melbourne Business School (University of Melbourne) and a Bachelor of English: Business Communications and Bachelor of Arts degrees. She has won several Australian awards in journalism and holds NASD Series 7 and 63 licenses in the US. She is also a special advisor to CJC Global Advisors an advisory firm in sustainable investments.
Carmen Scholz, Scientific Advisor
Dr. Carmen Scholz is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Scholz is also a member of the Boston Retinal Implant Project. She is the North American Associate Editor of Polymer International and she is on the Associate Editorial Board of the Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers. She is an Executive Officer of the Bio/Environmental Polymer Society. Dr. Scholz is a consultant for the Biodegradable Products Institute. She co-edited three books within the ACS book series on the subject of renewable resources and degradable polymers.
Dr. Carmen Scholz received a Diploma (MS degree) in polymer chemistry and a doctorate (Ph.D. degree) in chemistry from the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany. Dr. Scholz has 20 years of research experience in the fields of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers. Prior to accepting a her current position, Dr. Scholz worked at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Lowell and at the International Center for Biomaterials Science at Tokyo Science University. Dr. Scholz conducts active research in the fields of poly(amino acids) and poly(hydroxyalkanoates).
*Dr Carmen Scholtz acts as a consultant to SWC on scientific aspects. She does not hold any securities license.
