Board of Directors

Tara Stafford Ocansey, Executive Director
Tara joined CELF in January 2022 after a decade with the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where she facilitated teams across the globe to identify, advocate for, and implement strategic approaches for creating a more sustainable future through increased access to lifelong learning opportunities for all. Tara has led global education programs across the lifelong learning spectrum, collaborating with diverse stakeholders from government, non-profit, corporate, academic, and grassroots sectors.

Evan Matzen, President
Evan Matzen has nearly two decades of experience leading corporate social responsibility and sustainability programs throughout the world.  As Managing Director of Sustainable Finance at PNC, he worked internally and externally to support the transition to an inclusive, low-carbon economy.  Prior to this role he led the creation of retail and commercial financial products and services at BBVA that supported their €100 billion Climate Action and Inclusive Growth ambitions, and led the Corporate Citizenship division at BBVA USA.  Before entering banking he was a fellow with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, supporting transatlantic cooperation in corporate social responsibility, was Head of Sustainability at HD Supply, and Director of Energy Efficiency at Element Markets.

Maureen Brady Atinsky, Vice President
Founder and Former Director, Prodigy Recruiting, a legal search firm in NYC. Maureen is currently on the PA Board at The Hewitt School and is a sustaining member of The Junior League of the City of New York. Past positions include President and Board Member of the PS 6 PTA; Junior League Management Council and Board of Directors, Member of NY Foundling Public Relations Committee; Former Director of Recruiting- Hudson Highland Group and Trial Coordinator with Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom. Maureen resides in Manhattan with her husband and three daughters.

Bill Davis, Treasurer 
Founder and Managing Director, Stance Capital. Former: Co-Founder and Managing Director, Empirical Asset Management, Portfolio Manager on EAM Sustainable Equity; Founder and CEO of Ze-gen, CEO or founder of numerous companies including: Database Marketing Corporation, Holland Mark, and Cambridge Brand Analytics. Board Member, HoneyDrop Beverages and Mafic, S.A.. Founding Member, President’s Council of Ceres and Advisory Board Chair of Seven Hills Global Outreach. Mr. Davis has taught Environmental Entrepreneurship at Columbia University Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, and guest lectured at Harvard College, Harvard Business School, MIT, MIT/Sloan, and Boston University.

Cassandra E. Clark
Cassandra E Clark, managing director, is the Co-Head of the Northeast Investment team within J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Real Estate Americas (REA).  She joined the firm in 2002 and leads a team responsible for all equity and debt investments in the New York, Boston and Philadelphia metro areas. Past board positions include, Alpha Sigma Nu- The Jesuit Honor Society and Choices in Childbirth. Cassandra resides in Westchester with her husband and three daughters.

Joanne L. Howard
Senior vice president of sustainability and corporate communications for Crestwood Equity Partners LP prior to its acquisition from Energy Transfer in November 2023. Responsible for managing and advancing sustainability practices at Crestwood and integrating sustainability into strategic planning and operations, as well as managing current and future ESG risks and opportunities. Led the external reporting of Crestwood’s programs and performance, including the publication of Crestwood’s annual sustainability report. She was also accountable for the Company’s carbon management plan and delivering authentic emission reduction solutions. Finally, Joanne managed Crestwood’s community investment program ensuring investments achieve the greatest societal and business benefit. In addition to serving on the Board of the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation, she also currently serves on the Boards of the British American Foundation of Texas, the Awty International Alumni Association and is the Chair of the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy in Houston.

Alex T. Krueger
Chairman and a Managing Partner, First Reserve. His responsibilities include overall firm management as well as deal origination and sourcing, due diligence and structuring, financing and transaction execution, and ongoing portfolio management. Member of the Board of Overseers for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania; Advisory Board Member, BlackRock Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Funds; Advisory Board Member, Blue Bear Capital. Former: Energy Group of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

Daniel Metzger
Daniel Metzger is the Director of Advisory Services at AccountAbility, a global ESG / Sustainability Consulting & Standards firm. Prior to joining AccountAbility, Daniel held various sustainability-related roles in Energy and Real Estate. He worked with Tradition Energy, an energy brokerage firm, pricing power and natural gas contracts for industrial and commercial clients, served as Assistant Director of Facilities for LEED Gold-certified buildings in Manhattan, and supported JPMorgan Chase’s Global Real Estate Group in evaluating portfolio-wide energy efficiency retrofit opportunities. Joining the CELF Board brings Daniel full circle from the start of his career, which began with an internship at CELF.

Dean Slocum
Founder and President, Acorn International, LLC, a global social and environmental consultancy.  Former board member of ROCO, an Emmy-nominated chamber orchestra. Distinguished Lecturer for the Society of Petroleum Engineers and guest lecturer at University of Houston on vulnerable community engagement, human rights, and societal/non-technical risk.  Former Director at Arthur D Little in Houston, Texas and Cambridge, MA.

David Stubbs
David Stubbs is the Senior Investment Strategist at Blackstone. Based in the New York office, he is responsible for delivering insights on the global economy and thematic investing to Wealth Management clients. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN and other major market outlets. Prior to joining the finance industry, David worked at the United Nations Department for Economics and Social Affairs and UK’s Department for International Development on sustainable development issues.