The core team of Criterion Ventures is responsible for moving forward projects, and engaging the breadth of our network, its creative resources and reach.

Note: Like most professionals, we have several ways to tell our story. If you are looking for a formal or more specific bio on any of us, just ask.

• Holds a political science degree at Wesleyan University.
• Taught high school at James Madison High School in Brooklyn, NY from 1989-1997. She went to understand how power works in a large system and stayed for eight years because of the kids and their daily triumphs.
• Designed and managed million dollar federally funded programs for the school and the district in both educational technology and English as a Second Language.
• Played leadership roles in the United Federation of Teachers, working closely with union President Sandra Feldman on retention strategies for new teachers.
• Completed her Ph.D. in American History from New York University, in 2001. Her dissertation examined prison reform in the 1830's and how individuals and organizations claim expertise to shape public institutions.
• Worked for Growth Design, a national consulting firm that did fundraising and strategic planning for large nonprofit systems. Her first client, in 1997, was the United Methodist Church General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, a client she worked with for a decade as strategic counsel.
• Founded Criterion in 2002 and evolved the firm from a general contracting consulting firm that did a range strategic work with nonprofits to a firm that invests time and talent in a few focused social ventures.
• Founded in 2006, with Tim Freundlich and Kevin Jones, Good Capital, an asset management firm seeking to move capital to good.
• Lives with her husband and daughter in a Connecticut apple orchard, and can be found in the fall pressing cider and boiling apple syrup.
• Chairs the local Historical Society board and, with her husband, is actively involved in restoring a 19th century jail.

• Holds a degree in Mathematics from Calvin College, Grand Rapids Michigan.
• Began her career at the Congressional Budget Office of the US Congress providing analytical support (programming mainframe computers!) for policy debates from welfare reform to education, housing to healthcare. This provided "political science 101" and sharpened a commitment for being involved with organizations that actually were making a difference (not to say anything negative about Congress…).
• Used this policy foundation to enhance and lobby for funding for programs at Focus HOPE, a Detroit education and community development non-profit.
• Received an MBA from The University of Michigan, and was at the founding meeting of Students for Responsible Business (now Net Impact).
• Fell in love with organizational change - and spent four years at CSC Index, leading consulting teams delivering strategic marketing, process and organizational planning counsel to Fortune 500 companies.
• Left to join the start up team of iBasis, now a $1B internet telecommunications firm. As Vice President of Business Development, she forged early relationships with Cisco, HP and other technology leaders.
• Co-founded WORK IN PROGRESS, a social enterprise enabling under privileged youth to develop the social networking skills required for finding internships and developing careers.
• Serves as Member of the Board of Trustees for Calvin College, as mentor for Women Unlimited, and on various committees at Trinity Church, Copley Square.
• Lives with her husband and adorable two year old son in Somerville, MA.
  

• James Macon is a Venture Director at Criterion Ventures where he leads Healthcare_Uncovered, Structure Lab and various client consulting projects. 
• Formerly as Executive Vice President at e2e Materials, a cleantech start-up, he was responsible for corporate financing initiatives, strategic planning and client acquisition.  He was an Advisory Board Member for e2e Materials’ subsidiary Comet Action Sports, a skateboard manufacturing B-Corporation. 
• Prior to e2e Materials, James was a student at the 2-year MBA program at The S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University where he focused on venture creation and financing and lead the venture capital fund BR Ventures.  As an alumnus dedicated to venture creation and development, James was recognized as a Jonas Weil Entrepreneur Fellow.  In 2007 he was a Summer Associate with CEI Community Ventures where he focused on new financing rounds for portfolio companies and the creation of a new fund targeting underserved regions in New England. 
• Before pursuing his MBA, James spent five years at eSecLending, a global financial technology start-up where he focused on global client acquisition and corporate strategy with particular emphasis on the sale of the business. 
• Prior to eSecLending, James was Founder and Managing Director of AIDC Imports, a wine importing and distribution venture based in Williston, VT with clients in South Africa, Argentina, Italy, France and Russia. 
• He began his career leading a high net worth client relations team at Eaton Vance Management, an award-winning Boston-based mutual fund manager. 
• James earned a BA from Hamilton College with additional study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. 
• James lives in beautiful Shelburne, Vermont with his wife and two children.  James enjoys international travel, fly fishing, community farming, making music and spending time with his family.

• Elizabeth served as the director of conservation for Chicago Wilderness, which is a consortium of more than 200 non-profits, for-profits, and governmental agencies working together to conserve biodiversity. In this role, she managed daily operations, guided diverse projects, led an overall strategic planning process, and generally “herded cats”.
• In a previous position with Chicago Wilderness, she worked with a team to design a process to assess the status of, the threats to, and the conservation goals for the species and natural communities of the greater Chicago region. The two plus year process resulted in a recovery plan for biodiversity.
• Earning a BS from Yale University and a MS from the University of Maryland, Elizabeth spent the first part of her academic career focusing on ecology and conservation biology. For her PhD which she received from the University of Michigan, she focused on collaboration, organizational behavior, and how to actually implement the conservation principles she had studied previously.
• In her first “real” job, Elizabeth helped to coordinate IUCN’s Species Survival Commission, a global network of 6,000 volunteer professionals.
• Outside of work, Elizabeth is a passionate sailor. In addition to sailing varsity in college, Elizabeth has competed in national level events in Vanguard 15s and Lightnings, as well as the world championships in Lightnings.
• Elizabeth lives in Westport, CT with her two adorable daughters.
  

• Holds an Economics degree from Dartmouth College
• Earned an MBA from Columbia University with a concentration on Finance and Marketing
• Began his twenty-year management consulting career in the Strategic Consulting practice at Price Waterhouse in Boston
• Assisted a range of global and national clients in multiple countries on issues of strategy, organizational development and sustainable performance improvement.
• Achieved leadership roles in management consulting, serving as a Vice President in A.T. Kearney and a Partner at Bain & Company, both in New York.  Was a core member of both firm’s Financial Services practices, working across the wide range of financial services markets and players.
• Maintains a personal interest in how financial services products and services can be better designed and better utilized to meet the needs of underserved communities.
• Over his consulting career, worked with several mission-driven organizations including business start-ups, new incubation ventures, mutual financial services entities, a private-public advocacy group, and a leading metropolitan school district.
• Began working with Criterion Ventures in 2009 focusing on market formation and development strategies.
• Avid marathoner who has completed multiple races across the United States and internationally over the last several years.
• Lives with his wife and two mischievous children in New Rochelle, New York.

• Started her professional career in New York print and online media, including SmartMoney and The Wall Street Journal, holding a diverse set of editorial and project management roles.
• Transitioned into the nonprofit space using skills from business journalism to work in small business development and financial literacy in low-income communities in Brooklyn.
• Traveled extensively in Latin America and South Asia, while also working with NGOs specializing in fair-trade, income generation, education, fund-raising and other fields.
• Among the projects designed and launched during this time were a housing assistance program at CAMBA, project evaluation program for grantmaker Compartamos Colombia, fair-trade websites for Fairtrasa and guide training/tour of a 16th century urban village in New Delhi for the Hope Project.
• Integrated and enhanced her field experiences with a master’s degree in nonprofit management from The New School, while developing further expertise of international development and social enterprise.
• After a global childhood, fully appreciates the diversity and energy of New York City while balancing it with more meditative practices.