Institute at Brown for Environment and Society

IBES Welcomes Mark Tracy as Professor of the Practice in Sustainable Finance and Investing

Tracy, a Brown alumnus, will expand and strengthen sustainable finance programming across the University in this newly-created role.

A strategic addition 

Mark Tracy’s appointment at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society is a long time coming. 

When Kim Cobb, Lawrence and Barbara Margolis Director of IBES, began at Brown two years ago, she heard from a large number of students and alumni who hoped that IBES would expand its offerings in sustainable finance and investing. So it was no accident that a key objective in IBES’ 2023-2028 Strategic Plan aims to expand student training and professional development opportunities in sustainable finance and investing at Brown. 

IBES is already a hub of activity in this space, with two courses drawing students from across campus — ENVS 1545: “The Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing” (fall) and ENVS 1547: “Finance and the Environment” (spring) — and FSIcon, an annual student-run conference that draws attendees from the private, public, and NGO sectors. Brown also boasts an extensive network of alumni working in sustainable finance and investing who are keen to lend their support to the University’s efforts.

The first step towards realizing this goal was to hire a faculty member with the passion, expertise, and network to anchor the buildout of the new program. IBES partnered with the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship to hire Mark Tracy as Brown’s first faculty member in the area of sustainable finance and investing.

Meet Mark

mark tracy headshot squareAs Mark Tracy assumes his new role at IBES, he brings with him an impressive list of relevant work experiences: co-founder of nature-based startup Earthacre; entrepreneur in residence at SeaAhead; former CEO of Cloud Agronomics (now Perennial); and former vice president of Indigo Ag. In each of these positions, Tracy has developed financial tools and business models to address long-standing sustainability challenges. He has also worked closely with Brown students as a mentor and startup advisor in recent years, and already has a number of established relationships across campus.

“After a rigorous, nation-wide search, we have found our needle in the haystack in Mark, who checked every box on our wishlist,” remarked IBES Director Kim Cobb. “His demonstrated expertise and leadership will enrich the academic landscape at IBES and across Brown, as will his wide network of partners.”

Tracy will work closely with the IBES leadership team and the Nelson Center, as well as students and alumni in designing and implementing IBES’ program in Sustainable Investing and Finance. His primary responsibilities will be threefold:

  1. Bolstering existing coursework and adding new classes to IBES’ catalog;
  2. Collaborating with Brown’s Center for Career Exploration to expand internship offerings and professional development opportunities for students interested in sustainable finance and investing;
  3. Organizing impactful, large-scale events centered around sustainability and the economy, similar to IBES’ “Carbon Offsets” conference held in April 2024.

“ I look forward to educating the next generation of Brown leaders who will play key roles in driving solutions to scale. ”

Mark Tracy Professor of the Practice in Sustainable Finance and Investing

“I am honored to be joining a world-leading, cross-disciplinary team focused on climate, sustainability, and the environment,” Tracy said. “Only at Brown do you have leaders from environmental science, engineering, public health, public policy, entrepreneurship, finance and other disciplines collaborating on such an all-encompassing problem. I believe an understanding of finance is critical to ensuring an equitable future as we tackle climate change and other sustainability challenges, and I look forward to educating the next generation of Brown leaders who will play key roles in driving solutions to scale.”

Tracy assumed his role at IBES on July 1 and will begin teaching in fall 2024. He can be reached at mark_tracy1@brown.edu.