Meet the Team

Founders and Board

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    Mike Gatchell, Co-Founder

    BOARD CHAIR

    Mike leads overall operations, philanthropist engagement, and strategic partnertship development. His professional background includes a blend of business, higher education, non-profit, and community development. He has also served on numerous boards of social enterprises and community development organizations. Mike has extensive experience in executive fundraising leadership and relationship management.  He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Furman University and a M.B.A from Clemson University.

    LinkedIn

  • Headshot of a smiling woman with blonde, wavy hair, wearing a black blazer and white shirt, against a gray background.

    Margaret Gifford, Co-Founder

    BOARD SECRETARY

    Margaret leads impact investing portfolio management and manages all investment-related relationships, including overseeing legal compliance. Her extensive corporate background includes investor relations, and marketing for Global Fortune 500 companies. Her award-winning work has included consulting nationally on activating capital to drive social and environmental impact. She holds a B.A in Political Science from Furman University, a M.A. in International Political Economy from UNC Chapel Hill and Executive Certification in Marketing from Columbia Business School.

    LinkedIn

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    Francie Heller

    DIRECTOR

    Francie is the founder and managing director of Heller Advisory, and also serves as a specilaist for Investment Office Resources (IOR). She previously served as a director at Arabesque Asset Management USA, a firm that combines ESG big data with quantitative strategies. Francie has over 35 years of financial experience in both the public and private sector. Francie has managed billions of dollars in client assets, holds her FINRA series 7 and 65 licenses, and serves on numerous board leadership positions in areas that include health, community development, culture and human rights, and higher education.

    LinkedIn

  • Headshot of a man with brown hair, blue eyes, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and red patterned tie, against a blurred gray background.

    Craig Lundgren

    DIRECTOR

    Craig is the director of business development for OnPoint, a firm that provides fractional CFO and Controller solutions to clients. He is also the director of business development for Next Meridian, a corporate advisory and investment banking firm. As a highly experienced corporate finance and accounting executive, Craig brings together teams of advisors with extensive experience in finance, accounting, operations, and sales to help his clients across multiple industries achieve their goals. Dedicated to building community, Craig also serves on the board of the Japan – American Association of South Carolina.

    LinkedIn

  • A woman with short blonde hair wearing a blue blazer, white scarf, and pearl earrings, posing against a black background.

    Erin Ouzts

    DIRECTOR

    Erin spent her career educating and supporting early stage and growing ventures. Most recently, she served as the Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem Director for Ten at the Top where she launched multiple programs to connect ecosystem partners for the benefit of local founders.  Erin wrote a playbook on trust building in ecosystems with a fellow ecosystem builder from Uganda.  And, she has spoken nationally and internationally on this topic. While with Ten at the Top, Erin received the Partner of Distinction Award from the SC SBDC and the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration from Ten at the Top.  Prior to Ten at the Top, Erin served as director of the Spartanburg chapter of VentureSouth. She has also received the Stacey McBride Community Leadership Award from the Spartanburg Area YMCA, the President’s Award and School Age Champion Award for her turnaround work with the Junior League of Atlanta and Georgia School Age Care Association. In 2002, she received the Visionary Award from the Georgia Microenterprise Network as a founder of the organization in 1997.

    LinkedIn

  • An older man with white hair wearing a light blue shirt standing outdoors in front of green foliage.

    Carlton Owen

    DIRECTOR

    Carlton has spent 45 years aiding the environment as a founding President & CEO of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. During his time at the Endowment’s helm, the organization raised $100 million from partners, invested $100 million of its own funds in projects that resulted in nearly $1 billion in programmatic impact, and grew its corpus to more than $230 million. He was the first Executive Director and one of the creators of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, North America’s largest forest certification program. He has earned many awards for his environmental work, including the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest honor, and was appointed by two Presidential Administrations to the Board of the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.

    LinkedIn

  • Portrait of an older man with short gray hair, wearing a dark blue suit jacket and a white shirt, smiling against a white background.

    John Simpkins

    DIRECTOR

    John is the president and CEO of MDC, an organization that equips leaders, institutions, and communities across the South with the necessary tools and strategies to advance equity and economic mobility. Before MDC, John held various leadership roles at the state, national, and international level. Most recently he was Vice President of the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute. A constitutional scholar and practicing attorney, John served in the Obama Administration as deputy general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget and general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development. John is a native of Lexington, SC and received his AB in government from Harvard College and a JD and LLM in international and comparative law from Duke University School of Law. He is a Senior Lecturer at Duke Law School and is a member of the Liberty Fellowship, an Aspen Global Leadership Network program.

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Staff

  • A professional man in a blue checked blazer, light blue dress shirt, and glasses, smiling against a gray background.

    Mike Gatchell

    Chief Executive Officer

    LinkedIn

  • A professional woman with blonde, shoulder-length hair, smiling, wearing a black blazer and white shirt against a gray background.

    Margaret Gifford

    Chief Investment Officer

    LinkedIn

  • Kate Dabbs, Chief Community Officer

    Kate Dabbs

    Chief Community Officer

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  • A woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair, wearing hoop earrings and a white collared shirt, smiling against a light gray background.

    Emily Murphy

    Finance & Operations Manager

    LinkedIn

  • A woman with light brown hair and a bright smile, standing outdoors with a brick wall and green trees in the background, wearing a black blazer and white top.

    Amy Jacobs

    Market Manager, Charlotte

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Advisors

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    Brittany Arsiniega

    JD/PhD, Attorney, Wyche Law Firm; owner and operator, Rambling Rosa Farm

    LinkedIn

  • A woman with short curly black hair smiling, wearing a black jacket and colorful earrings, standing against a neutral background.

    Jeanette Brewster

    Facilitation & Training Manager; Co.Starters by Finsync

    LinkedIn

  • Portrait of a smiling older man in a suit with a white shirt and patterned tie, standing indoors near a window.

    Bill Bridges

    Retired, Executive Director, Graham Foundation; Executive, Bank of America / U.S. Trust

    LinkedIn

  • A man in a blue suit wearing a patterned tie, standing against a textured blue background.

    Jevertus Burnett

    Founder, Pathfinder Wealth Group and The Black Wealth Summit; Market Manager, Abundance Capital

    LinkedIn

  • A man with a shaved head wearing a dark blazer and white shirt, smiling against a black background.

    Adrick Ceasar

    Co-Founder and Dir of Clinical Operations, Klesis Health: Founder, The Good Shepherd’s House LLC

    LinkedIn

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    Neil Grayson

    Partner, Head of FinCorpReg Practice, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough

    LinkedIn

  • A person with long red hair smiling, wearing a dark top, against a light background.

    Rebecca Hart

    Owner, Hart & Partners Public Relations; Impact Investor and Venture Philanthropist

    LinkedIn

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    Jeffrey Kaplan

    Executive Diector, Venture Asheville, TEDx Speaker

    LinkedIn

  • A smiling woman in a dark blue blouse standing in a modern office with large windows and city buildings in the background.

    Libba King

    Vice President Real Estate and Capital Markets, Greenville Housing Fund

    LinkedIn

  • Headshot of a man with gray hair and beard, wearing a suit and striped tie, smiling against a cloudy background.

    Tim Lincolnhol

    Senior Commercial Lender, Dogwood State Bank

    LinkedIn

  • A woman with short, styled dreadlocks and a bright smile, wearing a black shirt outdoors with a blurred background.

    Prenita Mack

    Business Development Coordinator, Charleston Regional Development Alliance

    LinkedIn

  • A man with glasses smiling, wearing a black shirt, outdoors with blurred lights in the background.

    Gustavo Nieves

    CEO, Loma Capital; Managing Dir & CEO, Echo Base Expeditions.

    LinkedIn

  • A woman with short, dark hair smiling outdoors against a stone wall, wearing a black top and a pearl necklace.

    Tamie Zrecny

    Sr. Director Global Executive Engagement & Customer Porgams, UiPath

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Partners