Cathy Clark is a globally recognized pioneer, educator, and consultant with over 30 years of experience in impact investing and social entrepreneurship. As Faculty Director at the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, she founded the CASE i3 Initiative on Impact Investing.
Cathy has been instrumental in shaping the field of impact investing. She also played a key role in developing the standards for B Corporations, which have been adopted by over 150,000 companies worldwide. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including being named one of the top 20 women in philanthropy, social innovation, and civic engagement in the USA in 2014, and Social Innovation Thought Leader of the Year by the World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation in 2020.
Cathy’s academic career includes teaching at Duke University, University of North Carolina, and Columbia Business Schools. She created Columbia Business School’s first course in social entrepreneurship in 2001, has since taught over a thousand MBA students. Her co-authored book, The Impact Investor: Lessons in Leadership and Strategy for Collaborative Capitalism, reached #18 in finance textbooks on Amazon.
Cathy has also taught ESG (environmental, social and governance) Management and Gender Lens Investing courses in Duke’s Executive Education programs, as well as cohorts of asset managers and owners to optimize impact in partnership with Impact Frontiers. Cathy has written and produced two highly rated online learning series: CASE Smart Impact Capital helps entrepreneurs raise impact capital and IMMforSDGs.com helps corporates and investors align their ESG and impact practices with global standards. Her online courses have engaged over 50,000 learners globally.
Prior to her academic career, Cathy was an impact investor at Flatiron Partners, a grantmaker and PRI investor at the Markle Foundation, and a policy convener at the Aspen Institute. She has written or co-authored over 60 publications and is a dynamic, sought-after speaker. She is also an active board member, and has served on many boards or advisory boards, including: Agility Partners, Bain Double Impact Fund, B Lab Standards Advisory Council, Capria Ventures, Cerity Partners, G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investing, Grand Challenges Canada Expert Review Panel, Investors’ Circle, OECD Scientific Board for Social Economy and Innovation, Self-Help Ventures Fund, SJF Institute, and Upstart Co-Lab. Cathy holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from the University of Virginia. Follow her on LinkedIn.