Jennifer Coombs

Jennifer Coombs is not only a force of nature, but a huge proponent of it.

In 2018, she developed the chartered SRI counselor financial designation program at The College for Financial Planning in partnership with US SIF, which was the first financial designation program in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to sustainable investing.

“My family visited the New England coastline a lot when I was younger, and I originally wanted to become a marine biologist,” Coombs said. “And it was back then when I first became aware of serious problems that were affecting our oceans and waterways. So even though I eventually ended up going into finance, I still wanted to help solve those problems.”

She is now director of client success for Ethos ESG, which is part of ACA Global, helping to combat greenwashing in the financial services sector. Prior to joining ACA’s ESG data and analytics group, she worked as an associate professor at The College for Financial Planning and received the 2022 Faculty of the Year Award. In 2019, she was a finalist for the SRI Service Award – one of the highest honors in the sustainable investing industry.

“I feel like the financial services sector has been negatively viewed in recent years and promoting sustainable investing provides a way to put the industry in a better light,” said Coombs, who holds a Master of Science in finance and serves on the education committee of US SIF’s board.

Her two TED talks on sustainable investing are a cornerstone of her rapidly growing reputation as an ESG expert.

“You can do well by doing good,” Coombs said. “It’s not merely a saying on a bumper sticker.”

—Gregg Greenberg