Our Board

Sr. Sue Ernster President, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

Sister Sue Ernster ministered as the congregation’s vice president from 2018 to 2022 and treasurer from 2013 to 2022. She holds a BA in Accounting, an MA in pastoral ministry and has served in campus ministry, parish administration and faith formation. Sister Sue represents FSPA as a board member of various local, national and international organizations including the Economy of Francesco, a global movement inspired by St. Francis and convened by Pope Francis that calls us to engage in an economy rooted in justice, stewardship and inclusivity.

She is also committed to FSPA engagement in impact investing, putting investor support to work with responsibility for all of creation.

Nicholas Banovetz Executive Director, Better Way Foundation

Nicholas is Executive Director of the Better Way Foundation, a national private Catholic family foundation, and brings over 20 years of experience across business, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. He began his career in investor relations and has since focused on leading complex strategies and building strong relationships to advance mission-driven work.

At Better Way Foundation, Nicholas is leading a significant transformation of the foundation’s philanthropic and investment approach. The foundation now directs 100% of its grantmaking to support Indigenous communities and has shifted 40% of its assets into impact investments, with the long-term goal of aligning the entire portfolio with its mission.

Previously, Nicholas held senior roles at Great MN Schools and 50CAN, where he worked at the intersection of philanthropy, policy, and community engagement to advance equity in PreK–12 education. He serves on the boards of Friends of the Boundary Waters Action Network and World Savvy Midwest, and holds a master’s degree in Public Communication and bachelor’s degrees from American University. He lives in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, with his wife and three children, and spends as much time as possible outdoors in the state’s Arrowhead region. 

Kate Barron-Alicante Director of Impact, Abacus Wealth Partners

Kate Barron-Alicante is a financial activist whose body of work spans twenty years in the social change and financial services sectors. Kate’s gift is in supporting individuals and organizations who, navigating our current capitalist system, seek authentic and intentional approaches to align their justice-centered values, their legacy and their financial practices. Along with her clients, Kate shares a passion for strategically leveraging money for climate justice at this moment in history.  

Kate serves as the Board Secretary-Treasurer of Taproot Earth, a global climate justice organization that centers the leadership of the Black diaspora, Indigenous and frontline communities in climate solutions. She is a founding member and inaugural steering crew member of Radical Planners, organizing progressive financial advisors to better support the movement for a Just Transition. Kate has worked over six years inside the financial services industry as financial advisor, relationship manager, and most recently Director of Impact and Board Member within a $3B financial advisory firm and B Corp.   

Prior to her career in finance, Kate spent 15 years in social justice & social change work in non-governmental organizations and academia throughout the US, Europe and South America. Kate holds an MsC in International Development from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London, a BA in International Relations from Boston University and is a Certified Financial Planner™. She lives in Philadelphia with her family. 

Geoff Gusoff Family Physician and Assistant Professor at UCLA

Geoff Gusoff is a family physician and Assistant Professor in the UCLA Department of Family Medicine whose work focuses on social and structural determinants of health, particularly assessing how the ownership and control of basic resources in communities impacts health. His research explores the health impact of community ownership strategies such as worker-owned businesses and community land trusts. He has worked on a variety of solidarity economy projects, including the development of a worker-owned day laborer cooperative in Philadelphia and supporting cooperative businesses in El Salvador.

His current work focuses on the role of home care cooperatives – home care businesses owned and controlled by home care workers – in improving job quality, care quality, and turnover among home care workers. Through these efforts he hopes to build the evidence base for the effectiveness of community ownership interventions and help design and implement more effective models.

Molly Harmon Investment Committee Chair, Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities

Molly Harmon is a dedicated advocate for justice, equality, and empowerment, channeling her passion into philanthropy and community building. With over 25 years of active involvement in the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, she sits on its Board of Trustees, continuing her great-grandparents’ legacy of serving the global Roman Catholic Church. Molly, in relationship with her family, actively allocates $9M annually, focusing on Catholic social enterprises around the globe that drive systemic change. As a finance committee member at RFCA, Molly is committed to discerning how the Catholic voice and lineage can offer a vision for a more just financial portfolio that serves the common good.

Her expertise includes cross-sector collaboration, strategic partnerships, and sustainable program development, all underpinned by an entrepreneurial spirit aimed at disrupting systems and fostering a regenerative economy.

Tom Marthaler, CFA Impact Investing Advisor

Tom Marthaler, CFA is retired from Neuberger Berman after a 38-year career in investment management.  Since then, Tom has moved into the next stage of life searching for new ways to be in service to others.  

He continues to utilize his professional skills while being open to new experiences that lead to inner growth. This journey has led him deeper into impact investing, volunteer activities, and spiritual formation.  

Tom has been involved in faith-based investing since 2020 and he was part of the first Livable Future Investing cohort in 2021.  He is also a consultant for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) on impact investing and a member of the FSPA Stewardship Finance Committee. 

He is a member of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps and currently serves in jail ministry in Chicago. He is also a Spiritual Director accompanying individuals on their faith journey.

Jennifer Astone Ecosystem Director, Collective Action for Just Finance

Jennifer “Jen” Astone is a financial activist and philanthropic leader. As Ecosystem Director at Collective Action for Just Finance, she co-curates The Transformative 25, a list of funds transforming finance for people and planet. Collective Action for Just Finance activates a network of funds, investors, and allies for a regenerative and just economy. 

Jen founded Integrated Capital Investing to catalyze foundations to use all their assets to create just, regenerative economies building on her work at the Swift Foundation. A coalition builder, she focuses on community-led solutions inclimate, Indigenous Peoples and agroecology. She is a Just Economy Institute fellow. With a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, Jen has focused her career on philanthropic levers to support community activists through solidarity grantmaking, social movements, and investing.