Panelist Bios for the SPN meeting of November 16, 2009

Gina Harman

Gina Harman is the President and CEO of ACCION USA. Ms. Harman also served on ACCION New York and New Jersey's Board of Directors from 2001 until her appointment as CEO in early 2008. Ms. Harman brings a wealth of experience in both the non-profit and private sectors to AUSA. Previously, Ms. Harman served as President of the Consumer Division of Harman International Industries, a worldwide leader in the manufacture of high-fidelity audio and electronic products. Over a 23 year career with Harman, she was responsible for setting the long-term strategy, guiding product development, and increasing sales and distribution for multiple brands worldwide. Ms. Harman also brings over 15 years of non-profit experience with organizations focused on community development in both New York and Chicago. She has served as Executive Director of the Local Astoria Development Corporation, as a Program Manager with the New York City Youth Bureau, as Founder and Director of the Washington Square Methodist Day Care Cooperative and regional director for a national trade union. Ms. Harman co-founded and co-chaired the Queens Women's Network and was youth services planner and a member of Community Board 2 in Queens. Currently, Ms. Harman is a member of the Women Executives Network, Women in Microfinance and a member of the Board of the CDFI Coalition, Capital One Community Renewal Fund, and the North Fork New Markets Credit Corporation. Ms. Harman also sits on NY Governor Paterson's Small Business Task Force and the New York Federal Reserve Community Affairs Committee. In June 2009, Ms. Harman received the "Minority and Women Business Enterprise Advocate of the Year" award on behalf of ACCION USA in recognition of its excellence in serving the minority and women small business community in New York City.

Gregory Larkin

Gregory Larkin analyzes environmental and social risk in the financial sector at RiskMetrics Group. Larkin has developed several pioneering models to evaluate the environmental and social risk intensity of bank's consumer and corporate assets and has a strong track record of "good calls." He has been featured in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, The Banker Magazine, Investment News, and NPR.

Before joining Innovest, Larkin worked as the Corporate Partnerships Executive for MercyCorps, an international NGO which specializes in microcredit and bottom of the pyramid development programs. Larkin received his Master's Degree in Emerging Market Economics from University of Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow in 2004 and his BA in International Relations from McGill University in Montreal in 2000.

Cathie Mahon

Ms. Mahon was appointed as Assistant Commissioner and Executive Director of the newly-created Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) on February 27, 2007. Ms. Mahon works closely with Commissioner Mintz, as well as key local, state, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Treasury Department, community-based organizations and the private sector to implement OFE's critical initiatives, which include protecting New Yorkers with low incomes from unfair and predatory practices, launching and coordinating large-scale public awareness campaigns, establishing a dynamic network of high-quality financial service providers, and identifying and implementing asset-building best practices. Ms. Mahon earned a Bachelor's degree from Duke University and a Master's in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she specialized in research of large-scale micro finance organizations in the United States and Latin America. Ms. Mahon resides in Brooklyn.

Ben Levisohn

Ben Levisohn is a finance and personal finance reporter at BusinessWeek Magazine, where he's worked since 2007 covering the fallout from the financial crisis. From1998-2006, Mr. Levisohn traded stocks at Worldco and Lynx Capital Partners. Prior to trading, Mr. Levisohn taught kindergarten and pre-k, first in Chicago and then in Boulder, Colo. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1995 and received a Masters degree in journalism from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism in 2007.