Timothy Dunn ’83 was at the height of his career as a global portfolio manager. He managed funds in the billions. With a worn passport and a suitcase always on standby, Dunn estimates he’s traveled to Japan more than 25 times in addition to many other countries across the globe.
But Dunn wanted more.
He wanted to make an impact on the world by leaving a greener footprint behind.
In 2014, Dunn founded Terra Alpha Investments LLC, an advocacy investment firm, after working in the investment management industry for more than 25 years. Terra Alpha invests in companies that are making a smaller imprint on the earth’s natural resources through greener business practices. They gauge a company’s environmental productivity based on their carbon emissions, water and material efficiencies.
“I wanted to do something more meaningful in my life,” Dunn said. “I don’t want my tombstone to say, ‘great portfolio manager.’ Not that there is anything wrong with being a great portfolio manager. I just want to leave this world a better place by focusing my energy on ways to improve the environment.”
A global force Dunn was headed to the University of Rochester for college, but then it snowed.