Our Advisors
The Alante team works with a carefully selected group of experts with diverse experience to gather and integrate relevant industry insight into our evaluation process and to actively support companies backed by the fund.
Apparel Industry & Supply Chain Advisors

Keith Hull
CEO of Liztex
+ Veteran in Textile Manufacturing
Liztex is a Guatemala-based, vertically integrated textile producer operating the largest textile mill in Central America
37 year veteran of the textile industry, holding C-suite positions with Kaltex America, UCO Raymond Denim, & Avondale Mills
Expert operator in global, diversified textile manufacturing

Nancy Johnson
CEO & Founder of Optimyze
+ Product life-cycle management & digital design specialist
Optimyze is an advisory firm focused on transforming apparel product life-cycles to advance nimble, innovative, healthy businesses.
30+ years as a fashion designer, product developer, technologist, entrepreneur and advisor.
Former Board Member of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and Adjunct Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts College of Art

Richard Kinsman
President & CEO of CO2Nexus Inc. (dba TERSUS Solutions)
+ Cleantech operator and investor
TERSUS Solutions commercialized a water-less textile & apparel processing technology platform.
Worked in sustainability & cleantech as both an entrepreneur and investor for the past 20+ years.
Founder & Director of Advent Technologies, the U.S. cleantech venture division of Itochu Corp. Director of Global Technologies LLC, the exclusive licensor & commercialization entity of a pioneering CO2 technology & an economist with USEPA in Washington, D.C.

James Rogers
Founder, Science Director & CEO of Apeel Sciences
+ Materials scientist and entreprenuer
Apeel is a material sciences company that reduces reliance on pesticides, increases quality, & prolongs shelf life of produce.
Ph.D. in polymer physics with, won the premier US polymer physics prize in 2012
Leads award-winning team of scientists and engineers using natural, plant-based formulas to protect produce from post-harvest loss

Zohar Ziv
Consultant, Investor & Former COO of Deckers
+ Finance and operating executive
Served as COO of Deckers Brands, a publicly traded global footwear company. Saw the company through international expansion & move to e-commerce and omni-channel capabilities
Over 25 years executive management experience across industries, in both public & private companies of various sizes.
Holds board & advisory positions with 4 private companies & is founder of Dash Brands, a fast-food company in China
Brand Integration, Sales & Marketing

Caroline Brown
Former CEO of Donna Karan International
+ Global fashion business executive
Industry veteran, with experience as CEO and other leadership positions of major US and European luxury fashion brands.
Advisory board member at MIT Sloan School's Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship
Member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America business advisory board, mentoring emerging U.S. designers. Board Member of eye-wear company Look Optic

Gordon Seabury
CEO & Founder of Toad & Co.
+ Industry leader in sustainable apparel
US-based producer of socially & environmentally friendly outdoor industry lifestyle brand, founded in 1996
In 1997 led Toad & CO to co-found Planet Access Company, which provides adults with developmental disabilities job training and work opportunities. The PAC warehouse, located in Chicago, is a full-time third-party logistics provider, managing Toad & Co’s and other brand's inventory.
Board member of the Outdoor Industry Association since 2000, Chair 2016 & 2017
Russ Haft
President, Eclectic Electric
+ Expert in e-commerce implementation
Eclectic Electric leads large scale e-commerce projects for entertainment and media companies and Founder of Mylennium a company offering products and services that help people manage and protect personal and professional digital assets during their lifetime and beyond
Former President of Wilshire Designs, supporting apparel brands to successfully launch into consumer eyewear. Founded eyeOTA and KATA Eyewear developing an international sales & distribution network for luxury eyewear
Mattel's lead developer on TRON: Maze-A-Tron

Court Williams
Creative Strategist, Facebook's Creative Shop
+ Digital advertising creative guru
Influences luxury and fashion advertising across all of Facebook's platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Whatsapp and Oculus) by providing consultation on everything from art direction and content to the development of creative learning agendas that turn campaigns into learning opportunities for brands
More than 14 years in fashion and media, began as a fashion editor at WWD/W Magazine.Co-founder and CCO at Kess Agency and, most recently, VP of Creative at Havas Sports & Entertainment, where he has influenced campaigns and content initiatives for Bushmills, Chanel, MGM Worldwide and many others
Investments

Carolyn Kim Allwin
Co-founder & Manging Director, Elysian Advisers
+ Impact investor and consultant
Impact investing consultancy providing strategic & financial advice. Carolyn is also a social impact investor, entrepreneur & advisor to early stage companies.
Former In-house counsel at GoldenTree Asset Management, and tax attorney at Ernst & Young.
Hedge Funds Care Grants Review Board, the Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Executive Board and the Akilah Institute for Women Board.

Amy Bell
Senior Advisor, Tideline
+ Advisor and seasoned investor
Advises large institutions on impact investment strategies
Former Executive Director & Head of Principal Investments for the Sustainable Finance business unit of J. P. Morgan Chase
Previously, on JPMorgan’s Investment Bank in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Consumer & Retail Coverage groups.
On the Board of WaterEquity (an affiliate of Water.org)

Tammy Newmark
CEO / Managing Partner, EcoEnterprises Fund
+ Pioneer in impact investing
EcoEnterprises Fund invests in the sustainable use of natural resources in Latin America
30 years experience in the field of impact investing
Prior to EcoEnterprises, directed Technoserve’s environmental business advisory service

Paul Tregidgo
Former Vice Chairman - Capital Markets, Credit Suisse
+ Veteran global finance executive
During his 30 years with the bank was head of both Emerging & Global Debt Capital Markets & founded & co-chaired the Bank’s Impact Investing Advisory Council
Sits on the Board of ACCION, Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Inclusion, & the Council of Global Advisors of Yale School of Management
Impact finance advisor & investor in early stage companies

Jim Villanueva
Managing Director, Global Partnerships / Eleos Fund
+ Impact investor and private markets specialist
Led the impact investment portfolio as Executive Director & founding board member at the Eleos Foundation
Seasoned Private Equity investor, and Co-founded & sold Spanish-language media company & a national Hispanic marketing & public relations firm
Sustainability & Impact

Maxine Bédat
Co-founder & CEO, Zady
+ Entrepreneur and industry impact expert
Zady is an e-commerce platform & lifestyle destination for conscious consumers that believe in products with solid construction, the best materials, the lowest environmental footprint, the highest labor standards and timeless style
Founder of The Bootstrap Project, a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing craft traditions

Dr. Helen Crowley
Head of Sustainable Sourcing Innovation, Kering
+ Sustainable sourcing expert for the luxury market
Kering is a global luxury group of brands, including; Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and others.
Works with Kering brands to adopt innovative approaches to sustainability in the sourcing of raw materials, improved manufacturing processes and the integration of biodiversity and circular economy principles into business.
Formerly worked in conservation, designing and managing market-based approaches to conservation
Board Member of Textile Exchange, Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Natalie Grillon
Co-lead & Managing Director of Open Apparel Registry; Sustainable Apparel Consultant
+ Fashion impact consultant
OAR's vision is to create an open source list of every apparel factory worldwide.
Previously CEO of Project JUST, working to shift demand towards positive practices & ethical brands
10 years working at the intersection of business & social impact
As an Acumen Global Fellow, managed a smallholder farmers program for organic & fair trade produce, including cotton in Uganda

Kate Dillon Levin
VP, Sales & Marketing, Ecosphere+
+ Sustainable land use markets specialist
Ecosphere+ builds markets for standing forests, incentivizes sustainable business models & responsible supply chains
CSR Consultant to apparel brands, former fashion model & advocate for improved sustainability in the industry
Previously worked on REDD+ & sustainable land use at Fundacion Natura Bolivia, UNDP Equator Initiative, Code REDD/Stand For Trees, and Stockholm Environment Institute