Dave Zellner assumes leadership role as our Executive Chair, launches capital campaign to fund major expansion of services for faith-based asset owners
FaithInvest is delighted to announce that Dave Zellner, longtime Chief Investment Officer of Wespath Benefits and Investments and an industry leader in faith-aligned investing, will assume a new role as our Executive Chair beginning September 1.
Dave has unparalleled experience and credibility in faith-consistent investing, having spent more than 27 years at Wespath until his retirement on August 1, 2024. There he steered the management of US$25 billion in assets (as of 31 December 2023) on behalf of more than 100,000 participants and 150 United Methodist institutions.
Now he is taking on an expanded voluntary role of Executive Chair at FaithInvest where he has been Chair of Trustees since 2019, which means he will play an active role in shaping our activities and future direction.
'I profoundly believe in FaithInvest's mission and am deeply committed to its success. I'm excited to bring my skills and experience to the team as we develop the next phase of services that will shape FaithInvest’s future direction' – Dave Zellner
An ambitious capital campaign to fund new services
His appointment comes as FaithInvest embarks upon a significant expansion of its services for faith-based asset owners (FBAOs). We are launching an ambitious capital campaign to fund the development of new solutions that will support FBAOs to address some of the key challenges they encounter as they seek to align their investments with their values.
We plan to add new services to our existing portfolio, including:
FaithInvest Consulting, which will promote, advance and facilitate FCI services for FBAOs and their investment providers
FaithInvest Advisory Services, which will develop viable faith-aligned investment solutions for FBAOs with trusted asset managers.
Dave explained: 'After five years of building deep relationships with a broad group of diverse faiths and working closely to enable them to invest in line with their values, FaithInvest has learned a great deal about the challenges and obstacles they face.
'Our aim is to overcome the barriers that FBAOs experience in their journey to align their assets with their faith values. That's why we're launching a major capital campaign to expand our services. We'll also aggressively partner with the investment industry to strengthen and expand their faith-based offerings, enabling them to better serve FBAOs.'
Read the full press release about Dave's new role and our future plans by clicking below.
Dave Zellner: a pioneer in faith-consistent investing
Dave Zellner has been at the forefront of faith-aligned investing for more than 27 years, and in many ways his own journey mirrors that of the FCI Movement.
Find out how what he has learned about the evolution in faith-aligned investing after nearly three decades in the industry.
The response to our online, live-taught course Faithful Finance: An Introduction to Aligning Investments with Faith Values has been very positive. And we're delighted to say that the next four-week course starts on October 29. Aimed at faith-based investors, it covers the foundational principles of faith-consistent investing.
Help us develop tools & resources to support others
If you are able to, please consider supporting FaithInvest. By donating to FaithInvest, your gift helps us develop the free-to-access tools, programmes and resources needed to support faith groups across as wide a range of geographies and capacities as possible.
