Espresso Chats is a podcast from Commonfund Institute. Each episode is a short conversation — most run under twenty minutes — with a leader working on the problems nonprofit institutions actually face: board governance, endowment management, spending policy, and the investment decisions that follow from all three. Guests have come from NACUBO, BoardSource, NBOA, CASE, the Intentional Endowments Network, the Weingart Foundation, and community foundations in Ann Arbor and Brooklyn, alongside investment leaders from Commonfund OCIO and CF Private Equity. The through line is practical: what boards and investment committees are weighing right now, and what the people closest to those decisions have learned.
See important disclosures (https://www.commonfund.org/important-disclosures).
AI Considerations in Portfolio Management: A CIO’s View
In this episode of Espresso Chats, Commonfund Institute's Amanda Novello, Associate Director, sits down with Julia Mord, Chief Investment Officer at Commonfund OCIO, to close out our AI investment governance series with a conversation on portfolio construction.
Julia shares how AI exposure shows up across a nonprofit institutional portfolio — from venture capital and private equity to public equities and real assets — and where concentration risk is quietly building, particularly as the top ten S&P 500 names now make up 40% of the index's market cap. She also walks through how AI has become a standard line of questioning in due diligence, what separates managers with a durable edge from those chasing a trend, and where she sees real opportunity hiding in this year's "SaaSpocalypse" sell-off.
10 Aug 2026
Responsible Investing in the Age of AI
In this episode of Espresso Chats, George Suttles and Amanda Novello of Commonfund Institute sit down with Georges Dyer, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN), to unpack how endowments, foundations, and other institutional investors are approaching AI adoption. Georges shares key takeaways from IEN's member conversations — from balancing AI's investment opportunities against reputational, environmental, and social risks, to why "we're not investing in this" is rarely a realistic option anymore. The conversation covers IEN's new AI investing and responsible investing guide, why good governance is the throughline for navigating fast-moving AI risk, and why systems-level investing may be the only comprehensive lens for thinking about AI's impact on climate, jobs, and the broader economy. Georges also points listeners to a handful of resources shaping the responsible AI investing conversation, including the Investor AI Resource Hub, the World Economic Forum's AI playbook, and reports from ILPA, Reframe Ventures, and Majority Action.
30 Jun 2026
The Shiny Tinfoil: Investing in AI with Eyes Wide Open
Join hosts George Suttles, Executive Director, and Amanda Novello, Associate Director, in this episode of Espresso Chats, a series by the Commonfund Institute serving up strong, short shots of governance and leadership insight.
In this episode, Meredith Benton, Principal and Founder of Whistle Stop Capital, discusses how foundations, university endowments, and other long-term institutional investors should be thinking about AI. The conversation explores why shareholder engagement — not divestment — is the smarter path forward, and how investors can ask better questions of their managers to ensure AI is being developed and deployed responsibly. Benton also shares key findings from the Tech Forward initiative, which surveyed over 40 human rights organizations to identify the governance criteria most linked to strong long-term company performance.
20 May 2026
AI in Venture Capital: Separating Hype from Opportunity
AI is everywhere — but what does it actually mean for investors? In this kickoff episode of our AI mini-series, Commonfund Institute's Amanda Novello, Senior Policy and Research Analyst, sits down with Luke Rossiter, Managing Director on CF Private Equity's venture capital team, to break down where we really are in the AI cycle, what separates a genuine investment opportunity from the hype, and how institutional investors should think about risk and reward in this moment.
16 Apr 2026
Charitable Giving in a Changing Policy Landscape
In this episode, Brian Flahaven, VP of Strategic Partnerships at CASE, discusses the fundraising and philanthropic landscape facing schools, colleges, and universities today. The conversation covers key trends in giving — including the persistent "dollars up, donors down" phenomenon — and examines how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduces both new incentives and new limitations for charitable giving. Flahaven also shares how institutions can sharpen their narrative around the value of education and highlights the work of the Charitable Giving Coalition (https://www.charitablegivingcoalition.org/) in preserving and expanding the charitable tax deduction.
Additional resources:
Charitable Giving Coalition website (https://www.charitablegivingcoalition.org/)
CASE Summary of Key Provisions in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (https://www.case.org/summary-key-https:/www.case.org/summary-key-provisions-hr-1-budget-reconciliation-package-hr-1-budget-reconciliation-package)
CASE Insights on Voluntary Support of Education (https://www.case.org/research/surveys/case-insights-voluntary-support-education)
17 Mar 2026
Independent School Endowment Insights
In this episode, Jeff Shields, President and CEO of NBOA, discusses highlights from the recently released Commonfund Benchmarks Study® of Independent Schools, including two consecutive years of double-digit investment returns for independent school endowments - a rare occurrence not seen in 15 years. The discussion explores the growing divide between larger and smaller independent schools in terms of resources and opportunities, while addressing persistent challenges like faculty retention and operational pressures. Shields advocates for strategic thinking during this period of strong returns, encouraging school leaders to make decisions today that ensure institutional sustainability for the future.
19 Feb 2026
Trends and Challenges in Higher Education
In this episode, Liz Clark, VP of Policy and Research at NACUBO, discusses findings from the recently released NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, including major themes such as spending. The conversation dovetails into broader challenges in higher education today and emphasizes that successful institutions are those that stay focused on their core educational mission.
21 Jan 2026
Real Assets and Sustainability: Investing in a Changing Policy Environment
In this episode of Espresso Chats, Dan Connell from CF Private Equity’s Real Assets and Sustainability team discusses how the investment landscape for real assets and sustainability has evolved over the past year. He addresses how policy changes, demand growth, and cost-effectiveness have driven the economic advantages of utility-scale solar and natural gas, and how institutional investors can use real assets for portfolio diversification, inflation hedging, and alpha generation.
17 Dec 2025
Espresso Chats Season Recap
The Espresso Chats team reflects on the first season
19 Nov 2025
Community Foundations: Equity and Impact
In this episode of Espresso Chats, Rev. Dr. Shannon Polk from Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and Dr. Jocelynne Rainey from Brooklyn Org discuss how their organizations' are driving economic mobility, advancing racial equity, and leveraging impact investing to address urgent challenges in their communities. The leaders share strategies for supporting nonprofits in the face of growing needs and financial challenges, while highlighting the resilience and hope that propel their work forward.
21 Oct 2025
Purpose-Driven Governance in the Nonprofit Sector
In this episode of Espresso Chats, Monika Kalra Varma, President and CEO of BoardSource, discusses the critical importance of good governance in the nonprofit sector. BoardSource, with over thirty years of experience, provides essential support and innovative frameworks like Purpose Driven Board Leadership (PDBL) to help organizations align their governance
with their core purpose. The conversation emphasizes the need for boards to balance fiduciary, strategic, and generative modes of governance to make effective decisions. Kalra Varma highlights the role of community and collaboration in strengthening governance efforts, especially during challenging times.
30 Sept 2025
Insights on Private Equity and Market Trends
In this episode of Espresso Chats, Mark Hoeing from CF Private Equity shares valuable insights on governance and leadership within the realm of private equity.
25 Aug 2025
Aligning Mission and Impact
In this episode of Espresso Chats, Joanna Jackson, president and CEO of Weingart Foundation, discusses the foundation's commitment to racial, social, and economic justice in Southern California. With over $800 million invested in mission-aligned impact, the foundation is using all tools it has available to respond to the unprecedented challenges facing their communities and partners today. Joanna shares insight for foundations seeking to lead with courage, integrity, and innovation in order to meet the moment.
22 Jul 2025
Underrepresented Talent: Challenges and Opportunities
In this episode of Espresso Chats, hosts George Suttles and Amanda Novello speak with Hallie Label and Tyeshia Smith from Expect Equity, an initiative focused on supporting underrepresented public equity managers.
17 Jun 2025
Navigating Governance and Leadership in Higher Education
Tim Yates, President and CEO of Commonfund OCIO, examines the impact of policy changes, federal funding cuts, and endowment tax changes on higher education governance and leadership in an interview with George Suttles and Amanda Novello.
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1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
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YouTube
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