The Mentor Capital Network is, at our core, a network of our entrepreneurs and mentors. That said, a small team works at the center of it all to keep everything coordinated. They are listed below. You can read about our founders here.
Executive Director
Ian Fisk coordinates the Mentor Capital Network — more than 1,200 individuals who have built, managed, invested in, or studied social enterprises. He has directly supported hundreds of companies who are changing the way the world does business. He helped to build the social enterprise ecosystem for more than 20 years, working with Net Impact, SVN,The AtA and others to encourage those supporting impact entrepreneurs to learn from each other. His previous roles include Director of Projects for Wall Street Without Walls, co-designer of the AmeriCorps*VISTA Entrepreneur Corps, and the internet coordinator for a USA presidential campaign. Mr. Fisk also worked with Public Allies, City Year, KaBOOM!, Youth Service America, and the Corporation for National Service. He was a charter organizer of DC’s Community Tool Chest and Hands On DC. an annual volunteer work-a-thon for the D.C. public schools. He has helped to found more than a dozen enterprises, some for-profit, some non-profit, and several non-profit on purpose. Most of those ventures lasted more than a decade. Mr. Fisk has an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He teaches improvisation and storytelling for entrepreneurs.
ian.fisk@mentorcapitalnet.org
Our Board of Directors
Dr. Wayne Curtis is co-founder and Managing Partner of Curtis Concepts, LLC, an advisory services firm providing executive-level expertise in raising capital, economic development, strategy and policy, and government relations. Dr. Curtis has extensive experience structuring complex debt and equity financing structures, particularly on behalf of governmental agencies and banking institutions. Curtis Concepts has completed work for the FDIC bank recovery initiative, and stood up the State Small Business Initiative (HR 5297) at the US Treasury. Dr Curtis is currently the Director of Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, as well as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Business and Public Administration, both with the University of the District of Columbia. Dr. Curtis worked as an executive with Fannie Mae for nearly 16 years creating innovative products and partnerships for Redevelopment Agencies, Public Housing Authorities and Single- & Multi-Family developers, public & private. He was an investment banker with Chemical Bank and Manufacturers Hanover Bank in New York City and served as Deputy Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority in the late 1980s. Dr. Curtis was Executive Director of the Business Relocation Advisory Commission, and as Executive Director of the Urban Park Rangers, established the first professionalized park service unit within Parks Department, both with New York City government. Dr. Curtis earned a Master of Science in Economic Development from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture and Planning (focusing on Public Bonds) and a Bachelor of Administration, with honors, from Harvard University. He also holds a PhD in Philosophy, in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. His research focuses on wealth building strategies for working class Americans through social entrepreneurship and employee stock ownership plans.
He was an investment banker with Chemical Bank and Manufacturers Hanover Bank in New York City. He served as Deputy Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority in the late 1980s. He was Executive Director of the Business Relocation Advisory Commission in New York City. As Executive Director of the Urban Park Rangers, he established the first professionalized park service unit within New York City’s Parks Department in the late 1970s. Dr. Curtis earned a Master of Science in Economic Development from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture and Planning (focusing on Public Bonds) and a Bachelor of Administration, with honors, from Harvard University. He also holds a PhD in Philosophy, in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. His research focuses on wealth building strategies for working class Americans through social entrepreneurship and employee stock ownership plans.
Dawn Edwards is currently leading Pomegranite Consulting, Dawn has over 20 years of institutional capital markets experience. In 2006, Dawn co-founded and became the President of AltruShare Securities, LLC, the first institutional brokerage firm specializing in community investment, and the first nonprofit owned brokerage firm. AltruShare combines comprehensive and competitive institutional brokerage services, a unique research product, an experienced management and trading staff. A for-profit venture, AltruShare’s profits support the AltruShare Opportunity Funds, which benefit locally based community programs addressing youth development, education, and economic opportunity.