We view our investment relationships as collaborative partnerships. In addition to the investment of capital, we are actively involved in our portfolio companies participating in strategic, financing, capitalization and exit planning, as well as team building and recruiting. We leverage our broad network of relationships to provide relevant introductions and business assistance. We bring our knowledge of socially responsible management practices, working together with CEI to introduce workforce development specialists along with environmental, technical assistance and consulting relationships.
Our Board of Directors and Advisory Board provide governance, guidance, experienced insight and an extensive network of resources to the Managers.
Nathaniel V Henshaw | Managing Director
Nat co-founded CEI Ventures in 1994 to manage socially responsible venture capital funds. He made his first CEI equity investment in 1988 and was responsible for developing CEI's venture capital program. Nat joined CEI as a Loan and Investment Officer, putting $8 million in capital to work in over 130 projects. Prior to CEI, Nat worked at Intersouth Partners, Kitty Hawk Capital and Chemical Venture Partners. Nat earned his BA from Duke University and his MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business.
Mark has extensive financial and investment experience and joined the staff of CEI Ventures in 1999 after serving as founding Chair of its Board of Directors. Prior to joining CEI Ventures, he served as Managing Director of Forum Financial Group, a mutual fund company. Mark was Managing Director and Director of Research for HM Payson & Co, an investment advisory and trust services firm. Mark was a member of the investment department of Unum Life Insurance Company, now Unum. He earned his BA from the University of Michigan and MBA from Boston University Graduate School of Management.
Dawn joined CEI Ventures in 2001, bringing 13 years experience in portfolio management, operations management and research analysis to the team. Previously, she was a mutual fund portfolio manager and investment analyst at Forum Investment Advisors, the $3.5 billion mutual fund management division of Forum Financial Group. Dawn managed trust and custody operations prior to joining the investment research department of HM Payson & Co, a $900 million investment advisory and trust services firm.
Thao H Duong | Investment Administrator, Office Manager
Thao has been with CEI since 1994 and joined CEI Ventures as investment administrator at its inception. Prior to CEI, Thao was a job developer and Vietnamese intrepretor for Catholic Charities Maine. Previously, she worked in the Compensation Department of the University of Maine at Orono. Thao earned her BS in accounting from the University of Maine.
Board of Directors
Eliza Cope Nolan | Chair | Shareholder | Bernstein Shur Sawyer & Nelson Robert H Gardiner | President | Independence Wind LLC Karin A Gregory | Co-Founder | Furman Gregory Deptula Charles G Moore | Founder | Little Diamond Enterprises Ronald L Phillips | President, CEO | Coastal Enterprises Inc A Jacqueline Wardell | CFO | Coastal Enterprises Inc
Advisory Board
Claude R Carbonneau | Senior Vice President | Camden National Bank John C Everett IV | Vice President | KeyBank Bruce G Nickerson | Executive Vice President & CFO | Bangor Savings Bank Robert Small | Commercial Loan Officer | Finance Authority of Maine
