Halcyon announces new board chair Martha Metz

Metz will replace Founder and Chair Emeritus Dr. Sachiko Kuno

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Oct 14, 2021, 09:57 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- D.C.-based nonprofit Halcyon today announced that its founder, Dr. Sachiko Kuno, will step down as chair of the organization's board of directors and become chair emeritus. Martha Metz, founder of Metz Investments, takes over as chair, retroactive to October 1.

Kuno, a scientist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, founded Halcyon with CEO and Co-founder Kate Goodall in 2017. Halcyon is one of many initiatives spearheaded by Kuno intended to empower people to change the world through social impact and business. She founded S&R Foundation in 2000 and still serves as President and CEO, and co-founded WE Capital, a female-led investment fund. She is also co-founder of the Japanese social incubator program Phoenixi Co., Ltd.

Metz is a veteran of the business world passionate about access for startups. Metz is an expert in brand management from her time at Kraft General Foods and an experienced focus group moderator in categories ranging from consumer-packaged goods to politics. In 2019 she founded Metz Investments LP to invest in early stage companies with a focus on hospitality and women-owned ventures. In addition to Halcyon's board, Metz serves on the Midwest board of UNICEF.

"It is an honor to step into this role, following the visionary Dr. Kuno in guiding this organization in its growth," said Metz. "When I joined Halcyon's board last year, I quickly realized how special this place is. I look forward to being a part of Halcyon's continuing evolution as it flourishes into a bold and powerful voice in impact-driven business."

Metz will lead a board made up of leaders from across sectors, all of whom share Halcyon's mission to accelerate the impact-driven future of business. That board includes three new members: Kerone Vatel, head of community impact and investing at Capital One, Karyn Smith, general counsel and chief compliance officer at Twilio Inc., and Max Peterson, vice president for worldwide public sector at AWS.

"Halcyon's board has always been an essential source of wisdom and encouragement," said Halcyon Co-Founder and CEO Kate Goodall. "Working hand-in-hand with Dr. Kuno to launch Halcyon has been a joy and an honor. Halcyon is bigger than any one of us – it's a true community, and I applaud her decision to solidify Halcyon's future by becoming chair emeritus, and look forward to a partnership with Martha Metz. Over many conversations, she has shown that she will provide thoughtful counsel to this role, manage the board with grace, and encourage Halcyon's growth."

The move comes as Halcyon closes out its largest year to date, with 60 social entrepreneur fellows in programs ranging from a five-month flagship residential incubator program, to intensive programs for Bahrain-based women tech entrepreneurs, Black women founders across the U.S., and D.C.-area entrepreneurs working in Opportunity Zones. In 2022, Halcyon will add its first-ever Africa Intensive and continue to grow funding vehicles for social entrepreneurs, including the recently announced Halcyon Microloan Fund.

About Halcyon
Halcyon accelerates the impact-driven future of business. We believe there is a competitive advantage to having a social mission in an organization's DNA, and that impact-driven businesses represent a powerful opportunity to drive equity and inclusivity in the workplace and society. Halcyon's first residential fellowship program for social entrepreneurs launched in 2014, and today that program is joined by intensive fellowship programs tailored for entrepreneurs from specific regions, sectors, or demographics. In 2019, Halcyon announced the Halcyon Angels, the first in a set of funding vehicles designed to close funding gaps for social entrepreneurs, women founders, and founders of color. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Halcyon is based in Washington, D.C., with fellows on six continents impacting millions of lives around the world. http://halcyonhouse.org, @halcyoninspires

CONTACT: Nicole Weissman, [email protected]

SOURCE Halcyon