Alumni: Leader of Consequence Award

  Beth Bafford '06, Daytime MBA '12

    Vice President of Strategy, Calvert Impact Capital

Beth Bafford is the Vice President of Strategy at Calvert Impact Capital, a non-profit financial institution dedicated to making our financial system more equitable and sustainable. Beth leads CIC's corporate strategy and new business development efforts to build new financial products and services that accelerate private capital for the benefit of under-resourced communities in the US and around the world. Her work throughout the pandemic has been focused on supporting scaled access to affordable credit for small businesses across the U.S. Beth also oversees the organization's syndications, communications, and impact management and measurement functions.

In addition to her work at CIC, Beth serves on the Advisory Board for the CASE Initiative on Impact Investing (CASEi3) at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, the Investment Committees for the Aaron and Lillie Straus Foundation and the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Advisory Board of Higher Ground Labs, and the Board of Founders First Capital Partners. Prior to CIC, Beth has enjoyed experiences across the public, private, and social sectors. She was a consultant in McKinsey & Company's D.C. office where she focused on U.S. Health Reform strategy and has worked as a Special Assistant at the White House Office of Management and Budget during the drafting and passage of the Affordable Care Act, as a Regional Field Director and Community Organizer on the 2008 Obama for America campaign, and as a Senior Associate at UBS Financial Services. Beth received both her BA in Public Policy and MBA in Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University and lives in Washington, DC with her husband and four young children.

What impact has your Fuqua experience had on your career/life?

It is hard to imagine my life now without my Fuqua experience. Fuqua is where I discovered my professional passion - using innovation in finance to shift the behavior of the capital markets for the benefit of people and our planet - thanks to the incredible Cathy Clark. It is also where I met my husband, a FuquaVision star, who has kept me and our four kids laughing ever since.

Professionally or personally, what are you excited about right now?

The awareness of the power of collective action that was unearthed and emphasized throughout the pandemic. We have learned - for better or worse - that we are all connected and that we will only address our world's biggest challenges if we do so together (and inversely, divided we will fail). Accepting this truth is critical to addressing climate change, global inequality, and so many of our society's other ills. We have a moment in time to make collective action core to the values and ethos of future generations and if we do, we will all be better for it.

What does Team Fuqua mean to you?

Team Fuqua embodies a collaborative, humble, and hungry attitude that is critical to driving change in our financial system, economy, and world. The strong culture that is embodied in the Team Fuqua brand is desperately needed if we hope to use the tools of business and finance to drive more compassion in capitalism. Personally, it has brought me many dear friends and colleagues who continue to amaze me with their personal and professional pursuits. I'll be on their team for life.