Debra Schwartz

Debra Schwartz leads MacArthur’s Impact Investments program, which has committed more than $750 million to advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability. By providing catalytic capital in the form of patient, flexible and risk-tolerant investments, Debra and the MacArthur Impact Investment team have supported affordable housing, community development, climate solutions, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and social innovation. Through complementary grantmaking, the Impact Investment program funds networks, research, and other resources that support and strengthen the impact investing field globally.

Before joining MacArthur in 1995, Debra was the CFO for a nonprofit child welfare agency in Chicago and an investment banker at John Nuveen & Co. She is a frequent public speaker and guest lecturer at leading universities, including the University of Chicago, where she previously taught as an adjunct professor.