Meet Jenn Kenning of Align Impact in Golden Triangle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenn Kenning.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jenn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Like so many people who invest in impact or work in the sector, my own journey started with my personal own quest for what I call “the Why” or to answer the question of “what is it all for”. For most of my early career I was a complete workaholic (still am today but focussed on purpose) to the point where it just wasn’t healthy and I needed to find something more inspiring to keep moving forward as I was severely depressed. I started to volunteer on skid row in LA, which has one of the largest homeless populations in Los Angeles and the US. I got to know many of the people there, learning their life stories, understanding what happened that left their dreams shattered and unrealized – even staying out overnight in one instance just so I could attempt to experience what their lives were like.

This opportunity really woke me up, and I found that I truly came alive when I was able to work with people who were invisible to others. All of this got me thinking more about how we could do more in the world of finance to do more for society as the systems were shattered and still are today. I started to read and become inspired by new paths that others were forging in finance and this led me to impact investing.

As I became more informed about impact investing, I started to develop a reputation at Aspiriant, the financial advisory where I was a partner at the time, for being knowledgeable in this area and I started to develop my own expertise in certain areas. But the real turning point came in 2013 when I took a next-generation client to Africa to look at a dozen social enterprises to consider for possible investment.

It was then when I realized that my passion for creating impact and the network that I had accumulated over the years of impact businesses on the ground could merge with my skill set as a financial advisor. That is when I began creating what Align Impact would become in 2014.

There’s enough capital in our financial system, it’s just not going where it needs to go, and people with scarce opportunities lack the connections to great opportunities. I wanted to be one of these connectors. I am one of those connectors! I see a clear bridge between abundance and scarcity.

Everyone at Align is committed to the growth of the impact sector and to make the whole system work better for all human beings. We are only doing our jobs well if we are moving capital rather than just talking about it. This is my “Why.” It’s my passion and why I get up every day and work with such drive and conviction, and our most important job at Align is to help our clients find their “Why” and help them align their capital with their values.

Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been smooth. In my late twenties, as I worked endless hours, I dealt with depression. I dug further into work to escape it and the more I worked, the more depressed I got. One night, when I had decided that was the end of the road for me, I received a call from someone I never expected. I took that as a sign that I still had fight left in me, but a change needed to happen. In building Align Impact, there have been a lot of pivots. We are not just building a company but helping to build an ecosystem over the last decade. I like to say. We are building the plane in flight. Early on, we didn’t have the right corporate structure. Took many years to build the team as we grew one client at a time and often 1 step forward to take two steps back. I think the only thing we know for certain is that we will experience constant change and need to adapt quickly, especially in this current environment.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Align Impact – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We believe that the world should work for 7.5 billion people and not at the expense of the planet. The way we accomplish that is through transforming how we invest and give away our capital. I believe there are three pillars that will allow families, individuals, foundations and institutions to be successful in this endeavor.

The first pillar is you must have a strategy. A strategy is really important. It’s very much like the architect is needed to build a home before you can start with construction of the foundation. You would never build your home without those two things intact. The strategy is really your WHY. What gets you up in the morning? What drives you? What do you care about in the world? If you could move the needle on one thing in the world, what would it be and why?

The second pillar is we “meet you where you are at.” We are your co-pilot. We want to actually help your Family Office, your advisory teams, your external advisors. We want to help be part of your solution in a custom way. Far too often in the finance arena, you have to fit in a bucket.

The third pillar is we are grounded in intellectual honesty and are investment rigor and acumen. We believe you need to invest across all asset classes. You don’t have to sacrifice returns. You can actually change the world by investing and making money at the same time. But in order to do that, you need to have a due diligence process. You got to look at it from a Macro perspective and Micro perspective. And we do this by building an external investment committee of thought leaders, collaborators, of people with 15-30+ years of experience, so we could challenge ourselves. You can rest assured that we have uncovered everything in the marketplace to bring you the best investment options possible. We believe that you have multiple levers in order to do this. There isn’t just one and there isn’t just one right one. Everyone’s impact story is their own and we want to help you move to use all of your levers so that you can be part of the solutions you want to see in the world.

How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
Success is a tricky one. I have been spending a lot of time here lately, looking at what authentic success looks like. It’s when you stretch yourself beyond where you are comfortable. This requires setting goals that scare you a lot, something that’s worth living your life for, something that sends chills down your spine when envisioning that future coming to fruition. This is the drive behind my daily work. I wake up to have the world work for 7.5 billion people, not at the expense of the planet. Every action I take is inside of that goal. Achieving each action is a mini success. I don’t know if my vision for this world will come to fruition in my lifetime, but it’s worth giving my life to playing a small part in what is possible.

What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
Spending summers with my grandmother, Dorothry R Shushan, in New Orleans. She taught me about music, art, philanthropy and loving people. You can just imagine, mini entrepreneur (aka Mini-Jenn Kenning, age eight), I would go to the store with her and watch her in action. I never realized the difference those moments would make in my life till much later.

Contact Info:

• Address: 429 Santa Monica Blvd #500, Santa Monica, CA 90401
• Website: http://alignimpact.com/
• Phone: (805) 243-8055
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlignImpact
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/align-impact/

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