San Francisco, CA - April 21, 2009 -- A team of MBA students from Presidio School of Management won the second annual SustaInvest investment portfolio competition at Cornell University on Friday, April 17. The portfolio was selected over 50 other competitors representing business schools around the country.

Brian Bishop, Natasha Tuck, Jen Cohn, and Oliver Dameron, or team BANJO, were the Presidio students that beat semi-finalist teams from University of Virginia, Cornell University and Dickinson College.

"The judges rigorously questioned the logic we used and were impressed that through reversing usual investment logic, our portfolio was able to financially outperform standard benchmarks including the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average," said Bishop. "We felt well prepared for the competition through our coursework, and were thrilled to have the chance to prove the financial viability of our portfolio to the panel of judges."

The Presidio team developed an investment portfolio of publicly traded companies that utilized a counter intuitive approach to standard investment practice. Employing this paradigm shift, they assembled the strongest portfolio from both a financial and sustainability perspective.

SustaInvest is a portfolio pitch competition focused on maximizing profitability and sustainability in investment decisions. Portfolios are judged for an understanding of the interdependence among business, society and the environment, by the SustaInvest Advisory Council. Judges included: Dr. Mark Milstein, director of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University; Mr. Peter S. Knight, Esq, president, Generation Investment Management; and Cody Dankes Burk, principal analyst for the Cornell University Endowment Office.

"It is an honor to have our students' work recognized by the SustaInvest competition at Cornell," said Jay Ogilvy, Dean, Presidio School of Management. "It validates our mission to develop leaders who have the skills, attributes and courage to implement sustainable ideas in the business world. We applaud the innovative approach the students applied to this winning portfolio."

Presidio School of Management was one of the first and remains one of the only schools in the country offering an MBA in Sustainable Management. It teaches integrated bottom-line sustainability principles that serve as the foundation for a strategic commitment to sustainability, which has been proven to increase every aspect of shareholder value. More than a dozen studies completed over the last two years have found that companies that behave in more sustainable ways have benefited through increased profits and market share and been able to drive innovation, attract the best talent and reduce costs and risks.

The students are scheduled to complete their MBA degrees at Presidio School of Management this May.

About Presidio School of Management
Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, California offers innovative graduate education in sustainable management including an MBA, MPA and Executive Program. Started in 2003, Presidio features faculty members who are noted scholars and practitioners in sustainable business. Students and graduates of the programs use proven sustainable management theory with practical experience to enable organizations to implement systemic changes for improving the way they do business and interact with their stakeholders. Presidio School of Management is an affiliate of Alliant International University, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). For more information, please visit http://www.presidiomba.org

Presidio Graduate School

Presidio Graduate School

Founded in 2002, Presidio Graduate School (PGS) is a values-driven graduate school offering MBA, MPA, and Dual MBA/MPA degree programs and Professional Certificates in Sustainable Solutions. All courses in the first of its kind curriculum integrate social justice, environmental responsibility, and systems thinking.

A world-class faculty academy of full and part-time scholar-practitioners possess subject matter expertise across the full spectrum of sustainability disciplines. With over 1900 business and public administration alumni at the forefront of the field, PGS is a global hub for sustainability innovation and regenerative impact, helping forge a new definition of the common good at the intersection of for-profit and for-benefit. Learn more about PGS programs, people, and impact at presidio.edu.

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