Meet Our Team
At Fairlight, we are uniquely positioned to combine our investment experience with a strong working knowledge of the nonprofit ecosystem in order to bring targeted and effective solutions to bear on today’s nonprofit needs. We work with both teams and individuals to manage risk and optimize investments so our clients’ time is free to continue their primary social mission.
Fairlight Advisors LLC are accredited Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investment advisors in California and Washington. We oversee more than $135 million in client assets for nonprofits, their leadership teams, and retirement plan participants, and are led by Series 65–licensed professionals focused on the needs of mission-driven organizations.
In 2018, Fairlight co-founded what is now called the Social Impact Advisor Network (SIAN), a community of purpose-driven experts who have come together to help nonprofits and social impact organizations grow and thrive.
Katharine Earhart
Shakespeare was my passion at the University of California, Los Angeles. While I had set out to become a literature professor, my professors encouraged me to join the workforce first before returning to graduate school. That’s when I landed at Charles Schwab, where I found a new passion for educating people about investments, the stock market, and financial planning. I followed that career trajectory for 25+ years, also working for mPower Advisors (an early robo advisory firm for 401k participants), Barclays Global Investors, iShares / BlackRock, and Alesco Advisors. My passion now continues through founding Fairlight.
As a Series 65 investment adviser representative, I co-founded Fairlight Advisors to continue that focus on education and long-term planning for nonprofit organizations and their leaders. I also serve as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of West Coast Angel Network, where I work with other investors to support diverse founders and mission-driven companies.
Maya Lis Tussing
“I take great satisfaction in creating solutions for nonprofits and individuals.”
I had every intention of attending medical school after Pomona College, but when I took a job working on a trading desk for Transamerica, I knew I’d never become a doctor. Instead, I went on to business school at the University of Washington to embark on a career in financial services. In 25 years, I honed my experience in enterprise risk and investment management at corporations such as BlackRock, Barclays Global Investors, Visa, and GE. I take great satisfaction in creating solutions for nonprofits and individuals based on programs deployed at some of the most respected financial services companies in the world.
As a Series 65 investment adviser representative and Co-Founder of Fairlight Advisors, I serve as Chief Compliance Officer and help nonprofit boards, investment committees, and retirement plan sponsors make informed decisions that support both their missions and their financial well-being.
Deborah Finestone
Deborah Finestone joined Fairlight in 2025 and is now our Marketing & Business Development Manager. Her responsibilities include managing and implementing multi-platform marketing campaigns and initiatives, managing vendor relationships, and business development. She also plans and coordinates webinars, events and conference needs, and supports the website and events for the Social Impact Advisor Network, the collective of nonprofit professionals we sponsor.
Before Deborah joined Fairlight, she started her career as a financial market journalist at Bloomberg, Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, and other print news outlets. With a deep knowledge in global fixed-income markets, she transitioned to marketing in the financial services sector and other industries. She spent the last 6 years focusing on social media marketing for nonprofits and small businesses.
Deborah holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Senior Advisors
Chad Spitler
Chad Spitler is the Founder and CEO of Third Economy, a sustainable investment research and advisory firm.
He is best known for helping to build what are now BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship, Sustainable Investing, and Corporate Sustainability teams.
His work helped channel billions of dollars into sustainable investments and catalyzed public companies to integrate long-term thinking into their business strategies.
Vivienne Hsu
Vivienne Hsu is the founder of LENDonate, Inc., a more collaborative financial ecosystem for the nonprofit social sector that gives investors a direct way to expand their impact.
Prior to becoming a full-time social entrepreneur, she spent decades in the financial sector, encompassing investment management, risk modeling, and private banking at U.S. Trust, Charles Schwab Investment Management, and American Century Investments.
She is on the boards of the Los Altos Community Foundation, How Women Lead and Aeris Insights.
Fairlight Advisors Memberships and Affiliations
We stay connected to the nonprofit and professional communities we serve through memberships and affiliations, including:
- CalNonprofits
- Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA)
- Thrive Alliance
- Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance (TVNPA)
- International Women’s Forum
- Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
- ProVisors
- Columbia Tower Club
- West Coast Angel Network
These relationships help us understand the day-to-day realities of nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and the advisors who support them.
