Alexandra Cooley

Alexandra “Ali” Cooley is an entrepreneur focused on financial innovations to scale the adoption of clean energy. Ali co-founded Greenworks Lending in 2015 and has served as CIO, COO, and CFO from its inception through its acquisition by Nuveen in April 2021, where it was rebranded to Nuveen Green Capital. Ali has overseen the organization’s exceptional growth from lending in one to over 40 states, from 0 to nearly 600 individual assets, from two to over 80 professionals, and raised over $3 billion in assets under management. Prior to co-founding Greenworks, Ali oversaw and managed the development of over $100 million in innovative financial products to deploy clean energy by leveraging private capital at the Connecticut Green Bank, the nation’s first green bank.

Ali has received numerous awards for her entrepreneurship and for her work scaling C-PACE from a small handful of state-level programs to an institutional asset class. In 2024, Ali was named a “Notable Leader in Finance” by Crain’s New York, as well as a GlobeSt. “Woman of Influence” in the Finance category. In addition, she received the prestigious Pensions and Investments “Influential Women in Institutional Investing” award. She was also named a “One to Watch” in the NYREJ (New York Real Estate Journal) 2023 Leader Spotlight. Additionally, Ali and Nuveen Green Capital co-founder, Jessica Bailey were jointly recognized for “CRE’s Best Bosses” by GlobeSt. in 2023, as well as “50 Most Important Figures of Commercial Real Estate Finance” by Commercial Observer in 2022 and 2025. Ali was named to CRE Finance Council’s “20 Under 40” in 2022. In 2021, as CIO, Ali oversaw Nuveen Green Capital’s first 144A bond issuance (CPACE 2021-1), which was awarded GlobalCapital’s Esoteric ABS Deal of the Year.

Ali graduated with a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA/MEM from Yale University. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Center for Business and Environment at Yale.