Individual Bios

Chip Hollands, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Chip Hollands has been with Calvert Foundation since June 2005. He is responsible for all finance and accounting, budgeting and planning, and treasury/liquidity functions, as well as human resources and administration.

Prior to joining Calvert Foundation, Chip spent his career in finance and strategy at large corporations, primarily in the energy and media sectors. Most recently, he served as Treasurer of National Energy Group. Chip received a BA in Economics from Hamilton College and an MBA in Finance from the University of Miami. He and his wife Elisa live in Virginia with their two daughters.

What/who inspires you?

I am inspired by people who give a genuine effort in whatever they undertake – job, family, friends and other relationships, non-work activities, community, etc.

The almost-cliché is that we are all inspired by people who overcome great odds to achieve something grand. Yes, that inspires me too.

But I am also inspired by people who go to work every day and give an honest effort in performing their jobs. I am inspired by people who care enough to be good partners to their spouses, loyal friends to their friends, and good neighbors in their community. I am inspired by the person who plays hard on every single point of the squash match, the kid who studies diligently for the mid-term, the parent who tries to nurture their child, and the accountant who takes pride that every entry in the general ledger is done accurately.

Trying to do things the right way, trying to do everything the right way, that’s what inspires me.

What is your favorite song?

My favorite music paints a picture in my mind or creates a strong emotion – and the “best of the best” do both. This translates into an eclectic list of favorites and related emotions, including the majesty of Mahler’s “Resurrection Symphony,” the gritty reality of Bruce Springsteen’s “The River,” the fun of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” and the ummm, brazenness of Aretha Franklin’s “Doctor Feelgood.” But my all-time favorite is the old Jean Ritchie song called “The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore”. Many artists have covered this tune, but my favorite version is by Michelle Shocked.

The song creates such a mental image of the hardscrabble life in a rural coal mining town, where the coal dust covers you from head to toe and ultimately kills you from black lung disease. Where you don’t get paid in cash, but instead must use scrip to buy goods at the overpriced company store. Where “learning your letters” is a sought-after education. And where, ultimately, this difficult life is still far better than the hopeless poverty that ensues if the mines shut down because the L & N Railroad decides to no longer stop at your town to pick up coal. (Click here for the full lyrics.)