Institutional Investor held the second annual AlphaEdge Recognition Dinner on the evening of June 26th, to celebrate distinguished leaders within the allocator community. As part of Institutional Investor Week at the Newport Marriott in Newport, RI, II recognized individuals for their work in contributions to – and achievements in – advancing the field of portfolio construction, teamwork, and leadership.
Roz Hewsenian, former Chief Investment Officer of Helmsley Trust, presented the Alpha Edge Recognition for the Most Influential Women in Investment Management category and Visionary of the Year. The honorees represent a diverse spectrum of expertise and innovation within the industry. Their visionary approaches and strategic acumen have significantly influenced the landscape of portfolio construction, setting new standards of excellence.
Join us in celebrating the following recipients, whose dedication and commitment have left an indelible mark on the allocator community:
Spotlight on this year's Recipients:
Benjamin Holthus is Senior Investment Analyst and co-leads the Real Assets at the Montgomery County Employees Retirement Fund. Recently, he has designed and implemented a co-investment process for private infrastructure funds and is also responsible for managing that co-investment portfolio.
Read Ben's story: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."
Ning Wang is Principal Investment Manager at the American Chemical Society, where she manages the endowment pools, DB pensions, and DC pensions across all asset classes. She thinks that the higher cost of capital will likely reshape many investment playbooks and as a professional allocator, she is firmly focused on the decade ahead - continuously assessing whether strategies are well positioned for the next decade amidst decarbonization, digitalization, and deglobalization trends.
Erik Ogren is the Managing Director of Investments at Carnegie Mellon University, where he supports the $3.8 billion endowment across all asset classes as a generalist. He assumed this role eight years ago, following a diverse career in investing, investment banking, and advisory firms. Over the last 8 years, he has worked alongside CIO Charles Kennedy.
Read Erik's story: "Incentives matter."
Recognized in the category of Next Generation Recognitions, Jarad Vary is Investment Portfolio Manager at Carilion Clinic, where he is responsible for due diligence and analysis of public market investments for the hospital system's $2 billion portfolio. If he weren’t an allocator, he would still be a journalist. One change he would make is to continue the industry’s progress on diversity and inclusion.
Read Jarad's story: "I'm grateful that I get to do what I love, on behalf of a cause I believe in."
Preet has traversed the investment management industry, working across Fund of Funds, a consulting firm and two foundations. In June 2021, he joined Carnegie Corporation of New York’s $4 billion foundation where he further diversified his investing range, spanning hedge funds, private credit and venture investments.
Read Preet's story.
Bill’s education and work has spanned the globe, enabling him to bring multifaceted perspectives to his work at Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (MassPRIM). Bill joined MassPRIM in 2016 and now directs the investment activities for the $9 billion Portfolio Completion allocation.
Read Bill's story: "Patience is increasingly the key ingredient that sets apart durable wins from hasty speculations."
Anupam is a Director within the Investments Office at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which he joined in December 2015. He serves as a generalist across asset classes, helping to oversee the institution’s long-term investment assets and pursue its mission of ending cancer for life. If he weren’t in investment management, he would be an oncologist.
Read Anupam's story.
Waymond has risen through the ranks at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan since he first joined the $11 billion Detroit-based insurance company in October 2012, progressing from investment analyst to his current role as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. He feels the biggest challenge facing the industry is asset allocation and the investment community as a whole. As everyone chases alpha, it disappears over time, so it’s incumbent on us to have new and additional resources. However, having grown the internal team, he is able to develop their investment thesis, understand the market, and implement investments quickly and succinctly.
Read Waymond's story: "Trust the process."
Yokasta Segura-Baez is the Managing Director of Investor Relations & Fundraising at ArcLight Partners, a 23-year-old infrastructure investment firm. Collaboration has been a cornerstone of Yokasta’s distinguished career – firstly at Ardian, then Pantheon Ventures, Campbell Lutyens, Capital Dynamics, and finally, ArcLight . Yokasta has built upon her interest in developing a culture of inclusivity, serving as a member of the Diversity or D&I Committee at each asset manager.
Read Yokasta's story: "Patience and perseverance are key for success."
As Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Drexel University, Cathy Ulozas is leveraging her perspective in education to continue the work of founder Anthony Drexel. If she wasn’t as allocator, Cathy would be an airline pilot today.
Read Cathy's story: "Having transparency and communication with investment managers is critical. Hope should not be our only strategy."
Valerie is an industry veteran, having held the role of President and CEO since 2004. Today, she oversees the investment of over $15 billion in assets held by DuPont Company plans.
Read Valerie's story: "My success reflects the strength of my team and all the great advice from my mentors. I wouldn’t be here without all of you."
Anastasia has been with New York State Common Retirement Fund for 13 years. Anastasia started out in the hedge fund portfolio eventually being promoted to first Deputy Chief Investment Officer and then to Chief Investment Officer. She has been in the role for 6 years making her one of the longest-tenured CIO of the largest funds.
Read Anastasia's story: "Retirement security is important, and it’s an honor and a privilege to be able to help achieve that for more than a million people."
Harisha heads into her twentieth year at Northwestern University’s endowment as Managing Director of the $14 billion endowment since 2005. At Northwestern, she spends the majority of her time on the private and public equity portfolios and as a member of the leadership team her responsibilities include asset allocation, endowment strategy, risk management and internal manager approvals as a member of the internal investment committee.
Read Harisha's story: "My overarching principal is that there are many ways to make money; your strategy to generate returns should be bespoke to your institution. FOMO and herding are distractions."
Sarah has traversed the industry, alternating between asset management, investing as an asset owner, and her current role in consulting. In her current role, she leads the $1.7 trillion consultant’s 45-person investment team and partners with clients in the endowment/foundation, family office, healthcare, corporate, and public fund space.
Read Sarah's story: "The power of capital is tremendous."
Shepard translated her French skills to rise from secretary to her current role as Head of Investments at the Inter-American Development Bank’s retirement Plans. Today, she manages over $7.5 billion in five retirement plans invested across 16 asset classes. Outside of her work in investment management, she coaches mid-career women to help identify their skills, goals and opportunities – and build a network of partners.
Read Shepard's story: "It’s up to each of us to decide every day how we will live."
Nimisha has had a global career that has spanned the GP and LP side. After she received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Operations Research from Carnegie Mellon, she worked in sales and trading for Deutsche Bank, then pivoting to the institutional investment industry. She worked in various research and asset allocation roles at Segal Marco Advisors; KAUST Investment Management Company. She joined WTW a decade ago and oversees over $4 trillion in AUA globally – and manages over $170 billion in assets under management.
Read Nimisha's story: "The more diverse the thinking, backgrounds and perspective are, the bolder the decisions will be."
Nimisha has had a global career that has spanned the GP and LP side. After she received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Operations Research from Carnegie Mellon, she worked in sales and trading for Deutsche Bank, then pivoting to the institutional investment industry. She worked in various research and asset allocation roles at Segal Marco Advisors; KAUST Investment Management Company. She joined WTW a decade ago and oversees over $4 trillion in AUA globally – and manages over $170 billion in assets under management.
Read Meredith's story: "I have been so fortunate to learn from and be mentored by so many smart, talented people in our industry; I try to pay that forward when I can."
Kate is a lawyer by training and experience. Before she assumed her current role at Harvard Management Company, she spent 16 years as an attorney at Goodwin Procter LLP. At Harvard Management Company (HMC), she has been Managing Director of Sustainable Investing and Chief Compliance Officer for 18 years. At the $50.7 billion endowment in Boston, she oversees regulatory and legal matters relating to HMC’s investment activities, and collaborated with Harvard University to become the first U.S. university endowment signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment and Harvard’s more recent pledge to make its endowment portfolio net zero of greenhouse gas emission by 2050.
Read Kate's story: "Cast a wide net in both recruiting and manager selection to ensure your talent is the best in the industry."
Ghiané Jones is Deputy Chief Investment Officer at the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois. At the $69.5 billion public pension system, she oversees its newly established Chicago office and the Investments team.
Read Ghiané's story: "Investing prudently requires a strong team, and our collaboration is critical to helping us drive returns for our members."
Ashley is the Director of Special Opportunities for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. She heads a 7-person cross-asset team she founded in 2013 to opportunistically deploy capital in areas the Trust might otherwise miss. Ashley joined the TRS in October 2007 in External Private Markets, focusing on private equity, real asset, and special situation/credit investments.
Read Ashley's story: "At the end of the day, it’s about taking care of people."
Kristin is Chief Investment Officer at Lehigh University, where she manages the $2 billion endowment, to ensure financial support for major initiatives and the university's broader mission.
Read Kristin's story: "I was the first in my family to attend college and greatly benefited from financial aid, so it is wonderful to help play a role in making that possible for other students."
May is the Vice President of Treasury & Chief Investment Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, a role she came to through treasury positions at chemical manufacturer Ecolab, apparel and fashion provider G&K Services, and Lawson Software. If she weren’t an allocator, May would be a fashion designer in Paris or New York, doing couture, a career she attempted twice.
Read May's story: "Embrace your authenticity and let your voice be heard."
Kavita Nayar is a specialist of private investments. After she finished her undergrad at Stanford University, she received her master’s degree from Yale University. She spent 11 years as Vice President at Goldman Sachs in London and New York. In 2010, she joined Duke Management Company (now DUMAC) as Investment Manager (Private Investments). About 12 years ago, she assumed her current role out of Durham, North Carolina. She leads a team of seven investment professionals allocating across asset classes including venture capital, private equity, real estate, and natural resources.
David Sheng joined Aksia in 2018 and is currently the Managing Director overseeing the alternative investment programs in the Americas. He is an industry veteran with 17 years of experience in alternative investments. Coming from a family of professors, David uses his passion for education and knowledge as a guiding value.
Read David's story: "Live in the moment and embrace the future."
Cheryl is a true collaborator as the Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of the Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund. Since joining the $3.6 billion public pension fund in October 2004, she has managed an internal organization to execute benefits, investments, and financial and communication programs for the fund’s 15,000+ members. Cheryl is a champion of inclusion, ensuring people have the opportunity to serve and grow. She emphasizes, "We need to look around and see who the future leaders of this industry are."
Read Cheryl's story.
Dan Revers is the founder of ArcLight and has over three decades of energy finance and private equity experience. At the $8 billion infrastructure investment firm, he oversees the overall investment, asset management, strategic planning, and operations – and its funds. Prior to forming ArcLight in 2000, he was a Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Group at John Hancock Financial Services, where he was responsible for the origination, execution, and management of a $6 billion portfolio consisting of debt, equity, and mezzanine investments in the energy industry.
Read Dan's story.
Andrea is the Managing Director focused on private debt at the $160.6 billion Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). She first joined AIMCo as a Senior Associate, then rose through the ranks to become a Senior Portfolio Manager, Director, and, most recently, Managing Director. At AIMCo, Andrea is responsible for managing a portfolio predominately comprised of U.S. middle market leveraged loans and select other private credit investments.
Read Andrea's story: "Maintain discipline."
Ngoc currently serves as Senior Director of Co-investments at the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS). At the $40 billion public pension fund in Austin, Ngoc oversees the $2 billion direct co-investment portfolio and has led the underwriting of $900 million in private equity, private credit, and co-investment commitments.
Read Ngoc's story: "The private equity industry stands at the forefront of opportunity and innovation. This is a moment to lead and unlock new potentials."
The Treasurer has led a life of public service, having been re-elected twice. During his tenure, he launched Illinois Secure Choice, a retirement savings program designed "to help an estimated 1.2 million private-sector workers who do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan retire with dignity.” A tangible change he advocates for is to increase disclosure and access to information. Joining the Treasurer representing the Illinois State Treasurer is Chief Investment Officer Joe Aguilar. One thing that he thinks the industry should improve on is the cross channel and industry collaboration to solve sector and portfolio problems.
Read the Treasurer's story: "The private equity industry stands at the forefront of opportunity and innovation. This is a moment to lead and unlock new potentials."
