Key Takeaways
- • Hamilton College has appointed Lauren Jacobson as chief investment officer to manage its endowment of more than $1.3 billion, effective November 7.
- • Jacobson currently serves as managing director and co-head of marketables asset classes at Columbia Investment Management Company, where she co-manages $8 billion of investments within a $14 billion endowment.
- • Jacobson succeeds Anne Dinneen, who departed after a seven-year tenure at Hamilton and was named CIO and senior vice president at New York-Presbyterian in April.
- • Hamilton reports top-quartile investment performance among colleges reporting to NACUBO, and its endowment provided $47.2 million, about 30% of operating revenue, in the most recent fiscal year.
Summary
Hamilton College has announced the appointment of Lauren Jacobson as chief investment officer, responsible for managing its more than $1.3 billion endowment. Jacobson will assume the role on November 7, according to the College.
Jacobson currently serves as managing director and co-head of marketables asset classes at Columbia Investment Management Company. In that role she co-manages $8 billion of investments, overseeing the investment process and portfolio management. At Columbia, which manages a $14 billion endowment, she sits on the Portfolio Construction Committee that oversees endowment asset allocation, risk, and firm strategy, and serves on the Investment Advisory Committee for Columbia University's $9 billion Defined Contribution Retirement Plan. Before Columbia, she spent eight years as director of investments at The Rockefeller Foundation and two years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a finance major from the College of William and Mary, class of 2007. Institutional Investor named her a Rising Star in Endowments and Foundations in 2013 and a Rising Star in Hedge Funds in 2018, and her peers selected her as a Class of 2021 NextGen rising star in Chief Investment Officer magazine.
Bob Delaney, vice chair of Hamilton's Board of Trustees and chair of the College's Investment Committee, described Jacobson as "a talented leader and a skilled investor" with a successful track record across asset classes. Jacobson replaces Anne Dinneen, who served seven years at Hamilton before being named chief investment officer and senior vice president at New York-Presbyterian in April.
The College states that its investment performance has consistently ranked in the top quartile among colleges reporting to the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), a group representing roughly 700 U.S. colleges and universities. The endowment comprises more than 1,000 individual funds, with student scholarship aid the largest share. In the most recent fiscal year, the endowment provided $47.2 million, or about 30% of the College's operating revenue. Hamilton practices need-blind admission for first-year domestic applicants and meets the full demonstrated financial need of aid-eligible students.
Jacobson currently serves as managing director and co-head of marketables asset classes at Columbia Investment Management Company. In that role she co-manages $8 billion of investments, overseeing the investment process and portfolio management. At Columbia, which manages a $14 billion endowment, she sits on the Portfolio Construction Committee that oversees endowment asset allocation, risk, and firm strategy, and serves on the Investment Advisory Committee for Columbia University's $9 billion Defined Contribution Retirement Plan. Before Columbia, she spent eight years as director of investments at The Rockefeller Foundation and two years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a finance major from the College of William and Mary, class of 2007. Institutional Investor named her a Rising Star in Endowments and Foundations in 2013 and a Rising Star in Hedge Funds in 2018, and her peers selected her as a Class of 2021 NextGen rising star in Chief Investment Officer magazine.
Bob Delaney, vice chair of Hamilton's Board of Trustees and chair of the College's Investment Committee, described Jacobson as "a talented leader and a skilled investor" with a successful track record across asset classes. Jacobson replaces Anne Dinneen, who served seven years at Hamilton before being named chief investment officer and senior vice president at New York-Presbyterian in April.
The College states that its investment performance has consistently ranked in the top quartile among colleges reporting to the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), a group representing roughly 700 U.S. colleges and universities. The endowment comprises more than 1,000 individual funds, with student scholarship aid the largest share. In the most recent fiscal year, the endowment provided $47.2 million, or about 30% of the College's operating revenue. Hamilton practices need-blind admission for first-year domestic applicants and meets the full demonstrated financial need of aid-eligible students.
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