The University of Illinois Foundation, an independent fundraising organization for all three campuses, named Ellen J. Ellison as its new chief investment officer on Friday, effective Jan. 15.
“I am delighted to join the University of Illinois Foundation at this important juncture and look forward to working closely with President Thomas Farrell and the entire Foundation team,” Ellison said in the release. “It is a particular pleasure to be serving a University with such academic distinction.”
Ellison will head the foundation’s investment team and give advice on subjects such as asset allocation decisions and portfolio management.
“The University of Illinois Foundation is embarking on a new strategy to manage the endowment internally with Ellen Ellison’s appointment,” said Jane P. Donaldson, chair of the UIF Board, in a press release. “The endowment is now of a significant size to merit a strong internal team and we are fortunate to have a person with Ellen’s talent and experience joining us to lead this effort.”
Ellison comes from the University of Miami where she was the executive director of investments. According to the release, Ellison handled multi-class asset investment pools, including university endowment and pension funds that totaled $1.5 billion. She has more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector.
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In 2010, she was ranked #10 of the Business Insider’s “10 Best University Endowment Managers.”
According to the release, she has also served as the chief investment officer at J.I.K. Investment Services, Inc., a family office in Miami, Fla., and as a senior vice president at Fiduciary Trust Company International in both New York and Miami. Ellison also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Ellison received her bachelor’s degree in French literature from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from the Columbia University Business School.
“Ellen Ellison is the right person to develop and lead our endowment management program,” said Thomas J. Farrell, the incoming president of the University of Illinois Foundation, in the release. “She has the talent, experience and skills required to manage these important financial resources, and she will work closely with the Foundation’s Investment Policy Committee in those efforts.”
The combined active endowment for the University of Illinois and the Foundation is currently more than $1.6 billion.
