Johns Hopkins University hires first CIO for endowment, pension fund

Kathryn Crecelius was named the first CIO at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, responsible for managing investments for the school's $2.2 billion endowment and $300 million pension fund, said Jim McGill, senior vice president for finance and administration. She will join the university by Oct. 1. William E. Snow Jr., treasurer at Johns Hopkins, had managed the investments, but he plans to retire in two years and suggested the university hire a CIO and expand its investment staff. Ms. Crecelius was managing director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, which has $7 billion in endowment and pension fund assets; she managed a $1.6 billion portfolio of marketable alternative investments. Ms. Crecelius said MIT hasn't "had a chance to do anything one way or another" to replace her yet. At Johns Hopkins, Ms. Crecelius will report directly to Mr. McGill. Her top priorities will be to hire an investment staff of up to six professionals and review the asset allocation of the endowment and pension fund. Ms. Crecelius will help us "think through what our investment objectives are, but we (also) want investment performance that is very competitive," Mr. McGill said. "When people think of the Johns Hopkins investment operations, we want them to think of it as first rate," Mr. McGill said. Executive search firm Higdon Barrett assisted with the search, Mr. McGill said.