(Art by Tim Bower)Carmen
Heredia-Lopez, current CIO of Chicago Teachers Pension Fund, has been tapped to
lead the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s $8.3 billion portfolio.
According
to the foundation, Heredia-Lopez will begin her post on December 1, 2014. As
director of investments, she will report to Vice President and CIO Joel
Wittenberg.
At the
Battle Creek, Michigan-based philanthropy, she will be responsible for “driving
further development of the foundation’s mission-driven investment strategy and
managing emerging diversity-owned firm work and diversified assets,” the
foundation said.
Working
towards diversifying a not so diverse industry has been central to
Heredia-Lopez’s career.
The CIO
is an alumna of the Robert Toigo Foundation and is heavily involved with the
organization through mentoring and speaking at events.
“As
women, we always question our quantitative ability,” she told CIO last year. “’Should I be here? What
am I doing here?’ But I’m not afraid of math: I can do it. And foundations like
Toigo give you that confidence.”
Heredia-Lopez
has been at the helm of the $10.8 billion Chicago Teachers Pension Fund since
January of 2013. Prior to taking over the CIO position, she served as the
fund’s director of investments for two-and-a-half years.
She
also worked as an investment analyst at the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
for more than four years after spending a decade in asset management and
investment banking.
Heredia-Lopez
holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a
bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She is also a Chartered Financial
Analyst.
(Art by Tim Bower)Carmen
Heredia-Lopez, current CIO of Chicago Teachers Pension Fund, has been tapped to
lead the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s $8.3 billion portfolio.