WM Endowment Investor Named Manager of the Year

By Amber Lester Kennedy Thursday, April 07, 2011

Brian Hiestand

Brian Hiestand, chief investment officer for the College of William and Mary Foundation, has been named “Small Endowment Manager of the Year” by Institutional Investor magazine.

The award recognizes institutional investors who, through innovative strategies, yielded impressive results for their employers. The editorial staff of the magazine chose winners based on their market intelligence, performance data and additional information received from the industry following a call for nominations.

“We are very proud of Brian,” said President Taylor Reveley. “Wise investing is crucially important to the preservation and growth of endowments. And endowments have never been more important to the success of public colleges and universities than they are in today’s world of declining state support. We are very fortunate to have Brian Hiestand at the William & Mary Foundation. He is one of the best.”

Hiestand, who joined the Foundation in 2005, is the first chief investment officer to oversee all of the investment management functions for the endowment, including asset allocation, manager selection and review.

As the economy has struggled, William and Mary’s investment results for the endowment have been strong. As of June 30, 2010, the consolidated endowment totaled $539.5 million.

Hiestand credited his talented team in a press release, and noted, “I am privileged to be a part of it all.” He will be honored and awarded at a dinner and ceremony on May 16 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City.