Alternative Investments Forum (AIF) Names Melissa Waller President of AIF Institute
Former North Carolina Deputy Treasurer to Spearhead Global Investor Education Initiatives
NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternative Investments Forum ("AIF") today announced that veteran institutional investor Melissa Waller has joined the organization as President of its newly formed AIF Institute. The AIF Institute is the branch of AIF dedicated to educating institutional asset owners about the use of alternative investments such as private equity, private credit, hedge funds, real estate, and real assets to achieve their portfolio objectives.
Ms. Waller joins AIF following her service as Deputy Treasurer and Chief of Staff for the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, where she successfully oversaw strategic planning, operations, policy implementation, and a staff of more than 400 employees. The North Carolina Retirement Systems, the pension fund for the state of North Carolina, is the tenth largest public pension fund in the United States with assets in excess of $90 billion.
"I have had the honor of working with Melissa on the successful reimagining and re-launching of the National Institute of Public Finance, as well as the creation of the nation's first Certificate in Public Treasury Management program, in collaboration with Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management," said AIF Founder and CEO Brant Maller. "Melissa is that rare combination of attributes in a manager: thoughtful, gracious, and impactful. We are thrilled to have her serving as a global ambassador for the AIF Institute to further its mission of bringing the best investment ideas, practices, and information to institutional investors throughout the world."
Ms. Waller brings over 20 years of private and public sector financial industry experience to her new role, including 15 years in the banking sector with Wachovia/Wells Fargo. She serves as Executive Program Director for the National Institute of Public Finance, a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of Institutional Investors, and has served as Delegate Vice-Chair for the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) Foundation.
"Ms. Waller has consistently proven to be an innovative, engaging, and effective leader on multiple levels," said Janet Cowell, former North Carolina Treasurer and one of Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute's top 25 global investment professionals. "Her experience, business acumen, and operational oversight are invaluable, and they have been critical to the success of the 26th largest pension fund globally. In addition, I have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Maller over the years on various AIF educational initiatives, and am confident that the combination of their individual abilities and overall commitment to excellence will lead to exceptional results for global institutional investor education."
"I'm delighted to join AIF in this new role," said Ms. Waller. "I have worked extensively with the AIF community and Brant for many years and have always admired AIF's mission of developing partnerships and promoting dialogue within the investment management community."
Ms. Waller continued, "There is such a great need for investor education throughout the world, particularly among public investors who can often be understaffed, underpaid, and geographically isolated from the flow of information. I look forward to leading the global expansion of AIF's investor education initiatives and bringing this valuable learning to investors."
About Alternative Investments Forum
Alternative Investments Forum ("AIF") is an independent economic think tank focusing on institutional investment policy. AIF promotes the exchange of best ideas, practices and information among institutional investors globally to help them achieve their investment objectives. The organization delivers its content through in-person roundtable discussions in global institutional money centers, applied research webinars and bespoke presentations that securely and efficiently deliver information to investors in a practical and actionable form.
AIF includes many of the world's preeminent finance academics as a core component of its model and its Board is chaired by Harvard Business School Professor of Investment Banking Josh Lerner. The total assets under management of AIF's Boards and member organizations exceed $6 trillion. For more information on AIF please visit http://aifglobal.org/.
SOURCE Alternative Investments Forum
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