Dallas Police and Fire Pension System Selects Veteran Investment Management Executive as Chief Investment Officer

DALLAS, Aug. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Police & Fire Pension System (DPFP), today announced James A. Perry has been hired as the system's Chief Investment Officer, a newly created position.  Perry brings more than 20 years investment management experience, the past 10 serving in senior investment roles overseeing portfolios of public assets in California and Texas.

In his role as CIO, Perry will oversee all investments in the system's $3.1 billion portfolio.  He is scheduled to start September 1, 2015 and will report to Kelly Gottschalk, Executive Director.

Perry is currently serving as Assistant Vice Chancellor & Assistant CIO for the Texas Tech University System, a $1.1 billion endowment.  Perry, working with the CIO, has been instrumental in restructuring several major asset classes, including private equity and real estate funds, and directly leads investment manager sourcing and due diligence.   

"We are pleased James will be joining the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System," said Gottschalk.  "He has impressive credentials and the relevant experience to lead our portfolio.  We believe he is the right person to lead our investments strategy moving forward and will help us achieve our long-term goals."

Prior to his role with the Texas Tech University System, Perry was a Senior Investment Officer with the San Bernardino County Employees' Retirement Association, which has $8 billion in assets and serves more than 28,500 members, including public safety members.  His responsibilities were broad and included investment manager searches and due diligence, and oversight across all public and private markets, including equity, fixed income, real estate and private equity.  In 2014, Perry received the inaugural Institutional Investor Intelligence Award in the Innovator Award category, covering investment executives in public pension plans and Taft-Hartley plans in North America.

"I am honored to join DPFP and I am committed to working with Kelly and her leadership team and the Board of Trustees to lead the change of direction needed to grow and protect the members' retirement benefits," Perry said.

Perry received his MBA from National University and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences from the University of Houston.  He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.  He also served for over eight years in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Officer and Aviator.

SOURCE Dallas Police and Fire Pension System