James H. Grossman Jr., Chief Investment Officer at the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS), is a finalist for a national award honoring outstanding pension fund management.
The CIO Innovation Awards recognize chief investment officers, managers and firms for their financial stewardship of institutional funds. The awards, now in their 10th year, are sponsored by Chief Investment Officer (CIO) Magazine, a trade publication covering public and corporate pension plans, endowments, foundations, healthcare capital pools, and sovereign wealth funds.
The publication received hundreds of nominations in various award categories. The 2019 finalists were selected by CIO’s panel of past winners and consultants.
Mr. Grossman is one of five finalists in the category covering Public Defined Benefit Funds with assets between $20 billion and $100 billion. PSERS’ assets currently total about $57.7 billion.
In naming Mr. Grossman as a finalist, CIO Managing Editor Christine Giordano wrote in an email: “Your name rose to the top of our list when we chiseled the 600 nominations down to about 70 CIOS because people believe you are someone to be learned from.”
Mr. Grossman, a CPA and a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder, has led PSERS’ investment division since 2013. In that position, he oversees the management and administration of PSERS’ investment program, which funds most of the retirement benefits for 500,000 active and retired school employees. Mr. Grossman’s team is comprised of 45 employees, including operations and risk management professionals, as well as front-line investment professionals who manage portfolios or work with outside consultants in traditional and non-traditional assets classes.
“Whoever nominated me for this prestigious award, thank you,” Mr. Grossman said. “But this nomination has less to do with me than it does the team spirit that permeates PSERS. We are blessed with a stable and accomplished team of investment professionals and supportive stakeholders, including the members, Commonwealth policymakers, and our dedicated Board of Trustees and Executive Director Glen Grell.”
The award winners will be announced at a Dec. 12 ceremony and conference in New York City.