WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California State Teachers’ Retirement System announced Kirsty Jenkinson has been hired as the director of corporate governance and will start in January 2019. Ms. Jenkinson replaces Anne Sheehan, who retired in March of this year.
Ms. Jenkinson comes to CalSTRS from Wespath Benefits and Investments in Illinois, where she has led Wespath’s sustainable investment strategies team since 2014. She also directs Wespath’s environmental, social, governance (ESG) integration, corporate engagement, portfolio screening and proxy voting activities.
“Ms. Jenkinson brings great value to CalSTRS via her stellar experience and rich global perspective,” said CalSTRS Chief Executive Officer Jack Ehnes. “CalSTRS commitment to long-term sustainability for California’s educators is bolstered by having Kirsty onboard.”
At CalSTRS, Ms. Jenkinson will lead an ESG portfolio of more than $4.1 billion. “Kirsty is the ideal person to lead CalSTRS’ ESG investment policies into the future,” said CalSTRS Chief Investment Officer Christopher J. Ailman. “It is a high-performing team forged by her predecessor, Anne Sheehan, and I’m confident Kirsty is poised to lead our ESG efforts as we grow, adapt and change to meet the investment challenges ahead.”
“It has been an honor to work with Wespath, and I feel privileged to lead the dynamic team at CalSTRS, one of the world’s most respected leaders in ESG investing and corporate governance,” said Ms. Jenkinson. “I fully support CalSTRS’ mission and vision as a long-term institutional investor, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the talented investments team and the plethora of portfolio companies to shape the future of ESG investing and positively contribute to the financial futures of California educators.”
Prior to Wespath, Ms. Jenkinson was director of the markets and enterprise program at the World Resources Institute (WRI), a Washington, D.C.-based global research organization. She spent eight years as a director of governance and sustainable investment at F&C Asset Management (now BMO Global Asset Management) and six years in the fixed income division of Goldman Sachs International in London. Ms. Jenkinson currently sits on the board of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre; the Investor Advisory Group of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB); and WRI’s Sustainable Investment Advisory Council. She received a master’s degree in International History from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
About CalSTRS:
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System, with a portfolio valued at $229 billion as of September 30, 2018, is the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. CalSTRS serves California’s more than 933,000 public school educators and their families from the state’s 1,700 school districts, county offices of education and community college districts. A hybrid retirement system, CalSTRS administers a combined traditional defined benefit, cash balance and voluntary defined contribution plan. CalSTRS also provides disability and survivor benefits. CalSTRS members retire on average after more than 25 years of service, with a median retirement age of 62.9, and a monthly pension of approximately $4,475, which is not eligible for Social Security participation. For more data, download the CalSTRS Fast Facts 2017 brochure.
See how CalSTRS demonstrates its strong commitment to long-term corporate sustainability principles in its annual Global Reporting Initiative sustainability report: Global Stewardship at Work.
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