Thomas Britton Harris IV

Thomas Britton "Britt" Harris IV is the current chief investment officer of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.[1] In 2013 Harris was announced as the recipient of the aiCIO‍‍ '​‍s Lifetime Achievement Award.[2]

Career

Harris graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in finance in 1980. He began his career at Texas Utilities, leaving to join Asea Brown Boveri. He was then named chief investment officer of Verizon Investment Management, Verizon Communications' employee benefit trust. He subsequently left Verizon to serve as the chief executive officer of Bridgewater Associates, at the time the largest hedge fund in the world.[3] Harris spent only six months at Bridgewater due to a culture fit problem, however Ray Dalio, the firm's founder and chief executive following Harris' departure, noted that "Mr. Harris is a superstar, with an absolutely fantastic character."[4] Following Bridgewater, Harris was appointed chief investment officer of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, Texas' pension plan for public teachers.[5]

Harris is a member of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets[6] and has also served in several leadership positions in the investment community, including chairman of the Council for the Investment of Employee Benefit Assets and an advisor to the New York Stock Exchange. He is currently an executive professor of finance at Texas A&M University and has served as a guest lecturer on investment management and public policy at Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and The University of Texas at Austin.[5][7]

In 2013 Harris was ranked sixth on aiCIO‍‍ '​‍s list of "the most influential and powerful asset owners on earth," falling two places from fourth in the inaugural edition a year earlier.[2][8]

Personal

Harris is married and has four children. He currently lives in Austin, Texas and is an active member in the Christian community.[5][9]

Harris was a participant in the 2012 Bilderberg Meetings.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "TRS 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" (PDF). Teacher Retirement System of Texas. 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "aiCIO Power 100". aiCIO. 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  3. ↑ O'Keefe, Brian (2009-03-18). "Inside the world's biggest hedge fund - Mar. 19, 2009". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  4. ↑ "Bridgewater seeks competitive advantage through lateral thinking". Financial News. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Britt Harris Mays Titans". Mays Titans. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  6. ↑ "Titans of Investing Application". Texas A&M University. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
  7. ↑ "Austin Education: An evening with Britt Harris, CIO of Teacher Retirement System of Texas". Texas Wall Street Women. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  8. ↑ "aiCIO Power 100". aiCIO. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  9. ↑ "Discipleship and the Corporate World" (PDF). Apostles Church NYC. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  10. ↑ "Bilderberg 2012: The Official List of Participants". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved 2013-10-11.