Director of Special Opportunities, Investment Management Division, Teacher Retirement System of Texas (“TRS”)
Ashley Baum is the Director of Special Opportunities in the Investment Management Division for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (“TRS”). She heads a 7-person cross-asset team she founded in 2013 to opportunistically deploy capital in areas the Trust might otherwise miss. She also serves on the Management Committee. Her team partners internally and with external hedge fund, public equity and credit relationships; approximately 55% of the portfolio is available for single-name or thematic co-investment. Ashley joined the Investment Division of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (“TRS”) in October 2007 in External Private Markets, focusing on private equity, real asset, and special situation/credit investments. Ms. Baum transitioned into the Investment Executive Division from 2010 to 2013 where she served as Chief of Staff to then-CIO Britt Harris. She also led TRS’ 2014 Strategic Asset Allocation Study.
Before joining TRS, she worked as a Senior Associate in Transaction Services in San Francisco for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ashley began her career in accounting policy research as a Postgraduate Technical Assistant at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). Ms. Baum has a BBA in Business Honors and Accounting and an MPA in Accounting, both with Highest Honors, from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a CFA charterholder and holds her CPA license in Texas.