Ashley Baum
Managing Director, Head of Special Opportunities, Texas Teachers
Ashley Baum leads Special Opportunities for the Investment Division of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (“TRS”), a 7-person cross-asset team she founded in 2013. Her team partners internally and with external hedge fund, public equity and credit relationships; approximately one-half of the portfolio is available for single-name or thematic co-investment. Ms. Baum also serves on the Management Committee. Ms. Baum started in External Private Markets, focusing on private equity, real estate, and special situation/credit investments. Ms. Baum's TRS Career also includes 2 years as Chief of Staff to then-CIO Britt Harris and leading the 2014 Strategic Asset Allocation Study. Before joining TRS, she worked in Transaction Services for PwC. Ashley began her career in accounting policy at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). Ms. Baum graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Business Honors and an MPA in Accounting. She is a CFA charterholder and CPA. Ashley was recently appointed to the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (“FASAC”) to advise the FASB Board on matters related to establishing accounting rules. She is a Founding Circle Member of Women in Private Credit (“WIPC”) and is actively involved with Alternative Investment Management Association (“AIMA”). She has been named as a Next Gen (2018) and Forty Under Forty (2017) by Chief Investment Officer, a Public Plan Rising Star (2016) by Institutional Investor, and a Koza Leadership Fellow by PREA (2010).
