April 5, 2023
Nashville, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University’s Office of Investments (OoI) is proud to announce the hiring of four investment managers and the promotion of one investment analyst to investment manager. Brendan Sullivan, Rashad McCloud, Nichole Burnap and Liz Anderson have joined the OoI team, with start dates ranging from July 2022 to March 2023. Ethan Sun, previously an investment analyst, began his new role as an investment manager in January.
Anders Hall, chief investment officer and vice chancellor of investments, said, “We are excited to welcome Brendan, Rashad, Nichole and Liz to the OoI team. These new hires bring a wealth of experience and skills that enhance our capabilities and help us achieve our investment goals. We are also thrilled to promote Ethan, who has become an integral part of the investment team as a contributor to our investment research and decision-making processes. He is a terrific colleague with a deep understanding of our investment philosophy.”
Sullivan joined the office in July 2022 and brings 15 years of direct public equities and private equity experience. Before Vanderbilt, he was a managing director for a large family office in New York, where he focused on long/short public equities. Before that, Sullivan was a private equity investment analyst where he sourced investment opportunities and managed several portfolio companies.
McCloud joined in October 2022 and has more than a decade of experience in the investment industry. His extensive understanding of credit risk management and leveraged finance make him an excellent addition to OoI. Before his career in investments, McCloud was a naval submarine officer.
Burnap and Anderson, who both started in March 2023, bring diverse backgrounds in investment management and research.
Burnap has over 14 years of experience in equity investments, having previously served as head of equity investments on the Special Opportunities Team at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and as an equity analyst at Glenview Capital and Kynikos Associates.
Anderson brings over a decade of experience in hedge funds and alternative investments. Before joining Vanderbilt, she served as a principal at Winston Partners, where she was responsible for analyzing and monitoring domestic and international long/short equity strategies. Anderson was also an investment analyst at Duke University’s investment office, where she previously worked with Hall.
Overall, the new hires and promotion demonstrate OoI’s commitment to attracting and retaining top talent in the investment industry. They join a team that is responsible for investing the endowment in a diversified portfolio of assets, including public equities, fixed income, private equity, venture capital, real estate and natural resources. Vanderbilt’s endowment was valued at more than $10 billion as of June 30, 2022, up from less than $3.5 billion a decade ago.
“Our endowment is a critical resource that supports the university’s mission of creating knowledge and educating future leaders,” Hall said. “Building a strong team like the one we now have in place is vital to continue delivering strong returns to support that mission.”