Christopher J. Ailman

Christopher Ailman has been the chief investment officer of CalSTRS since October 2000. He leads an investment staff of more than 200 and oversees a portfolio valued at $304.9 billion as of August 31, 2022​​​​. He has more than 37 years of institutional investment experience.

He has served on several boards and advisory boards in the U.S. and U.K. He represents institutional investors on the MSCI Index Editorial Advisory Board, the PRI Asset Owners Advisory Committee, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Investor Advisory Group and the Toigo Foundation. He is the chair of the 300 Club and co-chair of the Milken Global Capital Markets Committee. In 2016, he was part of the first cohort to achieve a Fundamentals of Sustainable Accounting (FSA) credential.

Ailman is recognized as one of the top CIOs both in the U.S. and globally. He has received numerous awards and recognitions: the Institute for Fiduciary Education’s CIO of the Year in 2000, the Richard Stoddard Award for service in the investment of public pensions in 2003, the Distinguished Service Award for Advancement of Latinos in Business from the New American Alliance in 2006, and Institutional Investor magazine’s Large Public Fund Manager of the Year Award in 2011. In 2013, aiCIO magazine named Ailman the No. 3 CIO in the world and Investment Innovator of the Year. In 2017, Ailman received Institutional Investor magazine’s first Lifetime Achievement Award; and in 2018, he was named the top CIO in the world by Chief Investment Officer magazine. He is a regular guest on television and radio and is frequently quoted in major financial publications.

Ailman has a Bachelor of Arts in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his certified financial planner designation from the University of Southern California. He is married with three daughters and is a committed Promise Keeper.