Paula Volent, Bowdoin College’s chief investment officer, announced she will leave her post June 30, 2021, at the end of the current academic year, to pursue the next chapter in what has been a varied and tremendously successful career at the College.
“It has been a great honor to oversee Bowdoin’s endowment,” said Volent.
“I love the College and its mission, and I am proud to have been able to contribute to Bowdoin’s position as one of our country’s great liberal arts colleges. This was a difficult decision, but after more than twenty years, I am excited about writing a new chapter and taking on new challenges.”
When Volent took on her position in the summer of 2000, Bowdoin’s endowment stood at just over $465 million; in the year ended June 30, 2020, the endowment had gained 5.9 percent, growing to $1.8 billion, providing nearly $72 million to the annual operations of the College last year, including $33 million for need-based financial aid.
“Paula and her team have produced remarkable investment returns for Bowdoin that changed both the trajectory of the College and the lives of thousands of students who benefitted from the financial aid resources generated from its endowment,” said Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose.
“Year in and year out, working with her team and the Investment Committee, Paula has produced consistently outstanding investment returns, outpacing virtually every other college and university endowment in the nation over the short, medium, and long term.”
Volent previously worked for Yale University CIO David Swensen and managed Bowdoin’s endowment alongside billionaire investor and Bowdoin College Investment Committee Chair Stan Druckenmiller, an alumnus of the college.
The financial press has called Volent “one of the savviest investors in the non-profit world” and “a pioneer in a male-dominated field.”
In 2020, Volent was included in Barron’s list of “100 Most Influential Women in US Finance.”
