Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Committees
Purpose
The DEI Steering Committee provides oversight for CFA Institute DEI work. Sub-committees focus on key areas of work.
The DEI Code Sub-committee is responsible for developing and maintaining the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Code. The Research Sub-committee guides and advises on DEI research. The Gender Diversity Sub-committee reviews and supports gender-based programs and the Early Intervention and Education Sub-committee advises on DEI education strategies and programs.
Members
Managing Partner, David Hill Group
Orim Graves is a visionary leader and proven advisor, guide, and implementer of evolutionary growth and transformational change within investment organizations. As the Executive Director of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) for more than ten years, he revolutionized the organization while architecting the vision, strategy, and execution for NASP’s mission of promoting diversity, financial education, investment, and advocacy across the financial services sector. Currently Orim operates an independent consultancy to provide strategic and tactical investment advisory services, ESG integration, market strategy, and diversity equity and inclusion consulting to diverse clients across the global investment sector.
Mr. Graves has more than thirty years of experience in the investment, pension, banking and financial services industries. Recognized as a strategically and analytically effective leader with sound business and investment acumen, an extensive professional network, expert in diversity and inclusion, and the ability to develop and implement effective strategies.
Prior to joining NASP, Mr. Graves was a partner at an investment firm responsible for the firm’s performance evaluation, reporting and risk analysis and was a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Graves also has held positions as a senior member of a leading investment consulting firm, where he provided investment counsel to a number of institutional clients across the country. He specialized in introducing new alternative strategies and innovative managers to the firm’s client base.
Before his work in consulting, Mr. Graves served as deputy chief investment officer for the City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions and Retirement where he provided expertise in investment performance attribution and evaluation, as well as asset allocation strategies specializing in non-traditional asset categories. In addition to his consulting and plan sponsor experience, Mr. Graves previously served as an analyst in the gaming industry and as a fixed income trader for a major multi-national bank.
Mr. Graves currently serves on numerous boards including Dillard University, a historically black university, Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Investment Committee Police and Fire Retirement System City of Detroit among others. Mr. Graves also serves on the CFA Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee and working group. Mr. Graves earne
Founder and CEO of Ailman Advisors
He was the President and Global Head of Investment Management at Nuveen Investments. Prior to Nuveen, Mark served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer for the British Telecom Pension Scheme (BTPS), the largest institutional investor in the UK. In addition, Mark was the CEO of Hermes Pensions Management in London, an asset management company wholly owned by the BTPS. Prior to joining BTPS, he served as the Chief Investment Officer of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest institutional investor in the United States.
Mark is currently a Trustee, Member of the Committee, and Chair of the Investment Committee of the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust. He also serves on the Law Board of the Northwestern University School of Law, Board of PanAgora Asset Management, and the Board of Directors of the Toigo Foundation. He is the only person to serve on the Board of Governors for both CFA Institute and the CAIA Association. He was an inaugural member of the SEC Investor Advisory Committee and the Chairman of the Board for the International Corporate Governance Network.
Mark has published over 90 investment articles in professional journals and has won three Best Paper Awards. He is the author of five financial textbooks including the Handbook of Alternative Assets, which is the primary textbook used for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst program. He has also received several industry awards in recognition of his leadership in asset management including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Pension Fund Management from Plan Sponsor and the CAIA Leadership Award from the CAIA Association. Mark earned a BA in economics and chemistry from St. Olaf College, a PhD and master's in finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a JD from Northwestern University School of Law, all with honors. Mark has earned the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Certified Public Accountant, and Chartered Global Management Accountant professional degrees, and he is a member of the New York and Illinois Bar Associations.
Ms. Ayodele is a seasoned executive with experience in the financial services, technology and real estate sectors. Prior to joining the Comptroller’s office, Ms. Ayodele most recently served as a Principal with Harpia Asset Management, a mission-driven real estate investment and development company and co-founded Thando Holdings, a global fashion and technology company focused on creating a global platform for African artists and their fashion products.
In 2015, Forbes named her one of the 10 Emerging Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in Africa. Prior to founding Thando Holdings, she served as a Principal of TW Advisory, a boutique small business advisory practice. Ms. Ayodele began her career at Blaylock Van, LLC, (BRV), Wall Street's longest continuously operated African American investment banking and financial services company. She previously served as Director of the Office of Executive Initiatives at the New York State Dormitory Authority (DASNY), New York State’s public finance and construction authority.
She currently serves on the board of the Toigo Foundation, the NYU Global Libraries and is a Trustee Emeritus of New York University (2015-2021), The Guyana Economic Development Trust (2018-2021), and New Jersey SEEDS (2017-2019). Ms. Ayodele earned a BA in Economics from New York University and an MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
Before joining Girls Who Invest, Katherine was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and the National Director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, the firm’s largest-ever philanthropic initiative to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing access to education, capital, and business support services. Prior, Katherine was the Director of Organizational Development and Effectiveness at ONE, an advocacy organization co-founded by Bono and other activists to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, and a Manager in the government practice at Accenture. She currently serves on the CFA Institute’s Inclusion and Diversity Steering Committee and the Milken Institute’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asset Management Executive Council.
Katherine earned a BA in English, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond. She is also a graduate of the 2016 Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.
His book, Getting to Diversity: What Works and What Doesn't with Alexandra Kalev (Harvard U. Press [Belknap] 2022), looks at the effectiveness of dozens of different diversity programs, in over 800 companies across more than 30 years, to answer the questions: Which programs help, which hurt, and how can harmful programs be improved? His research has been covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Boston Globe, Le Monde, CNN, National Public Radio, Fast Company, and Slate.
Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer, State Street Global Advisors
Lori is an Executive Vice President and the Global Chief Investment Officer at State Street Global Advisors. In this capacity, Lori oversees industry-leading investment capabilities from index funds and exchange traded funds to active, multi-asset class solutions and alternative investments. She leads an investment team of more than 600 professionals globally. She is also a member of the company's Executive Management Group, Investment Committee, and Global Product Committee. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer at State Street Global Advisors, where she was responsible for various activities that impact the effective delivery of investment strategies and solutions to our global client base.
Before joining State Street Global Advisors, Lori was the Chief Investment Strategist and Head of Investment Products for Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. In that role, she identified market opportunities, spearheaded new product development and created thought leadership aimed at helping clients navigate markets and position their portfolios effectively. Prior to that, she was a Managing Director and Head of Investments for Citi Private Bank. She worked with high-net-worth clients, family offices, private foundations, and institutional clients to develop investment strategies designed to meet financial, cash management, and risk management needs. Before joining Citi, Lori ran the Global Investment Products Group for SEI Investments, where she developed innovative strategies to manage pension plans and other institutional assets. She also launched a series of investor portfolios designed to address specific client needs and pioneered integrated managed accounts with portfolio overlay functionality.
Earlier in her career, Lori managed the new business development effort for Mellon Financial's eastern region and was a Senior Vice President at Parker/Hunter Incorporated running the equity and fixed income sales and trading departments.
She began her career at Credit Suisse FirstBoston, where she analyzed investment and financing alternatives for institutional clients. Lori received her Master of Business Administration degree from Carnegie Mellon University and her Bachelor’s degree in religion from Princeton University. She earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the Boston Security Analysts Society.
this capacity, she oversees all active equity teams, including management of investment
professionals, trading activity, and other business-related issues. She also oversees the Chief
Diversity Office and provides executive leadership to firm initiatives. Ann joined Allspring from its
predecessor firm, Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM). Prior to her current role, she was colead of the WFAM PMV Equity team, managing more than $4 billion in assets.
Ann began her
investment industry career in 1991 at Strong Capital Management. Throughout her career, Ann
has covered most industry sectors as an equity research analyst and portfolio manager. Ann is a
frequent guest on a number of financial networks, including CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business
News. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Income for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, reporting to the Chief Investment Officer. In
this role, Mr. Sanders is responsible for investment policy and strategy, portfolio
management, investment research and external manager due diligence for the hedge fund
and fixed income asset classes. Mr. Sanders also sits on the internal investment
committee across all asset classes. Prior to the transition to the specialist model, Mr.
Sanders was Director of Investments for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, reporting to the
Chief Investment Officer. In this role, Mr. Sanders was responsible for investment policy
and strategy, portfolio management, investment research and external manager due
diligence across asset classes with specific leadership of the hedge fund portfolio. Mr.
Sanders also leads the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s diverse manager strategy and also sits
on the Foundation’s Impact Investment Committee.
Prior to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Mr. Sanders was Manager of Pension Investments
for Eastman Kodak Company, where he was primarily responsible for managing the
alternative asset classes, which included the hedge fund and illiquid investment
programs, for the company’s U.S., U.K., and Canadian pension plans. Prior to Eastman
Kodak, Mr. Sanders was an equity research analyst for AEW Capital Management. Mr.
Sanders also has prior equity research analyst experience with both T. Rowe Price
Associates, Inc. and GW&K Investment Management. Additionally, Mr. Sanders was a
utilities industry analyst for A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Mr. Sanders holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Florida A&M
University, where he was an SEO Career Program intern, and a Master of Business
Administration degree from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert A. Toigo
Fellow. Mr. Sanders has previously served in the Office of President for the Toigo
Alumni Association. Mr. Sanders currently sits on the State of Michigan Investment
Board, which oversees over $100 billion in defined benefit and defined contribution
assets for the Michigan Retirement Systems, and on the Investment Advisory Committee
of the $3 billion Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr.
Sanders also sits on the board of Rock the Street, Wall Street, serves on the Limited
Partner Advisory Council for SEO, and is a founding steering committee member of
IADEI (Institutional Allocators for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).
Prior to his time at CalPERS, Mr. Tollette worked at Franklin Templeton for almost 20 years, including as the head of the Performance Analysis and Investment Risk team, which was responsible for collaboratively defining, measuring and managing investment risk and performance across all Franklin Templeton products and clients. He entered the financial services industry in 1989 as an accountant for KPMG Peat Marwick.
Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer, Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board, United States
Discover the committees and councils driving our mission
From steering key initiatives to shaping the profession’s future, our committees and councils play an essential role in our success. Explore the wide array of committees and discover how members collaborate with staff to drive meaningful change.