Allison K. Thacker joined Rice University in 2011 as President of the Rice Management Company. Ms. Thacker is responsible for managing the $8.1 billion endowment fund and the University’s $1.1 billion of debt. The Rice University endowment ranks in the top 20 endowments of private research universities in the US and funds over 40% of the university budget. Over the 3, 5 and 10 years ending June 30, 2021, annualized endowment returns were 13.2%, 13.2% and 10.5%. Rice Management Company partners with third party investment managers and also internally manages a portfolio of direct real estate, oil and gas royalties, timberland and operating businesses. Prior to joining Rice University, Ms. Thacker spent 11 years with RS Investments, a San Francisco-based investment firm specializing in public equities. At RS Investments, Ms. Thacker held roles including Portfolio Manager, Managing Director and Research Analyst. In the earlier portion of her career, Ms. Thacker served as a Summer Analyst at Putnam Investments and as a Financial Analyst in the energy investment banking group at Merrill Lynch & Co. She is a member of the KIPP Texas Board of Directors, an open-enrollment, public school network with 59 schools serving 34,000 students across Texas, a member of the Executive Committee, and past Chairman of the Board, for the Houston Ballet Board of Trustees, a board member for Black Stone Minerals, Houston Endowment Investment Committee member and a member of YPO. Ms. Thacker is a graduate of Harvard Business School where she received an M.B.A. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with honors from Rice University.