Britt Harris isn’t done yet.
Mere days after he officially stepped down from his role as president and CEO at the University of Texas/Texas A&M University Investment Management Company, Harris has stepped into a new leadership position.
He has joined the Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation as its acting CEO, a role he will serve in while the Texas PSF searches for its next leader. Harris replaces former CEO Holland Timmons, who recently stepped down after more than 22 years as the group’s chief investment officer.
Texas PSF announced the news on Thursday.
“Industry leaders acknowledge that Harris has a stunning record as a transformational leader, in both the industry and across many different companies and types of funds,” Texas PSF board chairman Tom Maynard said in a statement. “The corporation will benefit from his natural and unique leadership and, most importantly, so will the hard-working students and educators that we serve and care so much about.”
Harris is a long-time allocator whose decorated career has been closely watched by the investment community. In 2017, Harris left the Teacher Retirement System of Texas —where he had served as CIO for 11 years — to join UTIMCO as its investment chief.
In December 2021, Harris transitioned into the CEO and president role at UTIMCO. At the time, the endowment named Rich Hall its CIO. This was part of a long-term succession plan: When Harris officially departed from UTIMCO in June, Hall was promoted to CEO and president.
According to Texas PSF’s announcement, Harris helped grow UTIMCO’s assets by nearly 65 percent during his six-year tenure.
“When I began my tenure on the Texas PSF Board, I knew we needed strong and experienced leadership to ensure our children always have adequate education funding,” Texas PSF board member Dawn Buckingham said in a statement. “That is why I set out on a mission to bring in retiring UTIMCO CEO Britt Harris . . . His exceptional knowledge and experience will allow Texas PSF to continue serving the school children of Texas for generations to come as we search for a permanent CEO.”
