Julie Van Cleave named chief investment officer at UW Foundation

Julie Van Cleave, the former lead manager of the $5 billion, Bronze-rated Oppenheimer Capital Appreciation Fund, will join the University of Wisconsin Foundation investment team.

Van Cleave, currently a member of the foundation’s board of directors and its investment committee, will step down from the board to assume the position of chief investment officer on July 15. Current CIO Tom Olson will become CIO-private markets to allow for greater focus on a critical component of the endowment portfolio.

“The addition of Julie Van Cleave will add a wealth of knowledge and public market investment experience to our team, which will enable us to better serve our donors and the university,” says Michael M. Knetter, president and CEO. “This is another important step as we take more responsibility internally for investment strategy and performance, commensurate with the growth in our assets under management. We have been patiently waiting for the right person and we are thrilled that Julie is willing to join our team.”

Van Cleave comes to the foundation after three years with OppenheimerFunds, Inc. (OFI), where she was responsible for all institutional and sub-advised accounts related to the Oppenheimer Capital Appreciation Fund. She also was co-portfolio manager of the Oppenheimer Equity Fund. Prior to joining OFI, Van Cleave was at Deutsche Asset Management where she served as managing director and lead portfolio manager of the DWS Capital Growth Fund for six years. She came to Deutsche after 18 years at Mason Street Advisors, where she managed more than $2.5 billion of U.S. large-cap growth products and served as the lead portfolio manager of the Mason Street Growth Fund.

Van Cleave holds a BBA and an MBA in finance, investments and banking from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She graduated from the storied Applied Security Analysis Program at Wisconsin and holds the CFA designation.