Jim Bethea
A senior financial executive with more than 20 years of experience in investment management, research and analysis in both the public and private sectors has been chosen as the new vice president of investments and chief investment officer for the West Virginia University Foundation.
Jim Bethea will begin his new position June 16, WVU Foundation President and CEO Cindi Roth announced Thursday (May 8). He will take over for Rick Kraich, who is retiring at the end of June.
“I am thrilled that Jim has agreed to join our WVU Foundation team,” Roth said. “He rose to the top following a nationwide search conducted by the firm RSR partners led by Ed Fowler. Jim will bring a wealth of talent and diverse experience in all facets of investing, especially in higher education. An analytical and strategic thinker, he is passionate about building high-performing teams in a positive culture. I have no doubt our dynamic and strong investment operation supporting WVU, WVU Medicine and our affiliated agencies will continue growing to new heights under his leadership.”
Bethea is currently the chief investment officer for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement in Iowa City. There, he administers the foundation’s investment portfolios, trusts, gift annuities and operating funds totaling $2.1 billion in assets. This includes assessing and managing relationships with investment managers across a broad range of asset classes including public and private equity, hedge funds, fixed income, real estate, natural resources and commodity managers.
“I am honored to join the exceptional team at the WVU Foundation and guide the investments that will benefit the Mountaineer community,” said Bethea.
Prior to joining the University of Iowa in 2010, Bethea spent three years as a research consultant with RVK, Inc., in Portland, Oregon, where he interviewed and performed ongoing due diligence on investment managers. Before that, Bethea served as an investment analyst for Touchstone Investments in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 2005-2007.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Bethea earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University. He is currently a charterholder with both the CFA Institute and CAIA Association.
Bethea and his wife, Cathleen, look forward to joining the Mountaineer community.
Founded in 1954, the WVU Foundation raised $282 million last year from more than 20,000 donors. To learn more about the WVU Foundation and how to support the University, visit wvuf.org.