CalSTRS Appoints Kirsty Jenkinson as Senior Investment Director - InforCapital

Sacramento, August 22, 2025 – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), managing $369.6 billion in assets, has appointed Kirsty Jenkinson as its new senior investment director of private markets and sustainable investment and stewardship strategies (SISS).

Jenkinson, who joined CalSTRS in 2019 as director of SISS, succeeds Mike DiRé, the previous head of private markets, who retired earlier this year. She becomes the fourth senior investment director appointed by CalSTRS in 2025, joining Geraldine Jimenez (public markets), June Kim (total fund management), and April Wilcox (strategic operations and management).

In her new role, Jenkinson will provide strategic leadership to the real estate, private equity, inflation-sensitive, collaborative strategies, and SISS teams. She will also oversee CalSTRS’ approach to sustainable investing, corporate governance, and portfolio engagement, aligning investment goals with long-term climate risk mitigation and value creation.

During her tenure as SISS director, Jenkinson developed a multi-asset class portfolio focused on climate solutions, spanning venture capital to infrastructure. She also led the fund’s net-zero strategy, adopted in 2021, positioning CalSTRS as a leader in institutional ESG integration.

Jenkinson brings over 30 years of experience across the global financial services sector, having held senior roles in the United Kingdom and the United States in areas including asset management, investment banking, and policy development. Her expertise in managing complex portfolios and strategic transformation is expected to play a critical role in CalSTRS’ evolution as it deepens its focus on sustainable, long-term investment performance.

Her appointment reflects a broader trend among global pension funds embracing leadership with a strong sustainability and private markets focus. Earlier this year, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan named Andrea Rossi as head of global sustainable strategies, while ABP Netherlands appointed a new chief to spearhead the fund’s ESG-aligned private equity strategy. These shifts highlight the increasing importance of sustainability and alternative investments in pension fund portfolios.

With CalSTRS’ long-term commitments to both performance and responsible investing, Jenkinson’s leadership marks a new chapter in managing the fund’s complex and evolving private markets strategy.