Jane Mendillo

Jane L. Mendillo is an American endowment fund manager. She was the president and chief executive officer of the Harvard Management Company, charged with managing Harvard University's endowment. She led the investment team from 2008 to 2014, when the endowment was valued at $36.4 billion, having recovered fully from the impact of the global financial crisis. Prior to leading the company, from 1987 to 2002, she was in charge of managing the endowment's domestic equities, venture capital, natural resources investments and charitable trusts.

After 15 years in various investment positions at Harvard Management Company, in 2002 she was tapped to be the chief investment officer at Wellesley College. She left Wellesley in 2008, leaving the endowment at $1.67 billion (up from its 2002 market value of $1.03 billion).^[1] In the summer of 2008, she returned to Harvard Management as President and CEO. Her time at Harvard was marked by the financial crisis of 2007-2008, during which the University was under severe financial strain, and the endowment came under significant pressure to provide substantial liquidity and perform.

In 2009, Forbes Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women List placed Mendillo as number 37, before Margaret Chan and after Hillary Clinton.^[2]