Located in our Portland office, Jim serves as our Director of Research and a Senior Consultant. He joined the firm in 2004 and brings over 40 years of industry experience. Additionally, Jim served as RVK’s President and on our firm’s Board of Directors for 15 years until May 2024.
A highly sought-after public speaker, Jim has delivered original presentations on various topics at numerous institutional investment conferences and economic/public policy forums. He is involved in multiple aspects of RVK’s specialty consulting practices, most notably with asset/liability studies and board governance/investment program structural reviews. Jim’s research responsibilities are focused primarily on capital markets issues and investment decision-making.
Prior to joining RVK, Jim served as the CEO/Executive Director of Oregon’s statewide pension system for all employees at the state and local levels—including teachers, police and fire, and general staff as well as the Oregon 457 DC plan and health insurance plans. He also served as a member of the Oregon Investment Council, which is charged with investing all state funds—pension, workers compensation insurance, and others. His career includes several decades managing Wall Street research efforts, investment banking, and serving as the Chief Investment Officer at a major private bank. Jim has also served as a director on several corporate boards, a trustee on both corporate and public pension and savings plans, and on the Advisory Board of the Institutional Investor’s Conference Series
Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington, and Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University. Jim is a shareholder of the firm.