Rodrigo Garcia, CTP®, AIF® is the deputy state treasurer and chief investment officer for Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs. He directs the Illinois treasury’s combined $38 billion investment portfolios, $275 billion in related banking operations and financial activities, and a $3.2 billion agency budget and financial reporting unit. He is a frequent speaker and contributor on topics such as financial innovation, investment stewardship, the financial markets, corporate governance, inclusive capitalism, sustainable finance/ESG, development finance, impact investing, public policy, leadership, and diversity & inclusion. He is an Adjunct Professor in Public Finance at Northwestern University, an Aspen Global Finance Fellow and a recent TEDx speaker. He also is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP®), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), and holds SASB’s FSA credential.
Rodrigo was previously the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and a member of the Illinois Cabinet, and has also worked for Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Rodrigo holds an undergraduate degree with a major in finance from Northeastern Illinois University, two post-graduate degrees, one with a focus in finance from the University of Illinois and one with a focus in public policy from Northwestern University and has also completed a senior executives program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Rodrigo chairs the investment selection committee at Angeles Investors, chairs the investment committee for the endowment at Northeastern Illinois University, serves on the investment committee for the endowment at Youth Guidance/Becoming a Man, serves on the investment committee for the endowment at Leadership Greater Chicago, serves as the treasurer on the board of directors for the Thirty Percent Investor Coalition and is the chairman emeritus of Student Veterans of America. He also serves on the advisory councils for the Private Directors Association, the Milken Institute’s Global Capital Markets group and the Aspen Institute’s Latinos in Society program.
He is a dedicated public servant, an investment platform innovator, an angel investor, and an economic systems architect battling the many challenges afflicting our communities
