Edward “Ned” Creedon Named Director of Private Investments

The University of Illinois Foundation has selected Edward B. “Ned” Creedon as Director of Private Investments for its Investment Office in Chicago effective Feb. 3.

Creedon comes to the U of I Foundation from the Maine Public Employees Retirement System in Portland. He has served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer since 2011 and Head of Alternative Investments since 2008.

At MainePERS, Creedon established and developed its alternative investments program, and was responsible for managing all of the fund’s private market investments, encompassing private equity, infrastructure, real estate and natural resources. He recruited and developed a team of six alternative investment professionals, and conducted due diligence on and successfully recommended over 45 private investments while deploying over $2.5 billion in committed capital.

Previously, Creedon worked for Constellation Commodities Group in Baltimore, Md., specializing in structured finance and direct equity investments. Before that, he was a research analyst and project analyst for Boston‑based Wellington Management Company.

“We are delighted to have Edward Creedon join the University of Illinois Foundation Investment Office in Chicago,” said Ellen Ellison, Chief Investment Officer for the Foundation. “Ned brings great expertise to the area of private investments, in particular real assets and real estate. The entrepreneurial spirit Ned brought to MainePERS will certainly be appreciated as he assists us in building out the investment platform.”

Creedon said, “I am thrilled to be joining the team at the University of Illinois Foundation as it continues to evolve and expand its investment office. It gives me great pleasure to be able to serve such a distinguished institution. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with a CIO of Ellen Ellison’s caliber. She has a compelling vision for managing the endowment’s portfolio and I look forward to working with her and the entire Foundation team to help bring that vision to fruition.”

Creedon earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College in 2000 and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2006. He was awarded Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations, and is a member of the CFA Institute, CAIA Association, Boston Security Analysts Society, and the Maine CFA Society.

Fluent in German, Creedon joins a U of I Foundation team that provides guidance for the Foundation and the board on investment‑related matters, including internal management of the endowment, asset allocation decisions, portfolio management, and best practices. The combined active endowment for the University of Illinois and the Foundation was $1.925 billion at the end of Fiscal Year 2013 (June 30).

The University of Illinois is a world leader in research and discovery, the largest educational institution in the state with more than 77,000 students, and campuses in Urbana‑Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The U of I awards more than 20,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees annually.

The University of Illinois Foundation is dedicated to securing and administering private gifts for the University of Illinois and its three campuses. Since its inception in 1935, UIF has been instrumental in securing and administering more than $5 billion in gifts for the University.