Capital Allocators · Monday, July 27, 2026
Michelle Knudsen, CIO of the NYU endowment, detailed her career journey from an initial interest in public policy to finance. After graduating into the 2008 financial crisis, she gained experience at Goldman Sachs before pursuing an MBA and transitioning into asset management consulting, eventually finding her passion in the mission-driven world of endowments.
“I did not set out to become an investor. I thought I was going to go into public policy.”
“I learned a lot about the markets. I learned a lot about how to sort of work through the process. But it wasn't a passion for me.”
“Well, for me, it was the mission driven nature of it. ... It felt like a really noble pursuit.”