Kirk Sims

Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Few know more about implementing an emerging manager program than Kirk Sims. He leads the Teachers Retirement System of Texas’ (TRS) Emerging Manager Program. Since being established in 2005, TRS has committed $3.7 billion to one of the largest programs of its kind. An additional $2 billion has been invested directly with the program’s graduates which underscores the fund’s success at manager selection. Recognizing the Program’s success, in early 2019, TRS rolled out a plan to invest another $3 billion over three to five years. Sims joined the Teacher Retirement System of Texas in early 2019. Before joining Texas Teachers, he was a Senior Investment Officer for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois. Sims had oversight and management responsibility of plan’s emerging manager program which consisted of a $750 million evergreen pool of capital designed to identify and invest in emerging investment managers across all asset classes. Previously, Sims worked at Prudential Retirement where he was responsible for a manager of manager’s retirement platform as well as an open investment platform.