Richard Ko was elected to the Summit Academy Management Board of Directors at its June 6 Annual Meeting, held in Akron and presented virtually.
Ko is an experienced institutional investment professional with more than 20 years of expertise across global public and private markets, specializing in portfolio construction, manager selection, risk management and alternative investments. Throughout a career spanning North America and Asia, Ko has developed deep experience in equities, hedge funds, fixed income, private credit, real assets and absolute return strategies, with a disciplined focus on downside mitigation and long-term value creation.
Currently serving as portfolio manager of absolute return at the Cleveland Clinic Investment Office (CCIO), Ko helps oversee approximately $8 billion in defensive and diversifying strategies, including sovereign bonds, commodities, private credit, real assets and hedge funds. In this role, he leads asset class reviews, redefines portfolio mandates and risk frameworks, sources and re-underwrites investment managers globally, and actively contributes to the organization’s strategic use of artificial intelligence and technology within investment operations.
Prior to joining CCIO, Ko served as a senior investment professional at the Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) where his responsibilities included oversight of a $10 billion external manager program spanning global equities, fixed income commodities, derivatives overlays and alternative strategies. He also co-managed a $6 billion Absolute Return portfolio and played a key role in the successful unwinding of complex and illiquid investments strategies following the board’s decision to exit the allocation.
Ko has also held positions at Constellar Capital Partners, SWS Asset Management, Lufin Partners and Gottex Fund Management, managing and evaluating complex investment portfolios and global manager relationships across public and private markets.
Ko earned his Executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he was elected graduation speaker for the Asia cohort. He also earned graduate certificates from Stanford University in Financial Engineering and Quantitative Methods in Finance. Ko holds dual undergraduate degrees in Finance/Accounting and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a long-time member of the CFA Institute and CAIA Association.
Fluent in English and Mandarin, Ko is actively involved in mentorship, alumni leadership and educational outreach initiatives.