Former Director of Non-Marketable Investments Alison Svizzero was appointed Interim Chief Investment Officer Feb. 2 following last semester's announcement that former Chief Investment Officer Deborah Kuenstner would be leaving the University, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter French wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.French wrote that Kuenstner left Brandeis Jan. 29 to assume the same position of Chief Investment Officer at her alma mater, Wellesley College.

"The decision to appoint [Svizzero] to this position was made one month before [Kuenstner's] departure," wrote French. He elaborated that the decision was made in consultation with University President Jehuda Reinharz and the Board of Trustees.

"As interim CIO, I provide management and oversight for the endowment's investment portfolio," Svizzero wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "I will work closely with the endowment's investment committee in setting investment strategy, establishing the fund's asset allocation and overseeing the fund's external managers," she wrote.

Given the current economic situation, Svizzero wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she does not anticipate incorporating new responsibilities into her new role.

According to French, on Jan. 15, "a memorandum was sent to members of the Investment Committee and to the heads of those Brandeis offices that work most closely with the Office of Management." He explained in his e-mail that the news was made available on the Office Web site later at the end of January because "appointments that tend to be of interest to a relatively small segment of the community are not typically broadcast" to the entire community.

French wrote in an e-mail to the Justice last November that Kuenstner came to Brandeis in 2007 after the "Investment Committee and Administration decided that the size and sophistication of the [University's investment] portfolio called for a dedicated in-house investment team."

Kuenstner told the Justice in November that she would continue her duties as CIO until February and that she would suggest potential candidates to fill the vacant post.

During her term as chief investment officer, Kuenstner was in communication with the Committee on Ethics Endowment and Responsibility, which makes recommendations to the University Board of Trustees about the University's investment choices.

Svizzero wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she and French would "interact with CEER."

In an e-mail to the Justice, Senator for the Class of 2011 Alex Melman wrote that CEER has not yet met with Svizzero. "The students on the CEER will be meeting this Sunday, and my plan is to meet shortly after with [French] and/or [Svizzero]," he wrote.

"I look forward to working with Svizzero in her new role," Student Union President Jason Gray '10 wrote in an e-mail to the Justice this week.