About
John Griswold specializes in the governance of endowment and related financial operations, particularly the relationship of investment committees to their internal or outsourced investment management team (OCIO or consultant).
Griswold is founder and longtime executive director of Commonfund Institute. Griswold directed investor education and market research activities for Commonfund, a nonprofit investment management company in Wilton, CT. Griswold joined Commonfund in 1992 as head of Client Services. After founding the Commonfund Institute in 1999 he initiated and supervised the Commonfund Benchmarks Studies of the performance of educational endowments, foundations, operating charities, and healthcare institutions, which collectively survey the investment performance and practices of hundreds of nonprofit institutions annually. In addition, he oversaw the management of the NACUBO/Commonfund Study of Endowments from 2009 to 2016. He has spoken at numerous nonprofit and investment industry conferences in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Canada. He retired from Commonfund at the end of 2016.
Griswold has authored articles and book chapters on endowment management, board governance, and the management of investment committees. He has lectured at the annual Pension Trustee Workshop organized by the Council of Institutional Investors and CFA Institute.
Professional Credentials
Mr. Griswold is a graduate of Yale University and attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He has served on many boards and investment committees and is currently a member of several boards, including the board of trustees of The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Greenwich Roundtable (chair), and Grab the Torch. He is a board member of three for-profit firms: The Herbst Group (chairman), Modern Guild, and HR Moneyball.