CalPERS’ first female chief executive officer, Anne Stausboll, took office January 2009.

Stausboll received a bachelor of arts in English from Oberlin College and earned her juris doctor degree (Order of the Coif) at the University of California, Davis School of Law.  She also taught legal writing at that school. In 1984 she was appointed deputy general counsel for CalPERS, serving as legal counsel to the board’s benefits and program administration committee and other offices. Following that, she was staff counsel for California State Employees’ Association and  executive director for California Comparable Worth task Force.

She returned to the CalPERS Legal Office for six years starting in 1994, two of those as deputy general counsel. In 2000, Stausboll became general counsel and later chief deputy treasurer to state Treasurer Phil Angelides, where she directed the operations and programs of the treasurer’s office. 

Stausboll was hired as chief operating investment officer for CalPERS in 2004, serving in that capacity for four years. During that time she twice became the CalPERS interim chief investment officer, the most recent term from April to December 2008. At the time she was named CEO of CalPERS, the fund was dealing with a 26% drop in investment value over 18 months—from $247.7 billion to $182.6 billion. Extensive real estate investments caused many of the losses.

Stausboll also co-chairs the Ceres Board, a nonprofit organization that leads a national coalition of investors, nonprofits and environmental groups to work with companies, formulating policy and day-to-day practices that address climate change, water scarcity, and other sustainability issues. She sits on the Toigo Foundation Advisory Board, which aims to increase diversity among leaders in the finance industry.

She was also part of the working group charged with formulating the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and served on the Governing Board for that group for three years, ending in 2009. 

Anne Stausboll is married to attorney John Adkisson, who currently serves as special counsel to the Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes.

Anne Stausboll, Chief Executive Officer (CalPERS Executive Officers)

Executive Profile: Anne Stausboll J.C. (Business Week)

Troubled CalPERS Names a New CEO (by Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times)