Fostering Opportunity

Kirk Sims is an opportunity builder. With a career shaped by seizing the right moments at the right time, Kirk works every day to create valuable opportunities for emerging managers. His multifaceted background cultivated guiding principles that spearhead his current investment approach. With the goal of leaving the industry better than he found it, Kirk works diligently to embark some of his hard-earned wisdom on the next generation of investment professionals.

Kirk now heads the Emerging Manager Program at the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas, an initiative that focuses on building relationships with outperforming managers at the beginning of their life cycle. Sourcing top talent involves crossing paths with numerous up-and-coming managers. Kirk takes this opportunity to offer advice and mentorship—including to managers that are not currently positioned for an investment. Through supporting these managers in their early stages, Kirk is able to help the next generation navigate this industry, all while ensuring the retirement of Texas’ beloved teachers.

“You're finding talent early, you build that talent, you build that relationship, and those relationships are valuable for years. No matter how big that manager is, they remember that their early capital came from you.”

In this episode we discuss:

• Guiding emerging managers
• Shaping the next generation
• Why execution supersedes intention

Kirk was raised in a small town in Georgia but eventually moved to the nation’s capital of Washington D.C. to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration at Howard University. Kirk then earned an MBA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Prior to TRS of Texas, Kirk oversaw a manager of manager’s retirement platform as well as an open architecture investment platform at Prudential Retirement. He was also responsible for the Emerging Manager Program at Teacher Retirement System of Illinois.

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Resources:

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas | 2024 Emerging Manager Conference
• Teacher Retirement System of Texas | Emerging Manager Program

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Listen to Other Successful Investors:

• Katherine Molnar (Fairfax County PORS) | Diversification 101
• Charmel Maynard (University of Miami) | Paying It Forward
• Aoifinn Devitt (Moneta Group) | Finding Clarity

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Chapter Summaries:

[00:02:21]

A Business-Oriented Education

[00:04:40]

Starting at Brinson Partners

[00:11:46]

A Multifaceted Background

[00:16:05]

TRS of Illinois

[00:21:48]

Emerging Manager Program

[00:24:55]

TRS of Texas

[00:29:00]

A Day in the Life of Kirk Sims

[00:37:41]

Tips for Emerging Managers

[00:39:32]

Emerging Manager Conference

[00:42:10]

The Value of Mentorship