PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, said it hired Timothy “Tim” Woods as head of Historically Black Colleges and Universities strategic initiatives, a new PGIM program.
HBCUs provide a path to high-quality education, lucrative careers and economic mobility for Black students, thereby reducing the racial wealth gap. PGIM’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is launching an HBCU investment initiative that will provide investment management education and training for select HBCU decision-makers that manage endowments to support their work as stewards.
Based in Newark, Woods will report to PGIM’s chief diversity, equity & inclusion officer, Kathy Sayko. He will develop and implement a strategy to leverage PGIM’s investment management expertise to support HBCU leadership, faculty and students. Woods will serve as the primary point of contact between PGIM and HBCU leadership and investment teams. He will also be responsible for engaging directly with students and professors to amplify their investments and finance coursework and expertise, and will support student programs aimed at increasing access and exposure to the investment management industry.
To provide students with real-world investing experience, the program will help establish and maintain student-run investment funds at select HBCUs, along with support and training, and will establish scholarships for HBCU students to increase education affordability. This new PGIM program builds on Prudential’s decades-long commitment to strengthening HBCUs’ capacity and assisting students through recruiting and financial commitments, including a recent round of more than $3 million in grants.
This PGIM strategy is a new pillar in a developing partnership with Hampton University, in which PGIM is funding technology to support a student-run investment fund and hosted a speaker series featuring a seasoned PGIM investment professional. PGIM is also establishing a partnership with Florida A&M University.
Woods brings two decades of expertise in the asset management industry, having worked as a portfolio manager and equity analyst at Deutsche Bank Asset Management, ClearBridge Investments and JPMorgan Asset Management. Most recently, Woods was the senior managing director, senior analyst and chief risk officer for small- and mid-cap growth funds at Lisanti Capital Growth in New York. He brings a deep understanding of investment and financial analysis, having worked on funds with a history of top-tier performance and asset growth.
Woods has an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Science from Florida A&M University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the CFA Society of New York.
