John Alexander has shepherded Clemson’s endowment for over two decades
If you took 1 billion $1 bills and placed them next to each other edge to edge, the blanket of cash would cover 4 square miles. Place them atop each other, and the stack would reach more than 67 miles into the sky. Any way you look at it, it’s an impressive amount of money. One might expect a man responsible for that much capital to be rather dry and solemn, but John Alexander HA ’25 is neither of those things. He is good-humored, spirited and quick with a laugh, and he projects a natural joyfulness one might not expect from someone responsible for the finances of one of the top universities in the nation.
He’s this way because he loves what he does and because he’s very good at what he does. In fact, if you compare his results to those of his peers at other institutions, he’s one of the nation’s best.
Alexander holds dual roles at Clemson University — as its chief investment officer and as the Breazeale Professor of Investments in the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. In the former role, he is the caretaker of the Clemson University Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that holds the money gifted to Clemson for dedicated purposes such as scholarships, endowments and buildings. Thanks to the generosity of alumni, family and friends of the University, the diligent work of Clemson’s development officers, and Alexander’s careful management, that pool now holds more than $1 billion — many times what it had when he started the job in 2003.
“I always tell my students: Be good stewards of what you’ve been given,” he said. “That’s what portfolio management really is: stewardship.”
In his role as Clemson’s CIO, Alexander manages the funds for an astounding 2,219 endowments that are used to help untold legions of Clemson students achieve their dreams, either through monetary support, by putting world-class professors into classrooms or by building the best facilities to hold those classrooms.
Inspired by other Clemson philanthropists such as John Walker ’58, Frank Bishop ’65, Frank Gentry ’64 and Doug Richardson ’64, Alexander recently added to that number by establishing a planned gift to create a professorship in his name.
“I believe in walking the talk,” he said. “If I’m encouraging others to give, I should be doing the same. My gift is an act of stewardship, a way to live out what I teach.”
The Clemson Alumni Association returned some of Alexander’s goodwill in June, naming him an Honorary Alumnus, one of the highest recognitions bestowed upon individuals who, though not graduates of Clemson, have demonstrated extraordinary dedication and passion for the University.
In 2022, John Alexander earned a lifetime achievement award at the Sir Anthony Ritossa’s Global Family Office Investment Summit, which brings together the most influential investors in the world.
