Heather Davis
Heather Davis is a senior managing director and the President & CIO of Nuveen Private Markets. Ms. Davis is responsible for the overall management of the investment division, including strategy, investment originations, and portfolio management for the organization’s investments in alternatives sectors including infrastructure and energy, private equity and private debt.
Ms. Davis has held a number of leadership roles at Nuveen, notably overseeing the growth of the $50 billion global private markets portfolio which includes private placements, private equity, distressed investments, and infrastructure investments. Ms. Davis joined the organization in 1995 and has 33 years of investment industry experience.
Prior to joining Nuveen, Ms. Davis worked for Prudential Financial in a variety of roles including commercial mortgage origination, mortgage underwriting, portfolio management, and credit underwriting. In 2009, Ms. Davis created the firm’s Fruits of Employment initiative, which employs people with autism and other disabilities on Nuveen farms. The program has won numerous awards for its groundbreaking work in autism employment in the farming sector. In 2014, Ms. Davis received the Athena International award for Corporate Leadership. Ms. Davis serves on the boards of Churchill Asset Management (Chairman), the Carolinas Chapter of Autism Speaks, and the John M. Belk Endowment (Investment Committee).
Ms. Davis holds a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. in finance from Cornell University, Johnson School of Management. She serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and as an advisor to the Cornell Program for Infrastructure Policy.