# Albuquerque Academy

Albuquerque Academy is an Endowment / Foundation based in Albuquerque, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Albuquerque, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 6400 Wyoming Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, United States
- **Founded:** 1955
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** aa.edu
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/school/albuquerque-academy/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Albuquerque Academy was founded in 1955 as The Academy for Boys, an independent day school that would grow to serve grades 6 through 12 on a single 312-acre campus. Today it operates as a nonprofit coeducational institution with an endowment funding scholarships and operations largely through two legacy vehicles: the Albert G. Simms Testamentary Trust and the Albuquerque Academy For Boys Trust 1. The endowment deploys capital across private equity, venture capital, and real estate — spanning buyout, early-stage seed and startup investments, expansion-stage deals, and mezzanine financing. Real estate assets include the main campus at 6400 Wyoming Boulevard NE, a separate parcel of Bear Canyon stewardship land, and a commercial racquet club on campus grounds. The school also holds institutional infrastructure — a named performing arts center and the Simms Library — that functions as durable operating assets. Head of School Julianne Puente leads the institution alongside CFO Shawn Ricketts, who stewards the endowment's investment posture, and Board Chair Diane Harrison Ogawa. The Academy co-invests with the Albuquerque Community Foundation on community grants and donor-advised fund distributions. Its library system holds membership in Amigos Library Services, and the school itself belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, and the New Mexico Association of Non Public Schools. What distinguishes Albuquerque Academy from other preparatory endowments is the scale of its directly held real assets — a 312-acre campus with supplementary stewardship land and a commercial racquet club operate as balance-sheet holdings, not just operational facilities. The dual-trust structure inherited from its founding era creates a semi-permanent capital base that lets the school act as a patient, direct investor rather than relying solely on a outsourced CIO model.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Private Equity
- Venture Capital

## People

- Julianne Puente — Head of School
- Diane Harrison Ogawa — Chair of the Board of Trustees
- Shawn Ricketts — Chief Financial Officer

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Albuquerque Academy?

The endowment's investment posture is overseen by CFO Shawn Ricketts alongside Head of School Julianne Puente and the Board of Trustees, chaired by Diane Harrison Ogawa. The school does not publicly disclose an investment committee roster, but its disclosed investing spans private equity, venture capital, and direct real estate.

### How does Albuquerque Academy's endowment source its capital?

The Academy operates two historic trust vehicles — the Albert G. Simms Testamentary Trust and the Albuquerque Academy For Boys Trust 1 — that form the financial backbone of the endowment. These trusts date to the school's founding era and provide a permanent capital base, supplemented by fundraising and co-investment relationships such as the one maintained with the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

### What specific real estate assets does Albuquerque Academy hold?

The Academy directly holds its 312-acre main campus at 6400 Wyoming Boulevard NE, a parcel of stewardship land in Bear Canyon, and the Albuquerque Academy Racquet Club, a commercial facility on campus grounds. These are balance-sheet holdings that function both as educational infrastructure and as income-generating or value-appreciating real assets.

### Does Albuquerque Academy invest in venture capital, and at what stages?

Yes. The endowment's strategy targets venture capital across early-stage seed, startup, and expansion or late-stage rounds, alongside buyout and mezzanine private equity. Deal specifics are not publicly reported.

### How is Albuquerque Academy related to the Albuquerque Community Foundation?

The Academy co-invests and partners with the Albuquerque Community Foundation on community grants and donor-advised fund distributions. Their relationship functions as a philanthropic co-investment channel rather than an advisory or management arrangement.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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