# Howard University Defined Benefit Pension Plan Howard University Defined Benefit Pension Plan is a Pension Fund based in Washington, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Pension Fund - **Headquarters:** Washington, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Washington, DC, United States - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About Howard University's Defined Benefit Pension Plan secures the retirement obligations of faculty and staff at the Washington, D.C.-based historically Black university, founded in 1867. President Ben Vinson III serves as a trustee of the plan, while the day-to-day investment program falls under CIO and Treasurer Frank Bello. The plan's governance is anchored by Shelley Stewart Jr., chair of the Board of Trustees' Finance Committee, and Levoyd E. Robinson, a trustee who concurrently leads CFI Partners as CEO and CIO. The plan's investment strategy spans traditional and alternative asset classes. Public equity exposure includes a dedicated mid-to-large cap U.S. equity allocation. On the private side, the portfolio reaches into venture capital, private debt on a global basis, and inflation-hedging strategies. Real asset commitments have included Boston-based Berkshire Multifamily Value Plus Fund IV, a mixed-use vehicle, and San Diego-focused Southwest Value Partners Fund XVIII, a commercial real estate fund. The plan participates in the NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, placing its operations alongside a peer group of higher-education asset owners that frequently share investment office practices. Howard's investment office leans on the dual expertise of its board and staff. Levoyd Robinson brings institutional credit-market knowledge from his role at CFI Partners, a Chicago-based alternative asset manager. Frank Bello manages the university's broader Retirement Trust, integrating the pension plan's objectives with Howard's overall treasury function. The plan's structure — a corporate-style defined benefit plan within a nonprofit university — gives it a distinct liability profile from the university's endowment, which is managed separately. The board's direct access to institutional managers through trustee relationships sets a structural dynamic uncommon among university pension plans. Robinson's concurrent CIO seat at a private credit firm creates an information channel that may inform the plan's growing private debt allocation. Howard's presence in the NACUBO study group places its strategy in a comparative framework used by endowments and foundations, though the plan's fixed-benefit obligation creates a decidedly different risk posture than a perpetual-life endowment. ## Sectors - Real Estate - Private Credit - Hedge Funds - Venture Capital ## People - Ben Vinson III — President, Howard University; Trustee of the Plan - Frank Bello — Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer, Howard University - Shelley Stewart Jr. — Chair of the Finance Committee, Board of Trustees - Levoyd E. Robinson — Board Trustee; CEO/CIO of CFI Partners ## Questions ### Who runs investment decisions at the Howard University Defined Benefit Pension Plan? Day-to-day investment management falls to Frank Bello, Howard University's Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer. He oversees both the pension plan and the university's broader Retirement Trust. The Board of Trustees' Finance Committee, chaired by Shelley Stewart Jr., provides governance and approval for major allocation decisions. Trustee Levoyd E. Robinson, CEO and CIO of CFI Partners, brings additional institutional investment expertise to the board. ### What alternative asset classes does the Howard pension plan invest in? The plan allocates to private debt globally, venture capital, and real estate funds, including multifamily and commercial strategies. It also maintains inflation-hedging positions and a core allocation to mid-to-large cap U.S. equities. Specific fund commitments include Berkshire Multifamily Value Plus Fund IV in Boston and Southwest Value Partners Fund XVIII in San Diego. ### Does the Howard pension plan co-invest alongside the university's endowment? The pension plan is structurally distinct from Howard University's endowment, carrying fixed-benefit obligations rather than perpetual-life spending requirements. While both sit under the university's financial umbrella, the pension plan is managed as part of the Retirement Trust overseen by the CIO and Treasurer, with its own distinct asset-liability objectives. There is no public indication that they pool co-investment capital, though the same investment office manages both pools. ### How does Howard's pension plan benchmark its investment performance? The plan participates in the NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, which provides comparative performance data across higher-education investment offices nationwide. While this study is traditionally endowment-focused, Howard's participation places its pension operations in a data-sharing peer group that includes major universities and foundations. ## Related profiles - [House of Commons Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF)](https://altss.com/profile/house-of-commons-parliamentary-contributory-pension-fund-pcpf) - [HTLF Wealth Management](https://altss.com/profile/htlf-wealth-management) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/howard-university-defined-benefit-pension-plan Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology