The Aspen Institute

Rodrigo Garcia (Chicago, Illinois) serves as Board Chairman for Student Veterans of America (SVA), an international not-for-profit organization headquartered in Washington D.C. that provides advocacy and leadership services to over 200,000 military veterans and their families via its 1,200 campus-based chapters. In his daytime, Chairman Rodrigo Garcia serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the Illinois State Treasury. In this pivotal executive post, Garcia presides over all treasury’s investment & financial staff, multiple asset portfolios, and related banking services including the treasury’s combined $25 billion equity and fixed income portfolio and over $300 million in venture capital/buyout funds in order to maximize portfolio returns and bolster the Illinois macro and micro economy.  A Chicago native and Marine Corps veteran, Chairman Garcia served overseas on three separate occasions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned multiple decorations including the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a Gold Star in lieu of a second award. He holds two post-graduate degrees, one in finance from the University of Illinois and one in public policy from Northwestern University and recently completed a senior executives program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was previously the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and a member of the Illinois Cabinet, and has also worked for Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Chairman Garcia also serves as the Chairman of the National Hispanic Life Sciences Society and Board Vice President for Teatro Vista Theatre Company. Garcia has also been named one of the “Top 100 under 50” Executive Leaders by Diversity MBA Magazine and was recognized as a “Rising Star” by the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s, amongst other recognitions. (Attended Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Latino Civic Participation Deep Dive)