Mark Wolfson

Research Statement

Before becoming an investment professional, Mark published extensively on subjects ranging from the financial structure of, and incentive arrangements in, business organizations; to taxes and business strategy; to the effect of information disclosures on the valuation of financial claims. He has won research awards in each of these areas. His current interests, in addition to those stated above, include the dynamics of the philanthropic ecosystem and the industrial organization of the global private equity and investment management industries. He teaches courses on strategic philanthropy and investment management.

Bio

Mark A. Wolfson holds the title of Adjunct Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he has been a faculty member since 1977, including a term as Associate Dean, and formerly held the title of Dean Witter Professor. He has also taught at the Harvard Business School and the University of Chicago and has been a Visiting Scholar at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Dr. Wolfson has been a Research Associate at The National Bureau of Economic Research since 1988, serves on the Board of Advisors and Executive Committee of The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, the Advisory Board of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford and as an Advisor to the Investment Committee of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Mark is also a Founder and Managing Partner of Jasper Ridge Partners, a wealth management firm, and President of Jasper Ridge Charitable.  From 1995 to 2013, Mark was affiliated with the Robert M. Bass/Oak Hill organizations.  During his tenure with these organizations, he played key roles in the formation of Jasper Ridge Strategic Partners, Jasper Ridge Diversified, and Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity firm.  He has served on the Boards of Directors of numerous public and private companies.

Academic Degrees

• PhD, University of Texas, Austin, 1977
• MAS, 1974
• BS, University of Illinois, 1973

Academic Appointments

• Adjunct Professor and Former Professor and Associate Dean, 1977-present
• Thomas Henry Carroll-Ford Foundation Visiting Professor of Business Administration, Harvard University, 1988-1989
• Ford Foundation Visiting Associate Professor, University of Chicago, 1981-1982

Professional Experience

• Founder and Managing Partner: Jasper Ridge Partners
• Senior Advisor: Oak Hill Capital Management
• Research Associate: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1988

Awards and Honors

• Wildman Medal, 1991
• Notable Contribution Award (one given annually by AAA/AICPA) to Accounting Literature, 1989 and 1992
• Distinguished Teaching Award, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1990
• Pomerance Prize (CBOE) for Excellence in Options Research, 1981

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

GSBGEN 319: Strategic Philanthropy and Impact Investing

The course will be structured around the perspective of a foundation or a high net worth individual who has decided to devote substantial resources to philanthropy and wishes to decide which philanthropic goals to pursue and how best to achieve...

2016-17

GSBGEN 319: Strategic Philanthropy and Impact Investing

The course will be structured around the perspective of a high net worth individual who has decided to devote substantial resources to philanthropy and wishes to decide which philanthropic goals to pursue and how best to achieve them. Although...