Leslie Lenzo is Chief Investment Officer at Advocate Aurora Health, a hospital plan in Illinois with over $10 bn in Assets under Management. She has worked in asset management at hospital plans for over 16 years and has also spent time in equity research. She is an advocate for building both a diverse investment team within her own organization as well as for promoting more diversity within the investment world as a whole.

Our conversation covers how she grew up in a hog farm in Iowa, her early entry into stock investing thanks to the encouragement of her grandparents and her career in asset management. Leslie shares some particular challenges she has faced and overcome over the years as a busy working parent.

There are also particular challenges in investing a hospital plan, whether it be the cash flow and budget challenges that come with a public health emergency or the desire to invest in a way that is consistent with the mission of the institution. Leslie shares what she is doing in each of these areas as well as how she manages the growth of the plan through corporate acquisitions.