Jon Fernandez

Chief Operating Officer

Jon joined the Yale Investments Office in May 2023.  As Chief Operating Officer, he is responsible for broadly enabling YIO’s investment team and managing risk, including risk controls, finance, performance reporting and analytics, data and technology, talent and personnel resources, and operational due diligence.  Jon graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with a degree in Religion and received his MBA from the Yale School of Management in 2020.  Before joining YIO, Jon spent 13 years at Bridgewater Associates, where he served in several executive roles, including Head of the CEO Office, Co-Head of Research, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer.  More recently, he served as VP of Strategy and Operations at VMware, a global software pioneer in virtualization and multi-cloud technology, where he was responsible for a firm-wide digital transformation.

Why did you join the Yale Investments Office?

I think the most important thing to weigh in your career is mission and people—what is the impact of my work and who am I spending my life with?  YIO is an incredibly special place on both dimensions.  

What is your favorite Yale sports team?

It might be the “Yale School of Management” in me, but hockey.  Second best is Yale-Princeton basketball games.