David Swensen, Yale Endowment’s Pioneer Manager, Dies at 67 Bloomberg 1 hr ago Janet Lorin (Bloomberg) -- David Swensen, the chief investment officer at Yale University who helped revolutionize how college endowments are managed, has died. He was 67. Swensen died May 5 after a long battle with cancer, Yale said Thursday in a statement. He had gone on temporary leave from his job in September 2012 to undergo treatment before returning to his duties at Yale. Swensen managed one of the most-watched and best-performing college endowments for more than three decades. Many of the world’s wealthiest investors sought to replicate his investment model, which favors more illiquid assets such as private equity.