Regena Isbell

Regena B. Isbell is the Director of the Endowment Investment Office at Auburn University. Auburn’s Business and Administration site identifies the Endowment Investment Office as the unit that provides endowment management support to Auburn University, Auburn University Foundation, Tigers Unlimited Foundation, and the Auburn Alumni Association.

She also serves as Assistant Treasurer of Auburn University Foundation. The foundation’s board page lists her among support staff, and public filings for Auburn University Foundation identify “Isbell, Regena B.” as Assistant Treasurer. Auburn University Foundation states that it is a separate nonprofit organization that receives charitable contributions for Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery and manages the universities’ endowments as a perpetual source of funding.

Public Auburn University Foundation Form 990 filings show Isbell as Assistant Treasurer, with 20.40 reported foundation-related hours in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. OpenPayrolls also lists Regena B. Isbell as “Dir, Endowment Investment Off” at Auburn University from 2017 through 2021, supporting a multi-year tenure in the endowment role.

The Auburn University Endowment Fund Investment Policy says the Auburn University Foundation Investment Committee and university staff manage university investments under policies established by the Board of Trustees. Under that policy, the Assistant Treasurer, or designee, serves as secretary of the Investment Committee and keeps minutes of committee actions.

• Auburn’s endowment objective is to earn a long-term total return, net of portfolio management fees and within prudent risk levels, sufficient to preserve purchasing power in real terms and support the university’s spending policy.
• The endowment policy states that the portfolio has “a bias toward equity and equity-like investments due to their higher long-term return expectations.”
• Strategic allocation approved April 25, 2025: 47.5% global public equity, 20.0% global private capital, 10.0% flexible capital, 12.0% real assets, 9.0% fixed income, and 1.5% liquidity capital.
• The policy says private equity may offer “higher return potential” by focusing on less efficient and more illiquid markets.
• Manager selection emphasizes institutional-quality managers with strong reputations, aligned interests, stable teams, controlled AUM growth, competitive long-term performance, and annual independent audits.
• The committee reviews allocation at least annually, receives quarterly asset allocation reports, and reviews investment performance against objectives and relevant benchmarks.