Madeleine d’Ambrosio
Vice President
In 1998, Madeleine d'Ambrosio was appointed the first Executive Director of the TIAA-CREF Institute. She has responsibility for the Institute's strategic goals and objectives and management of its operations and is responsible for the Institute's research and knowledge-building initiatives, and for ensuring their relevance and alignment with the needs of those served by TIAA-CREF. She created and has oversight for the TIAA-CREF Institute Fellows Program, symposia and other programs, the annual TIAA-CREF Institute Higher Education Leadership Conference, and the TIAA-CREF Institute Series on Higher Education and Series on Financial Security. These Series include books, periodicals, and other resources developed to help those in the higher education community make informed decisions. She also has responsibility for developing relationships with higher education senior leaders through initiatives like the TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award and partnerships with higher education presidential associations.
Ms. d'Ambrosio has had a long career at TIAA-CREF including Vice President, Institutional Counseling, where she had management responsibilities for institutional relationships, the design and administration of institutional benefits plans and the financial counseling of participants on campuses. As Vice President of Education and Financial Support Services, she was responsible for training, compliance, development of financial guidance and advice principles, and development of educational programs on topics important to the financial well-being of individuals and families.
Ms. d'Ambrosio is co-editor of The New Balancing Act in the Business of Higher Education (2006); Transformational Change in Higher Education: Positioning Colleges and Universities for Success (2007); Generational Shockwaves: Implications for Higher Education (2008), and Higher Education in a Global Society (forthcoming, 2009). She has conducted research related to financial education and literacy. Ms. d'Ambrosio is co-author with Robert L. Clark, North Carolina State University, of "Recruitment, Retention and Retirement: Compensation and Employment Policies for Higher Education" (2005), "Sex Differences, Financial Education, and Retirement Goals" (2004), "Ignorance is Not Bliss: The Importance of Financial Education" (2003), "Financial Education and Retirement Savings" (2003), and "Saving for Retirement: The Role of Financial Education" (2003). Ms. d'Ambrosio is a graduate of Manhattanville College and holds the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation. She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute Advisory Board.
