Philadelphia pension fund CIO found dead

Michael Donatucci had just started as the CIO for the pension fund before committing suicide Friday.

The chief investment officer (CIO) at the City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions & Investments killed himself over the weekend after spending less than a month in that role, PERE's sister publication, Private Debt Investor, reported.

Michael Donatucci, 30, committed suicide Friday night (July 15) and was later found by fiancé Meghan Klein, according to his Philadelphia Inquirer obituary. The pension fund declined to comment. Michael’s father, Ronald Donatucci, told the newspaper his son fought mental health issues.

Before taking the CIO position with the city pension fund in June, Donatucci held multiple roles at advisory and investment firm SEI Investments Company, based in Oaks, Pennsylvania, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Donatucci replaced former CIO Brad Woolworth, who left in April for family reasons, according to press reports at the time. Before becoming CIO, Woolworth served as the deputy CIO for the pension fund.

The Philadelphia pension fund’s most recent real estate commitment was a $25 million allocation in May to LEM Multifamily Senior Equity Fund IV. The pension system has also invested in real estate debt and equity funds from Lyrical-Antheus Management, Almanac Realty Investors and Mesa West Capital, according to PERE research.

As of April 30, the fund had $4.4 billion in assets overall, including $332.5 million in real assets.