Mellon Foundation Appoints Abigail Kahn Archibald as Chief Investment Officer

She succeeds Scott Taylor, who stepped down earlier this year. In this role, Archibald will oversee the Foundation’s $7.8 billion endowment, guiding its investment strategy to support the Foundation’s mission and long-term financial sustainability.

Disciplined stewardship of the Foundation’s endowment has enabled Mellon to grow its charitable grantmaking each year, including upwards of $540 million in grants in 2025—the most in the Foundation’s history. Archibald brings the deep institutional knowledge and steady leadership needed to ensure the Foundation can continue meeting the growing needs in the arts and humanities fields it serves.

Archibald joined the Foundation in 2011 as an Investment Analyst, advancing to Portfolio Manager in 2012, Senior Portfolio Manager in 2018, and Deputy Chief Investment Officer in February 2026. Over her more than 15 years at Mellon, she has focused on partnership management, including the sourcing, evaluation, and monitoring of the Foundation’s relationships with fund managers, guided by an investment philosophy that emphasizes long-term thinking, collaboration and responsible capital deployment. She has brought a disciplined, globally minded approach to the Foundation’s investment strategy and has mentored members of the Investments team throughout her tenure. As Chief Investment Officer, she will build on that record, providing steadfast leadership to strengthen the Foundation’s portfolio and to deliver strong performance for the endowment in a constantly evolving investment landscape.

“Abigail is an exceptional leader and deeply respected colleague, both at Mellon and within the investments field at large,” said Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Mellon Foundation. “Her investment approach has long aligned with the Foundation’s values and institutional priorities, growing our resources in service of the grantmaking so central to our philanthropic mission. We look forward to her continued success in this new role.”

“A proven expert in financial markets and portfolio management, Abigail has diligently mentored Mellon’s high-performing investments team, generating consistently substantial returns during her tenure,” said Board Chair Katie Hall. “She has maintained strong strategic partnership with our Board for many years, and will continue to guide the evolution and long-term health of Mellon’s endowment as CIO.”

“I am honored to step into the Chief Investment Officer role at Mellon,” said Archibald. “I look forward to leading our exceptional investment team and building on the strong foundation we’ve established to deliver strong and lasting performance for the endowment in an ever-changing investment environment. I’m eager to work closely with the Board and the entire Mellon team to steward our resources with care and discipline in service of the Foundation’s mission to strengthen the arts and humanities.”

Before joining Mellon, Archibald was a vice president at Lehman Brothers, where she led strategic projects and new product development in the Investment Management division. Earlier in her career, she worked as a consulting associate at Cambridge Associates.

Archibald holds a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She serves on the Investment Committee of the Heschel School.

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The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty and empowerment that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and guided by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.