Roger Royce CONANT

1938 - 2018

Passed away on Thursday, May 31, 2018 in Melbourne, Florida, surrounded by family after suffering a massive stroke on Memorial Day, May 28, 2018. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Ingrid Junker Conant; two sons and two daughters-in-law, Alexander and Caitlin, and Nicholas and Janna; a grandchild, Cecelia (and two more due this fall); and three loving nieces. Roger was born in New York City on May 1, 1938 and raised in Pelham, New York. He received his bachelor's degree from Lycoming College in Pennsylvania, a Masters of Government Administration in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, and a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance from Columbia University. He also obtained the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from the American College. Roger was a leader in the investment management industry for more than 45 years, culminating in his founding of Magni Global Asset Management in 2009 as a vehicle for combining proprietary research with innovative algorithms to generate returns surpassing international indices. He also served as the firm's Chairman and CIO, directing its operations in New York City and St. Paul, Minnesota. Previously, Roger achieved consistent top quartile performance as the Chief Investment Officer for St. Paul Companies (now Travelers), managing its $25 billion portfolio, including international and asset-class diversification programs, and launched the highly successful St. Paul Venture Capital fund. He served as CIO of the New Jersey-based First Fidelity Bank and also pioneered the first international investment program for CREF, the annuity arm of pension giant TIAA-CREF, the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund. Throughout his career, he actively promoted education and engagement, serving for 27 years as Coordinator of IPC, the International Pension Conference – a role that helped feed his passion for international travel. He also taught economics at the University of Minnesota and Macalester University in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1985, he moved with his wife and two sons from New York City to Sunfish Lake, Minnesota, where he was elected to the city council from 2008-2012, and was the creator and executive producer of the political TV show "Face to Face" for 10 years. Roger's friends and family universally respected him for his intellect and fervor. He loved spending time with family, reading newspapers, discussing politics, and traveling all over the world. He learned to speak Norwegian fluently after marrying Ingrid, and traveled annually to her hometown in Norway as part of their frequent international travels. There are few hobbies that Roger didn't have: He was an avid motorcycle, bicycle and Segway rider; runner; skier; scuba diver, and reader. He had season tickets for the Vikings football team and loved attending games with his sons and their friends. Even at 80 years old, he began every day with a 5-mile run. Memorial Service will take place Friday, July 20th at 3PM at the Minneapolis Club.