Presenting Sponsor
Global asset manager headquartered in Austin, Texas, and a pioneer of evidence-based investing. Dimensional applies academic financial science from collaborators including Eugene Fama and Kenneth French to portfolio construction across equities, fixed income, real estate, and target-date solutions for institutional clients, financial advisors, and individual investors worldwide. The firm crossed $1 trillion in global assets under management in February 2026 and is the largest active exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer in the United States.
Assets Under Management (AUM): $1 trillion+ (crossed February 2026). See source
ETF business: $255 billion+ across more than 40 funds. Largest active ETF issuer in the United States.
Global footprint: 15 offices including the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, and Japan.
Founded: 1981 by David Booth and Rex Sinquefield.
As Presenting Sponsor of TEXPERS 2026, Dimensional carries the marquee speaking opportunity at the conference and provides the emcee for the event. Dimensional has been the Presenting Sponsor for both the TEXPERS 2025 Annual Conference (March-April 2025, Austin) and the TEXPERS 2025 Summer Educational Forum (August 2025, El Paso), making the 2026 Annual Conference the firm's third consecutive marquee TEXPERS sponsorship.
Dimensional translates research from financial economics — including the Fama-French factor model — into systematic, low-cost investment strategies. The firm emphasizes diversification, low turnover, and disciplined exposure to dimensions of expected return: company size, relative price (value), and profitability. This 'passive-plus' approach is distinct from both pure index replication and traditional active stock-picking.
Several Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (TLFFRA) plans engage Dimensional directly or through investment consultants for portions of their equity and fixed income allocations. Dimensional's institutional team works with public pension plans on portfolio design, manager selection, and the operational implementation of factor-based strategies. The firm's evidence-based, low-cost philosophy is well-aligned with the long-horizon fiduciary mandate of TLFFRA boards.
As Presenting Sponsor, Dimensional receives 4 complimentary registrations plus the emcee role and choice of motivational luncheon or exclusive general session, per the official sponsorship prospectus. The firm typically sends a delegation including its institutional client team and one or more market research speakers. Three Dimensional team members have publicly verified TEXPERS speaking history (below); the official 2026 speaker roster is in the Whova conference app.