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From Classroom to Boardroom: How Northern Trust Helps Trustees Apply Investment Concepts with Confidence
As one of the inaugural recipients of the Pension Partners of the Year Awards, Northern Trust Asset Management was recognized for its extensive contributions to NCPERS Trustee Educational Seminar (TEDS). TEDS culminates with the always-popular Asset Allocation challenge—run by the Northern Trust team—that allows attendees to put their knowledge to the test with an interactive training.
NCPERS presented the Pension Partners of the Year Awards during the 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibition in Denver. These awards recognize the Service Provider members who have helped make continuing education exciting, valuable, and accessible to public pension staff, trustees, and industry stakeholders.As one of the inaugural award recipients, Northern Trust Asset Management was recognized for its extensive contributions to NCPERS Trustee Educational Seminar (TEDS). The program is designed to help public pension trustees and staff build a solid foundation in governance, investing, and actuarial science in a classroom setting.
TEDS culminates with the always-popular Asset Allocation challenge—run by the Northern Trust team—that allows attendees to put their knowledge to the test with an interactive training. We spoke with Bob Parise about their involvement with TEDS, the importance of ongoing education for public pensions, and the investment landscape.
Q: Tell us about your day-to-day role at Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM).
A: I am part of the U.S. Pensions and Canada team that is responsible for managing institutional relationships and growing the NTAM footprint within North America. My day-to-day is anything but routine. Most days begin with a 20-minute market update/outlook from the past few days and looking forward as to the week's economic data and how NTAM is viewing data releases. The remainder of my day is spent working alongside our client facing partners thinking about strategy, meeting with clients and working through internal meetings about future programs, events or product launches. Q: Has your perspective on the importance of continuing education for public pensions changed since your team began leading the Asset Allocation Challenge nearly a decade ago?
A: TEDS is the event I look forward to every year. Delivering foundational investment education to trustees is a priority for NTAM as it helps support our clients and the overall public fund community. We want to be viewed as part of the community and as a firm trustees can turn to with questions.
We believe the most impactful learning comes from the opportunity to take investment concepts and put them into action, which is why we created the Asset Allocation Challenge. It's inspiring to see trustee participants take the game seriously, debate with one another and have fun at the end of a very long two days of training. Over the years we have hosted the game, the most rewarding aspect is when trustees who have participated previously share what an impact the program had on them. We've heard at subsequent conferences how they felt more comfortable in board meetings and how the concepts they learned helped enable them to make better decisions for their constituents.
Q: In your time as an instructor, has anything surprised you?
A: I am surprised each and every time we host the Asset Allocation Challenge by the amount of competitiveness within the room; how engaged participants are; and how much fun I have running the program.
Q: What advice would you give to a new trustee?
A: Be yourself. You were appointed/elected by your peers to represent the best interests of plan members, take the trust and confidence placed in you and use it to drive you during your time on the board.
Q: Looking ahead, do you have any predictions for the investment landscape over the next 12 months?
A: I do not. (There is no way compliance will allow me to comment on that!) Seriously, the old adage holds in terms of this question, the only thing certain is uncertainty and change is inevitable. Trustees need to make sure there is a solid foundational asset allocation plan that allows for enough asset movement without allowing for the emotion of investing to creep into the mindset.
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