National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems

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Communications Summit Agenda

2025 FINAL AGENDA
As of 1/27/25
 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26

2:00 PM – 6:00 PM    
 		 REGISTRATION 
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM      GENERAL SESSION 

Introductions & Networking
  • Get to know your fellow pension communications professionals during this informal kickoff session
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Why Communications Matters for Pensions: The CEO Perspective
  • Get the CEO perspective on the transformative impact of investing in their fund’s communications efforts
  • How to elevate the role of communications within your organization by demonstrating value, impact
  • Understanding communications as an operational tool
  • Should communications staff be at the exec table?
PANEL
Debby Cherney, CEO, San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association (SBCERA)
Renee Ostrander, CEO, San Joaquin County Employees’ Retirement Association (SJCERA)

MODERATOR
Christian Palmer, Communications Director, Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System
 
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM    NETWORKING RECEPTION 
 


MONDAY, JANUARY 27

6:30 AM – 6:00 PM     
 		 REGISTRATION 
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
   		 BREAKFAST 
8:00 AM – 8:15 AM            GENERAL SESSION 

Facilitated Discussion: AI & Technology
  • How is your organization using AI?
  • What policies do you have in place?
  • Which tools or technologies are you using to help drive efficiencies?
8:15 AM – 9:15 AM AI Policy, Ethics & Implementation: How Are Pension Funds Utilizing AI?
  • The role of the communications team in developing and participating in AI policy
  • What are the public pension use cases for AI?
  • How should AI usage be disclosed?
  • Tips for evaluating technology solutions, AI strategy, and effective implementation
  • How will AI impact communications professionals?
PANEL
Beth Hallmark, Chief Communications Officer, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
David Munns, Creative Director, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
 
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM Why Every Pension Fund Needs a Crisis Communications Plan
  • What types of crises could impact your fund?
  • Overview of crisis communications best practices
  • Preparing staff and board members to respond effectively and efficiently
  • How does a crisis communications plan evolve over time?
  • Case studies from peers’ experiences (i.e. data breaches, etc.)
SPEAKER
Ron Hutcheson, Executive Vice President, Burson
 
10:00 AM –10:15 AM
 		 NETWORKING BREAK
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM Facilitated Discussion: Digital Media Practices
  • What are plans using social media for?
  • Where are you seeing the most engagement?
  • What challenges are you having in the digital media space?
  • Best equipment for multimedia production?
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM Increase Your Inbox Impact: Simple Ways to Boost Engagement
  • Deliverability: How to confirm your emails are reaching the inbox 
  • Benchmarks: Why you should benchmark your program – and how to do it
  • Trends: What the latest email trends are – and how to determine if they’re right for your audience
  • Engagement: How to engage your entire audience – from 20-somethings to retirees – for decades
  • Segmentation: Why you should segment your list – and how to do it
  • Regulations: What current regulations you need to comply with – and what new laws are coming
  • Content: How to share complex and time-sensitive information for maximum engagement
SPEAKER
Jeanne Jennings, Founder and Chief Strategist, Email Optimization Shop
 
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM Lights, Camera, Pension! Using Videos and Livestreams to Connect with Every Generation 
  • Tips for developing engaging multimedia content 
  • Strategies to make the most out of your video library
  • Pros and cons of livestreaming
  • How TRS of Georgia gained 1K YouTube subscribers in 90 days
SPEAKER
Winston Buckley, Director, Communications & Outreach, Teachers Retirement System of Georgia
 
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM    NETWORKING LUNCH 
 
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM       Dealing with Jargon
  • Communicating to members and the public effectively in a high-jargon industry
  • Tips for simplifying language
  • How do you measure success?
SPEAKERS
Megan Yost, SVP, Communications Consultant, Segal Benz
Gabby Kerrigan, Communications Consultant, Segal Benz
 
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM Financial Literacy & Member Engagement
  • How to build an effective ongoing education campaign
  • Strategies for making an impact with the 18-25 demographic
  • How to build financial literacy within your membership
SPEAKERS
Deardrian Carver, Ph.D., Chief Customer Relations Officer, Virginia Retirement System
Melissa Robertson, Retirement Outreach Counseling Manager, Virginia Retirement System
 
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM       NETWORKING BREAK
 
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM       Facilitated Discussion: Member Engagement
  • What strategies have been most effective to engage members?
  • What types of communications are you sending?
  • What challenges are you having?
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM   Are You Getting the Best ROI for Your Communications Efforts?
  • How to adapt and allocate resources effectively (especially for small teams)
  • Understanding your metrics – how to measure and track performance (and know when to pivot)
SPEAKER
Mary-Joy Coburn, Director of Communications, Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS)
 
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM       The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly.
  • A discussion around communication success stories, failures and challenges
  • Strategies for communicating about tough topics (i.e. employee contributions, COLA freezes, policy developments, etc.)
PANEL
Christian Palmer, Communications Director, Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System
Brian Holland, Communications Manager, Utah Retirement Systems

MODERATOR
Patrick von Keyserling, Senior Director of Communications, Colorado PERA
 
5:15 PM – 5:30 PM       Honoring the 2024 Public Pension Communicators of the Year
 
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM       JOINT COMMUNICATIONS SUMMIT AND LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE NETWORKING RECEPTION
 
  

CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) CREDITS

By attending the Pension Communications Summit, you can earn up to 9.75 Continuing Education (CE) hours toward your Accredited Fiduciary (AF) recertification and/or state-mandated continuing education requirements. CE credits are automatically recorded in your NCPERS membership account after the conference, where you can log in to download your CE certificate.

NCPERS is an accredited Minimum Educational Training (MET) sponsor for Texas public retirement systems, as recognized by the State Pension Review Board. This accreditation does not imply an endorsement by the Board regarding the quality of the MET program.

Additionally, NCPERS is a recognized learning provider and continuing education sponsor in multiple states. Attendees are encouraged to check with their state’s requirements to confirm CE eligibility.