Chief Officers Summit Agenda
Candid conversations and the exchange of ideas are the heartbeat of the NCPERS Chief Officers Summit. This exclusive event draws together pension CEOs and CIOs to address their most pressing challenges and promising opportunities. Click here for more on the Summit.
2025 PRELIMINARY AGENDA
MONDAY, JUNE 16
| 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON RSVP required. This is an optional event. |
| 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM | REGISTRATION |
| 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | GENERAL SESSION I |
| 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM | 2025 CHIEF OFFICERS SUMMIT WELCOME ADDRESS Hank Kim, Executive Director, NCPERS |
| 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM | Sparking Connections: Introductions, Expectations, and Goals In this lively session, you'll have the chance to introduce yourself and express your expectations for this year's Summit. Join us as we kick off with enthusiasm and camaraderie, setting the stage for impactful conversations. |
| 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM | NETWORKING RECEPTION |
TUESDAY, JUNE 17
| 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM | REGISTRATION | |
| 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM | BREAKFAST | |
| 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM | GENERAL SESSION II | |
| 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM | Organizational Culture and Expanding the Talent Pool Join us for an enlightening session on expanding the talent pipeline while building an environment of employee engagement. SPEAKERS Shunne Powell, Teacher Retirement System of Texas Elizabeth Reyes, NYC Employees' Retirement System (NYCERS) Sasha Talcott, KKR EMCEE Erin Leonard, Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) |
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| 8:45 AM – 9:30 AM | How Does My Plan Stack Up? Meaningful Metrics for Comparing Public Plans This session will use public plans data to illustrate the metrics that are most meaningful in comparing public plans’ funding progress, contribution policies and sensitivity to risk. SPEAKERS Jake Libauskas, Cheiron Inc. Greg Reardon, Cheiron Inc. EMCEE Derrick Dagnan, Fort Worth Employees' Retirement Fund |
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| 9:30 AM –10:00 AM | REFRESHMENT BREAK | |
| 10:00 AM – 12:15 PM | TRACK I | |
| 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | CEO TRACK I The State of Financial Wellness in the Public Sector While most state and local employees have access to DB plans, employees may not fully understand their state of financial & retirement readiness due to post-GFC reforms, DC plan complexity, or lack of coordination among Social Security, DB, DC plans. Hear from practitioners who will share some of their successes tackling this issue-and troublesome issues that need further work. SPEAKERS Chris Hanson, City of Austin Employees Retirement System (COAERS) Matt Petersen, National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators (NAGDCA) EMCEE Kristi Paczkowski, City of Knoxville Employees' Pension System |
CIO TRACK I Case Study: Delegated Authority and Various Discretion Models Case Study sessions are a new feature of the 2025 Chief Officers Summit, where a session facilitator will present on a topic then lead a conversation with the attendees. Likely topics for discussion include: transiting of investment discretion from board to investment staff; how the size of plans affects models used; the model best suited for public vs private markets; and what works with Investment Advisory Committees. FACILITATOR Derrick Dagnan, Fort Worth Employees' Retirement Fund |
| 10:45 AM – 11:30 AM | Workforce Survey: Trends in Recruitment and Retention Since 2009, MissionSquare Research Institute, the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE), and Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA) have partnered on a survey of HR managers around recruitment, retention, hard to fill positions, benefits changes, flexible workplace policies, and other key topics. Hear how data from the most recent survey stack up to prior years, where there’s been post-pandemic improvement, and what strategies are most effective. SPEAKERS Cara Woodson Welch, PSHRA Gerald Young, MissionSquare Research Institute EMCEE Mark White, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System |
360-Analysis of Secondary Markets When investing in private equity secondary investments, there are several key considerations for asset owners to keep in mind. This session will explore those factors, including emerging strategies within secondaries (credit, real assets, etc.); new innovations within the secondary market; and the evolving strategies of continuation vehicles. SPEAKERS Jennifer Choi, Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) Jason Malinowski, Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System EMCEE TBA |
| 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM | Case Study: How to Build Staff Ownership in a Mission Driven Organization Case Study sessions are a new feature of the 2025 Chief Officers Summit, where a session facilitator will present on a topic then lead a conversation with the attendees. In this session, conversation will center on how peers are empowering their staff and building cultures of success to improve their organization performance. FACILITATOR Chris Hanson, COAERS |
Economically Targeted Investments: Are They Appropriate for Public Pensions? "Doing well by doing good" is a well-used idiom attributed to Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. What are the benefits and risks associated with ETIs? Hear from those who have experience with ETIs, as they share their keys to success and pitfalls to avoid. SPEAKERS Bryan Fujita, LAFPP Kristin Varela, Hawaii ERS TBA, NYC Bureau of Asset Management EMCEE Christopher DiFusco, City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions & Retirement |
| 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM | NETWORKING LUNCH | |
| 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM | TRACK II | |
| 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | CEO TRACK Effective Use of Dashboards and Visualization Platforms Find out how plans are using data analytics and other tools to increase internal efficiencies and to help educate boards and external stakeholders. SPEAKERS: Prabesh Prakash, NYCERS EMCEE Colleen Gardner, New York State & Local Retirement System |
CIO TRACK Case Study: The Evolution of the Investment Consultant Industry Case Study sessions are a new feature of the 2025 Chief Officers Summit, where a session facilitator will present on a topic then lead a conversation with the attendees. Topics that will be covered include: impact of mergers on consultants; the positives/negatives of using consultants; the good, bad, and ugly of consultant reviews; and the future of this sector. FACILITATORS Ryan Wagner, Dallas Police & Fire Pension System Jason Malinowski, Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System |
| 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM | Facilitated Small Group Discussions | Facilitated Small Group Discussions |
| 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM |
Liquidity Management for Negative Cashflow Plans From the perspectives of a cashflow negative and positive plans, this panel discussion will cover key considerations including liquidity management and return of capital from private markets; planning for cash outflows; market timing vs rebalancing when raising cash; etc. SPEAKERS Ryan Wagner, Dallas Police & Fire Pension System EMCEE Christopher DiFusco, City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions & Retirement |
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| 3:45 PM – 4:00 PM | REFRESHMENT BREAK | |
| 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM | Plan Governance
Listen, participate, and share how plans are grappling with varying levels of independence between plan board and staff; and the plan and plan sponsor.
SPEAKERS
Brad Kelly, GGA
Peter Landers, GGA EMCEE Eli Martinez, Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans |
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| 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM | NETWORKING RECEPTION & DINNER | |
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
| 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM | REGISTRATION | |
| 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM | BREAKFAST | |
| 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | GENERAL SESSION IV Economic and Geopolitical Outlook General David Petraeus (US Army Ret), a partner at KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, will share his observations of domestic and international affairs and their economic outlook for the coming year. SPEAKER TBD |
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| 9:15 AM – 12:00 PM | TRACK III | |
| 9:15 AM – 10:00 AM | CEO TRACK III How Can Pensions Create a Sustainable Partnership with Plan Sponsors Through Engagement? This session will explore the realities of engagement and sustainability in 2025. Questions asked and answered in this session include: Does the plan sponsor/pension relationship have to be strained? What are some barriers to an effective partnership? What does a strong sponsor/plan partnership look like? Understanding how plan sponsor HR uses the pension in recruitment and retention efforts. How can we arm the plan sponsor with the right amount of information to be effective? Does a stronger partnership improve plan sustainability? Pensions were created for a reason, why has it been forgotten? SPEAKERS TBA EMCEE TBA |
CIO TRACK III The Pros and Cons of Asset Allocation Simplicity This session explores the question whether & when is simplification appropriate. Learn about Montana Board of Investments' approach and its benefits compared to the more traditional portfolios used by many plans. Additionally, explore with your peers the motivations and incentives of consultants for simple and complex portfolios. SPEAKERS Jon Putnam, Montana Board of Investments Scott Davis, Indiana Public Retirement System (Invited) EMCEE Rod June, LACERS |
| 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Tools, Strategies, and Resources to Reach Younger Plan Participants Learn about innovative and practical approaches plan communications teams have used to connect with, engage, and educate younger employees about their pension. SPEAKERS Jennifer Benz, Segal Olivia Applegate, San Bernardino CERA EMCEE Kristi Paczkowski, City of Knoxville Employees' Pension System |
Case Study: Benchmark Best Practices Case Study sessions are a new feature of the 2025 Chief Officers Summit, where a session facilitator will present on a topic then lead a conversation with the attendees. Join in on a frank conversation on benchmarks. Share your views on the games that are played and the improvements you’d like to see with benchmarks. FACILITATOR Bryan Fujita, LAFPP |
| 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM | REFRESHMENT BREAK | |
| 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Organizational Health: The Journey of FPPA Towards Better Outcomes Five years ago, the Fire and Police Pension Association set its objective as becoming a Thriving Organization, as measured by its quality of services, efficiency of operations, and ability to pay benefits, and as reflected in its people and relationships. In this session, hear from a panel of FPPA executives discuss the process and outcomes from their five-year journey. SPEAKER Kevin Lindahl, FPPA EMCEE Colleen Gardner, New York State & Local Retirement System |
Is It Time to Rethink Investing in Emerging Markets? Are the U.S. public equity markets overvalued given the long bull market runs? Will a weaker U.S. dollar and shifts in the political landscape make emerging markets more attractive? Is China and its political agenda hiding its head behind other emerging market regions such as parts of Africa and Latin America/Mexico to remain competitive? These and related questions will be explored and answered during this session. SPEAKERS Rod June, LACERS Paul Podolsky, Kate Capital EMCEE TBA |
| 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM | Proactive Engagement to Improve Connectivity with Stakeholders Public pension participants are generally well informed and satisfied with their plans. However, in the age of social media discontented members can be quickly alarmed and doubting. Dispelling myths; building trust. This session will offer best practices and lessons learned to help systems plan for and proactively engage with its members and participants to strengthen trust and fortify ties. SPEAKERS Kendal Killian, National Public Pension Coalitions Erin Leonard, MSRS Bill Neville, Formerly of STRS of Ohio EMCEE Steve Delaney, Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS) |
Creating a Culture to Develop Future CIOs The Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) has an enviable “Coaching Tree” of public plan CIOs. SBA alumni lead major state, county and city plans. Hear from the SBA on why they’ve been so successful in incubating public plan CIOs. And get the takeaways to help your investment shop mentor future public plan leaders. SPEAKER Ashbel Williams, JP Morgan EMCEE: Rod June, LACERS |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | NETWORKING LUNCH | |
| 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | GENERAL SESSION V Remote, Hybrid, In-Office: The Future of Work and Building Organizational Culture in 2025 Seemingly with momentum shifting away from remote and flexible work arrangements, what is the future of work for governmental plans? This session will discuss how do you build cohesion and culture regardless of your system’s work environment. SPEAKERS TBA, Oregon PERS (Invited) Steve Russo, Indiana PRS (Invited) EMCEE Mark White, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System |
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| 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE CLOSING BELL EVENT RSVP is required for this event. |
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| 5:30 PM | HAPPY HOUR / RECEPTION | |
CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) CREDITS
By attending the Chief Officers Summit, you can earn up to 16 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.