2024 - 2025 Committees

NASRA Committee Membership for 2024-2025

Administration Committee
Erin Leonard (MN), Chair*
Trish Bishop (VA), Vice Chair*
Dan Andersen (UT)
Tracy Guerin (WA)
Robyn Smith (AR)
Kerrie Vanden Bosch (MI)
Shauna Hewitt
Robert Klausner
Julie Skedd
Frank Sposato

Conference Committee
Brian Guthrie (TX), Chair *
Dan Andersen (UT)
Tracy Guerin (WA)
Tom Lee (NY)
Robyn Smith (AR)
Shauna Hewitt
Larry Langer
Tim McClure
Julie Skedd
Akio Tagawa

Legislative & Resolutions
Tom Lee (NY), Chair
Jeff Fleck (WV)
Tracy Guerin (WA)
Robyn Smith (AR)
Kerrie Vanden Bosch (MI)
Robert Klausner
Joe Newton

Education and Research
Jeff Fleck (WV), Chair
Tracy Guerin (WA)
Tom Lee (NY)
Robyn Smith (AR)
Kerrie Vanden Bosch (MI)
Tim McClure
Lesley Nettles
Akio Tagawa

Membership Development
Larry Langer, Co-Chair*
(upon ratification of the new chair)
Trish Bishop (VA), Co‐Chair *
Shauna Hewitt
Robert Klausner
Erin Leonard (MN)
Tim McClure
Lesley Nettles
Joe Newton
Julie Skedd
Frank Sposato
Akio Tagawa

Nominations
Trish Bishop (VA), Chair*
Dan Andersen (UT)
Karen Carraher (OH)
Brian Guthrie (TX)

Performance, Compensation & Benefits
Dan Andersen (UT), Chair * 
Trish Bishop (VA)*
Karen Carraher (OH)*
Brian Guthrie (TX)*
Erin Leonard (MN)*
Larry Langer*

Research and Education Fund (NREF)
Dan Andersen (UT), Chair * 
Trish Bishop (VA)*
Karen Carraher (OH)*
Brian Guthrie (TX)*
Erin Leonard (MN)*
Larry Langer*

Special Programs
Karen Carraher (OH), Chair *
Jeff Fleck (WV)
Kerrie Vanden Bosch (MI)
Lesley Nettles
Joe Newton
Frank Sposato

*Required by bylaws

NASRA Appointments to Other Committees

GASAC
Karen Carraher

Public Pension Coordinating Council
Dana Bilyeu

National Institute on Retirement Security
Dana Bilyeu

See More

Committee members are comprised of NASRA leadership: the Executive Committee, Regional Vice Presidents, and the Associate Advisory Committee.
NASRA is a founding member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council (GASAC), which is responsible for consulting with the GASB.

The Conference Committee oversees the Annual Conference and the Special Programs Commitee does the Winter Meeting.
The Public Pension Coordinating Council annually recognizes those public retirement systems who meet set standards for management, administration, and funding.

Become A Member

Becoming a member of NASRA offers a unique opportunity to join a community committed to the sound, efficient, and innovative stewardship of public retirement systems. Membership connects you with a network of professionals and experts, providing valuable insights into managing public retirement systems with a focus on sustainability and risk-averse strategies.

By joining NASRA, you gain the tools and resources to enhance the management of public retirement systems, ensuring their long-term success and reliability for generations to come.

What's New at NASRA: Public Pension Investment Return Assumption Brief Updated

NASRA’s latest update to standing issue briefs, Public Pension Plan Investment Return Assumptions underscores the critical role the investment return assumption plays in the financial health of public pension plans. Of all actuarial assumptions, it has the greatest impact on plan funding levels and cost. This brief traces how a decade of low interest rates and inflation, beginning in 2009, prompted many plans to reduce their long-term expected returns in line with more modest capital market projections. However, since inflation began rising in early 2021, the trend toward lowering return assumptions has largely paused. While reducing a plan’s assumed return can increase both costs and unfunded liabilities, setting this assumption is a careful, thorough process. It draws on expert input from actuaries and investment professionals and is guided by actuarial standards of practice.