2017 Featured Speakers

Ted Benedict
Meketa Investment Group

Ted is managing principal of Meketa Investment Group. He joined the company in 2007 and has more than 21 years of experience in the financial services industry. Ted is the lead consultant on various defined-benefit and defined-contribution funds, foundations and endowments. His consulting work includes investment policy design, asset allocation modeling, defined-contribution plans, and manager research.

Max Carter II
IBEW Local 357

Max is an assistant business agent with IBEW Local 357 in Las Vegas. He has served as a trustee for the Electrical Workers Health and Welfare Pension Trusts since 2002. During his time on the board he has achieved Trustee Master Status through the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and has served as chairman of the trusts since 2010. Max is also a trustee on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Civil Service Board.

James Hynes
Pipe Trades Services of MN

James is executive administrator of Pipe Trades Services of MN, a nonprofit Minnesota corporation providing administrative services to pension and welfare trusts in the piping industry. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the industry. His organization provides employee benefit services to about 4,800 active employees and 2,000 retirees working for more than 300 employers.

Michael Kahn, Ph.D.
NCPERS

Michael is director of research at NCPERS and president of the Institute on Public Pension Solutions. He has more than 30 years of experience in public pensions and state and local tax and economic policies. Michael has graduate and post-graduate level training in economics, geography and sociology. He holds three master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the universities of Hawaii, North Carolina and Catholic University of America.

Russ Kamp
Kamp Consulting Solutions, LLC

Russ is managing partner of Kamp Consulting Solutions, LLC, which he launched in 2011. He has more than 36 years of experience in the investment management industry. His company is a full-retainer asset and liability consulting firm working with DB and DC plans in the Taft-Hartley, private and public fund sectors. Previously, Russ was CEO of Invesco Quantitative Strategies Group, a quantitatively oriented equity, alternative, and global macro investment group managing more than $30 billion for institutional clients.

Ron Lind
CalPERS

Ron is the public member of the Board of Administration of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the nation’s largest pension fund with more than $300 billion in assets. He was appointed jointly by the California State Assembly and Senate in 2013. Prior to joining the CalPERS board, Lind served 12 years on the governing board of the San Jose-Evergreen Community District. He is also former president of UFCW Local 5 in San Jose, Calif.

Jacques Loveall
UFCW Trust / UFCW 8-Golden State

Jacques is president of UFCW 8-Golden State and chairman of UFCW Trust, which funds pension and health care benefits for 125,000 active workers, dependents and retirees in the food and drug industries. He is a vice president of the UFCW International Union and a vice president of the California Labor Federation. He is also chairman of the Loveall Foundation for Children, a nonprofit charity dedicated to giving children an opportunity for a better life and enabling them to reach their full potential.

Michael Manning
NEPC

Mike is managing partner of NEPC. He has 24 years of investment experience. He joined NEPC in 1997 after working in the money management division of Prudential Insurance Company of America, which focused on private debt investing. He has also worked at Putnam Investments and Fidelity Investments. Mike earned his M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, with concentrations in finance and accounting.

John Marco
Segal Marco Advisors

John is a senior vice president at Segal Marco Advisors. He has more than 12 years of investment consulting experience. He consults to defined benefit, defined contribution, and health & welfare plans. John also leads Segal Marco Advisors’ western U.S. team. He started his career at the Marco Consulting Group as an investment manager analyst where he developed expertise in both traditional and alternative asset classes.

Hugh O’Reilly
OPSEU Pension Trust

Hugh is president & CEO of OPSEU Pension Trust in Canada. He oversees the fund’s $19 billion in assets and is one of Canada’s foremost pension experts. Previously, he led the Pension Benefits and Insolvency Practice at Cavalluzzo Shilton McIntyre Cornish LLP and has served as a senior policy advisor and chief of staff to a cabinet minister in the Ontario government.

Herb Whitehouse
ABC Fine Wines and Spirits

Herb is a corporate attorney with ABC Fine Wines and Spirits in Florida. He has designed and administrated health care and pension programs for top firms in the U.S and he has negotiated employee benefits for public-sector labor unions. He is best known for pioneering the 401(k) in the 1980s when he sat at the board of directors at Johnson & Johnson.