2018 Crystal Globe Award Recipients
Presented in alphabetical order.
Denise L. Nappier
Connecticut State Treasurer
Denise Lynn Nappier is the first African-American woman elected to serve as a state treasurer in the United States and the first African-American woman elected to a statewide office in Connecticut. Elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, Treasurer Nappier is also the only woman to be elected Treasurer in Connecticut history. As Connecticut’s chief elected financial officer, Nappier oversees $63 billion in state funds, including the $34 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds. Her high standards and financial expertise have brought integrity back to the Treasurer’s office and professionalism to the management of state resources.
Rick A. Silva
Executive Director, UFCW Trust
Rick A. Silva is executive director of the UFCW & Employers Trust, LLC, which administers nine ERISA benefit plans covering 130,000 people. Rick manages a staff of 190 employees in two offices, in the East Bay and in Northern California. He oversees the operations of all departments, including Administration, Human Resources, Compliance, Health and Welfare Operations, Pension, Information Technologies, Finance and Employer Accounting, Communication Marketing and Branding. In his 37 year career, he held several positions that influenced the retail food industry. Prior to joining the UFCW & Employers Trust, LLC, Rick worked 11 years in the Human Resources arena.
Greg Tarpinian
Defined-Benefit Pension Advocate/Labor Economist
Greg Tarpinian is senior managing director at EnTrustPermal. He has been a respected labor economist, union consultant and media commentator on labor issues. He was founding executive director of the Change to Win labor federation and had an important role in the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 before serving on the Obama transition team. Greg is an advocate for defined-benefit pensions and is active in the political and policy arenas for sustainability of pension funds. Greg served as CEO and chief economist of the Labor Research Association (LRA) and LRA Consulting, where he was a nationally known labor economist and a consultant to labor and political leaders throughout North America. He worked closely with labor unions in France, South Africa, the UK, Australia and other countries. In that period, Greg wrote articles for the mainstream press and academic journals. He also served as a public advocate for worker and union causes in the media.