2021 Crystal Globe Award Recipients

Presented in alphabetical order.

David Blumenstein
President & CEO, The Segal Group

David is president and CEO of The Segal Group, a consulting firm with 26 offices through the United States and Canada. As someone who is passionate about and energized by the work Segal does, he continues to serve as the lead consultant to several major clients. Throughout his career, David has held many roles, but only one job: contributing to the success of the firm’s clients.

During his almost 30 years with Segal, Mr. Blumenstein has served in a number of national and regional leadership roles, including multiple terms on The Segal Group’s Board of Directors. Prior to joining Segal, Mr. Blumenstein worked for a major insurance company focusing in all areas of employee benefits.

David is a frequent speaker at benefits conferences and other industry forums. In addition, he is a published author on both health care and retirement benefit topics. He is the Executive Sponsor of Segal’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, as he believes that positive change should begin at the top.

Sharon Hendricks
Board Vice Chair, CalSTRS

Sharon is board vice chair for the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), as well as a communication studies instructor for the past 15 years at at Los Angeles City College. She was elected to the CalSTRS retirement board in 2011.

While on the board, she has advocated for the development of investment beliefs, transparency on investment fees, and managing environmental, social and governance risks like climate change, corporate board diversity and fair labor practices.

Sharon also serves faculty as Treasurer and Retirement Liaison for the 5,000 full and part-time faculty members of the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, AFT 1521. She is active in the Community College Council of the California Federation of Teachers and serves on the working group for the Trustee Leadership Forum for Retirement Security at Harvard, the American Federation of Teachers Trustee Council and the California Trustee Network.

Richard “Dick” Charlton
Founder, Chairman Emeritus, NEPC

Lifetime Achievement Award

Richard is the founder and chairman emeritus of NEPC. His investment experience spans nearly 50 years. In 1972, he initiated Michigan Bell’s Pension Oversight District in anticipation of the oversight requirements of ERISA. Dick also prepared financial regulatory testimony, and wrote his master’s seminar on pension fund performance evaluation. He was elected Assistant Treasurer in February 1976, overseeing the financial modeling, market research, economics, pension, and math research districts.

After an assignment at AT&T, Dick joined Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in 1981, assuming the investment consulting responsibility for over $25 billion in assets. With Merrill Lynch’s decision to leave the institutional investment consulting market at the end of 1985, Dick formed his own firm, New England Pension Consultants, now “NEPC” converting 100% of his clients in the process. During the ensuing 35 years, NEPC has become one of the largest and most well-known investment consulting firms in the industry.

Richard has been influential in shaping NEPC’s impact investing capabilities, including mission-related and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles based on a deep understanding of the role that these factors can play in many investment programs.