The Mission of the Pennsylvania Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (PAPERS)

shall be to encourage and facilitate the education of its membership in all matters related to their duties as fiduciaries overseeing the assets of the pension funds with which they have been entrusted.  It will be PAPERS' primary purpose to conduct an annual educational forum that provides the basis for improved financial and operational performance of the public employee retirement systems in the State. PAPERS will function as a central resource for educational purposes and act as a networking agent for all public plan staff and board members.

To learn more about PAPERS, please click here.

Do you know that feeling after a long cold winter, you walk outside and it’s bright and sunny and you take a deep breath of fresh air and say “Wow I’m so happy it’s (the weather) getting better”.  That’s how it feels to me after this long COVID experience.  In June I attended the ALOM conference, my first event in over a year and a half, and that is how I felt!!  Wow, I am so happy it’s getting better!  Reconnecting with friends and colleagues was like a ray of bright sunshine.  We had so much to talk about because even though some events stood still, time did not.  The impact on our public pension system is still being realized and we have much to discuss and many ideas to share.

During COVID, we shared our training virtually.  The virtual sessions have received such great feedback that we will be doing part of the conference in November virtually as well. But still, one of the greatest aspects of PAPERS is our ability to network and to see our colleagues in-person and talk with our peers about challenges that face us every day as pension trustees. For that reason it’s critical we do have an opportunity to get together. I know I can speak for the entire Board when I say we can’t wait to see everybody in-person in November. So, our Fall Workshop will be held in Harrisburg in-person in addition to the virtual component which will focus on fiduciary foundations and the basic responsibilities of a trustee.  On so many aspects it seems like we’re returning to normal but in quite a number of ways there are more unique challenges we have to face.  Coming together as an association to share our challenges helps us find those solutions.
 
A heartfelt special thank you to our Auditor General Tim DeFoor. General DeFoor has been a long time member of PAPERS and a great supporter.  We truly appreciated his insight and his remarks during our May Forum.  His recognition of the need for ongoing training in public finance is a tenet of his administration. And additional exciting news….this fall we look forward to hearing from our State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.  Treasurer Garrity will open our November Workshop during a lunch at the Harrisburg Hilton. I can’t overstate how much we cannot wait to see to see you all there!  HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

PAPERS Newsletter

Just below you'll find a link to the latest edition of the PAPERS newsletter (Fall 2021). Our goal is to provide interesting reading and a variety of points of interest to spark conversations in the realm of public pensions. I hope you find the following items as informative and interesting as I have.   Thank you to those who have contributed articles and suggestions to this edition. 

Click here to access the latest issue of the PAPERS e-newsletter (Fall 2021)

Certified PA Public Retirement Plan Professional

PAPERS has a new certification program designed to provide a high quality educational opportunity for public pension trustees, pension administrators and staff, and industry professionals to help them fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities.

Click here for more information.