Dan Bowden is the Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer of the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System (LASERS). Dan has over thirty years of experience working in both State Government and in the Fortune 500 private sector. Dan is a native of Louisiana and alumni of Louisiana State University (LSU). Dan has overseen several major projects at LASERS to convert legacy systems to modern digital alternatives. Dan is leading the effort at LASERS to make digital retirement a reality. Dan has served on the PRISM Board of Directors as South District Director, President-Elect and is the current President.

Chris serves as the Chief Information Officer and technology evangelist for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), a $180 billion pension fund serving over 1.6 million members. As CIO, Chris oversees and provides strategic direction for the use of technology and information resources that enables TRS to successfully fulfill its mission. As a technology evangelist, he is continually seeking ways to use and exploit technology solutions to increase business efficiencies, drive value and make a positive impact for the members of TRS. Chris holds a M.B.A. in Management Information Systems at St. Edward's University and a B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems and Business Management at McMurry University. Chris also serves as a board member for the national Public Retirement Information Systems Management (PRISM) organization.

Jeff Havens is not your typical business growth expert. His uncanny ability to provide actionable answers to today’s business challenges in an undeniably entertaining and impactful way has put him in front of over 1,000 eager audiences across North America and Asia. Delivering well-researched and relevant business insight is something a lot of keynote speakers do, but combining that with the entertainment value of a comedy show is not. Engaging, charismatic, and full of energy, Jeff Havens is the only business growth expert who provides serious solutions in a seriously funny way. But even more than that, Jeff makes things easy. All of us are constantly being asked to do more with less, so the last thing you need is someone to tell you how difficult your challenges are. Jeff has a unique ability to simplify seemingly complex problems in a way that will provide your audience with a fresh perspective, one that runs counter to the conventional wisdom of the business world. He’ll show you that we’re not actually creating a completely new type of person every 15 years, that being innovative is not something only a few special people know how to do, and that both exceptional leadership and exceptional customer experiences are built on surprisingly slender foundations. You will leave Jeff’s keynotes refreshed, relaxed, happy, and more confident than ever that you are prepared for the road ahead.

Laurie is currently the Project Director for a large system modernization project at the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS). She has served NYSLRS for over 30 years working primarily in the Application Development side of the IT shop. Laurie has previously served as the PRISM Secretary and highly values the networking, lessons learned and relationships afforded by the PRISM community. She views the Redesign modernization project as an opportunity to leave NYSLRS better than she found it.

Heidi Nikiforov is the Assistant Director of Application Development at New York State and Local Retirement System. In her current role she oversees all application development staff and programming for the Redesign Project. Heidi has served NYSLRS for over 14 years within application development. Prior to moving to her current role, Heidi lead the efforts to maintain an accurate and on-time pension payments while we integrated our new system to the legacy system. She sees the project as a chance to better the retirement system for her future needs as well as those of other members and pensioners.

John began his career with the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) in November 1988 with the Bureau of Member and Employer Services. Through his career he had the opportunity to work in multiple bureaus here at NYSLRS, He is well versed in the areas of Retirement and Social Security Laws, NYS Codes, Rules, Regulations, Division of Retirements policies and calculations. Throughout his career he has been involved in different projects for the purpose of business process improvements. John views the NYSLRS’ Redesign Project as an opportunity to build a modern system that will enhance the way NYSLRS serves its customers.

Dan began working at the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) in March of 2015 during the early stages of the Redesign project, while NYSLRS was still using the legacy mainframe system. Since then, he has been involved in the deployment of all major functionality released to the new NYSLRS Portal and Retirement Online systems. Throughout his career he has primarily been involved in security role analysis and design and Change Management. Dan has been instrumental in crafting the business process for implementing enhancement requests including criteria to present to the governance board. Dan has been involved in several iterations of prioritization methods for efficiently completing work items that will have the greatest short and long term benefit to NYSLRS. Currently, Dan is serving as the Release Manager, responsible for optimizing the Post Production release management workflow.

Deputy Director of Information Technology

I’ve worked at Kentucky Public Pensions Authority (previously known as Kentucky Retirement Systems) for almost 20 years. I have served in various roles over the years, including member counseling, employer compliance, Business Analyst, Trainer, Data Analyst, and Enterprise Project Management. These various roles have allowed me to develop my skills and knowledge in many areas of the business. On a personal note, I live in Lexington KY, have a cat named Prince Sammy who is in charge in the house, and enjoy gardening, cooking, and dining out (which obviously was severely curtailed this past year).

Frank Williams is the Information Security Officer (ISO) for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Covering a span of 20+ years of experience, his credentials include the Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), as well as a Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems and a Master’s in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity. As a prior Cisco Networking Academy instructor, Frank has the experience to explain technology at all levels including acting as an expert witness for the FBI in federal court. Frank currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas 20 miles outside of Austin.

Kristi Glasgall is the Lead Threat & Risk Cybersecurity Engineer for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Previously, she worked for the Department of Defense and was responsible for ensuring the security of critical military applications. At TRS, her role encompasses all things privacy and cybersecurity, including creating security policies and presentations (like this one); conducting risk and privacy assessments; running investigations; pretending to be a project manager and a lawyer; and occasionally getting to break things. Her certifications include Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Security Systems Certified Professional (SSCP), and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). She holds a Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity & Network Administration along with another Bachelor’s in Anthropology. She acknowledges that it is a weird combination, but it does provide a great perspective. Kristi lives just outside of Austin, Texas.

Brian joined OP&F in 2018 and is executive sponsor for the upgrade project. Additionally, he is responsible for all technology operations at the fund. Prior to OP&F, Brian served 4 years as Vice President, Cybersecurity Technology and Controls with JPMorgan Chase. He came up through the ranks, from student programmer to director, in the Office of the Chief Information Officer of The Ohio State University. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting) from The Ohio State University. He is past president of Central Ohio ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control), is a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America and attended the School of Hard Knocks.

Robin Gilham is our triple threat! She is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by Project Management International, holds program and project management certifications from George Washington University, is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and is certified in Prosci change management. Robin joined Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund in 2018, after spending 23 years with Nationwide Insurance. She has over 27 years’ experience of managing all size IT and business projects and programs. Robin’s passion for organizing the chaos brings a level of calm to project teams and instills confidence in stakeholders. As leader of our Project Management Office, Robin maintains focus on our organizational goals and utilizes her project, change and process management skills to drive OP&F’s portfolio of projects to success.

Tyler Green is a Certified Business Analyst Professional (CBAP) with the International Institute of Business Analysis and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University. Tyler has over 19 years of experience with the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund. Working as a process owner in both the Member Services and Health Services departments before joining the Information Systems department, Tyler has supported many change efforts including process improvements, legislative pension reform projects and pension system upgrades.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. Before joining the UNJSPF, Dino served as Chief of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Audit in the Office of Internal Oversight Services, and Information Security Officer in the ICT Service Division of the United Nations Secretariat. Previously, he served as Internal Auditor/ICT Auditor in UNICEF. Prior to his assignments with the United Nations System, Dino worked as Internal Auditor and Business Process Analyst in the Institute for Loans and Deposits of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Dino holds several qualifications and professional certifications in ICT Management and Security, Auditing and Accounting. He holds Master’s degrees in Internal Auditing and ICT and Telecommunications Laws.

Christopher Wiedel is the Director of Information Technology for Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois and has over 20 years of professional information technology experience, the majority of which has been in leadership roles.

Ashish Jain is the Chief Technology Officer of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), the largest educator-only pension fund in the world with an investment portfolio valued at $291.7 billion as of March 31, 2021​​​. As CTO, Jain is responsible for the vision, strategic direction, policy development and management of the Technology Services Branch. Before joining CalSTRS, Jain served as the deputy chief information officer at California Correctional Health Care Services, which provides health care services to around 130,000 inmates throughout California’s 35 correctional institutions. Jain holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, as well as having almost 25 years of experience in senior Information Technology leadership positions in both the private and public sectors. Out of his 15+ years serving the State of California, Jain has spent almost ten years working for two of the largest public pension organizations, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and CalSTRS.

Prashant Mittal is the Director of Pension Solution at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS). Prashant currently leads the $300+ million multi-year modernization effort that aims to replace the CalSTRS' legacy pension administration system. The new pension administration solution will serve almost one million members and beneficiaries. Prashant has over 24 years of strong management and technical experience in managing and delivering enterprise solutions to meet business needs across various business verticals, developing new and innovative solutions as well as migrating applications from legacy to new technology platforms. During the last 15 years, Prashant has held senior IT leadership roles in both private and public sector organizations where he’s directed, managed, and successfully executed many complex multi-year enterprise projects with a mixture of on-site, on-shore and off-shore teams.

Keyla Vivas is Chief Information Services Officer for Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). She leads both IMRF’s enterprise business solutions and technology infrastructure functions. She has spent more than three decades working in the information services field, including more than 20 years at IMRF. Keyla is also the Sponsor of the Horizon project, a multiyear project to replace the line of business solution at IMRF. Keyla holds a B.A. in Management Information Systems and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Tatiana Pezzoli has held the position of Chief Information Security officer at the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York for the past ten years. She has more than 20 years of experience in information security, risk management, business continuity, disaster recovery, information technology management, and system design and implementation in government, banking/brokerage, educational, and healthcare environments. In addition, Tatiana has more than 30 years of training/teaching experience. She is an ISACA CISM Certification Review Course instructor that brings real-world experiences to training arenas. Tatiana holds a master's degree in applied mathematics, and professional certifications in information security, project management, emergency management and privacy.

Merritt Schroeder is Director of Business Relationship Management at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Merritt has worked in state government for over 18 years. She started out in project management and has always been passionate about bridging the gap between Business and IT. Since joining TRS in 2018, Merritt has embraced her new group and role in Business Relationship Management to drive customer satisfaction, understanding and adoption of IT services.

Timothy Taylor is the Chief Technology Innovation Officer and Division Chief of the Enterprise Solutions Development Division at CalPERS. Timothy directs all of CalPERS application development activities, including business analysis, application engineering and architecture, development, and user experience design. He oversees design and development of the myCalPERS system, program management for the Enterprise Content Management Program and Enterprise Resource Planning Program, and development of enterprise applications to support the organization.

Kerry Worgan has been with CalPERS since May of 2010. Through his role in the valuation services unit at CalPERS, Kerry has been involved in legislative costings, the preparation of the State and Schools Actuarial Valuation Reports, the valuation for the 1959 Survivor Benefit Program, the actuarial valuations of Public Agency plans and is a member of the Asset Liability Management Advisory Committee (ALMAC). Mr. Worgan was also the creator of the CalPERS Pension Outlook tool and the Managing Employer Contributions spreadsheet.

Ameet has over 18 years of progressive experience leading to cultural and technology transformation. Aligning technology and business strategy by positioning IT as a business driver. Expertise in infrastructure/cloud/software architecture, InfoSec, DevOps/CICD, service management, CRM, datacenter & IT procurement.

At TRS, Ameet manages all aspects to IT as related to Infrastructure, Datacenter , Service management, and Information Security. Ameet is graduate of Columbia University with a master’s degree in Technology Management.

Ericc Diaz is the Senior ITSM Manager\Architect of the Teachers Retirement Systems of New York City. He has over 20 years of experience in IT Service Management. “As Senior ITSM Manager I strive to ensure the framework of People, Process and Technology is successfully implemented. Understanding the needs of the people and creating processes that work for both the staff and the business which in turn allows us to make smart decisions with technology”.

Karen Solarte serves as the Director of Business Solutions for Technology Services for the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), an $82 billion public employee retirement system. Solarte leads technology staff performing architecture design, analysis, system design, software development and data base administration activities. These teams manage the development, enhancement and maintenance of all VRS software systems.Karen Solarte serves as the Director of Business Solutions for Technology Services for the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), an $82 billion public employee retirement system. Solarte leads technology staff performing architecture design, analysis, system design, software development and data base administration activities. These teams manage the development, enhancement and maintenance of all VRS software systems.

Solarte previously worked at the Virginia Department of General Services (DGS), serving as Application Director. She oversaw activities related to the procurement, development, security, maintenance and support, and audit of the agency’s diverse application portfolio. Before being promoted to Application Director, Solarte was an Application Manager providing project management, coordination and oversight of application development, maintenance and operations, disaster recovery planning and execution, and implementation services for several divisions within DGS.

In addition, Solarte spent more than 15 years as a Lead Database Administrator supporting the design, development, testing and production implementation of high-transaction Oracle databases. She managed Oracle DBA teams charged with researching and implementing new technologies to resolve issues or enhance functionality.

Solarte received a master’s in Business and Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, she holds a bachelor’s in International Business from a business school in France.

Sugandha Agarwal is a Senior Technology Solutions Analyst for the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), an $82 billion public employee retirement system.

With more than 15 years in the information technology field, she has managed multiple teams and projects, including serving as product owner for several large agile, high-impact technology projects. Currently, she is a project manager in a multi-phased project to enhance online self-service functionality for VRS members and retirees, including online retirement, payment maintenance, survivor registration and beneficiary management.

Before joining VRS, Agarwal worked for Capital One, leading the IT team in launching a multi-million small business credit card and bringing Capital One in compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). She has also worked at the Virginia Department of Taxation and the Virginia Department of Social Services, helping launch such critical projects as the agencywide Identity Access Management, involving SailPoint applications and mainframe-to-web conversion.

Agarwal holds an MBA in Finance and Technology from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor’s in Engineering from Mumbai University, India.

Dave King is the Chief Information Officer at the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), which serves more than 400,000 non-retired members and 140,000 retirees, as well as their beneficiaries and health insurance dependents. Dave has nearly 25 years of increasingly responsible experience in senior management and information technology, the last 18 years with the ASRS. In that time, Dave has played a large role in the completion of two major in-house modernizations of their Pension Administration System (PAS). The ASRS PAS, called PERIS Online, is a package of web-based applications that consistently help the ASRS to rank near the top of CEM service rankings while remaining below the median in costs among its peers.

Noaman Ahmed is the Manager of Quality Assurance and Software Releases at the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), which serves more than 400,000 non-retired members and 140,000 retirees, as well as their beneficiaries and health insurance dependents.

Richard Nacinovich is the Manager of Enterprise Infrastructure Services at the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), which serves more than 400,000 non-retired members and 140,000 retirees, as well as their beneficiaries and health insurance dependents.

As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SamCERA, Tariq Ali directs the organization’s technology strategy with an eye towards innovation, simplicity, and efficiency. He works closely with the senior executive team to align these efforts with SamCERA’s strategic goals. Additionally, he provides oversight of SamCERA’s communications.

The Pension System & Web Engineer is responsible for helping improve, support and maintain the Pension Administration Software System, the SamCERA.org website, and various other software and technologies used by SamCERA.

Rocky Martin is an accomplished relationship builder that offers the kind of leadership that our pension clients have grown to expect. With over 8 years of pension system expertise, he has a passion for creating products that provide value to both the member and the system.

Mac is the System & Web Engineer . He is responsible for the growth of the company, recruiting and retaining top talent, and standing for Digital Deployment’s culture and values. His passion is empowering institutions, associations, and nonprofits to communicate online and better connect with their users while teaching them how to build measurable and sustainable business value.