May 10 - 12, 2021


Welcome to the 2021 PRISM Conference!

Dear PRISM Members & Sponsors, on behalf of the entire PRISM Board, I am pleased to welcome you to the 2021 Virtual PRISM Conference! This year marks 33 years that PRISM has been providing important learning and networking opportunities unique to the retirement business. We are excited that you are here, and we thank you for your continued support of the PRISM Association.

The theme for this year’s Conference is “Leading In The New Normal”.  I think we can all agree that the past year has seen a tremendous change in the way we do business, and many of those changes will become a permanent part of the future. This virtual conference will bring new information to light that will help you navigate all that change. Keynotes and Breakout Sessions will complement the theme, bringing practical ideas and real-world experiences to attendees.

The format for this year’s Conference is slightly different from past conferences because the conference is virtual, but I think you will see that many of things that make a PRISM conference special remain in place. There will be opportunities for Members and Sponsors to interact and we hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to support our valued sponsors. One of the differences between a physical and a virtual PRISM conference is our interaction with sponsors, and vice versa, as part of the traditional Monday afternoon Roundtable session. Therefore, it is VERY IMPORTANT to let us know what major projects you are undertaking, and where you might benefit from some interaction with your colleagues, when you register for the conference. PLEASE complete this step when you register.

On Monday, our keynote speaker is Jeff Havens. 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 an insightful business growth expert who provides serious solutions in a seriously funny way.

During the breakout sessions presented throughout the Conference, volunteer PRISM Members will share their knowledge and experiences on current projects and technologies they have recently implemented or are currently working on at their respective systems. As you attend these Breakouts, take a moment to think of what value YOUR experiences would have for others, and begin to plan what YOU can present at PRISM 2022.

The annual Member Business Meeting will be held after the final breakout session on Wednesday afternoon. At this meeting, PRISM will announce the results of the PRISM Board elections. The PRISM Treasurer will give a report, and we’ll cover plans for the 2022 conference.

On behalf of the entire PRISM Board of Directors, thank you for being a part of PRISM 2021.

Dan Bowden, PRISM President

Keynote – Jeff Havens

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 an insightful business growth expert who provides serious solutions in a seriously funny way.

PRISM - 2021 Conference: "Leading in the New Normal"

Agenda

Monday, May 10th

  1:00 - 1:15pm CST

President's Welcome and President-Elect's Introduction

Dan Bowden

Chief Information Officer
Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System

Chris Cutler

Chief Information Officer
Teacher Retirement System of Texas

  1:15 - 2:45pm CST

Keynote: JEFF HAVENS "Innovation Made Simple"

Jeff Havens

  2:45 - 3:00pm CST

Break

  3:00 - 4:00pm CST

Staying on target during a pandemic

Laurie Papa

Director NYSLRS Redesign Project
New York State & Local Retirement System

Heidi Nikiforov

Assistant Director – Redesign Application Development
New York State & Local Retirement System

John Cooper

Project Assistant – Business Conversion
New York State & Local Retirement System

Dan MacPherson

Business Systems Analyst
New York State & Local Retirement System

Ohio PERS’ Digital Transformation Journey

Stephen Kell

Deputy Director of Information Technology
Ohio Public Employees Retirement System

  4:00 - 5:00pm CST

Sponsor and Member Booth Visits & Consultations


Tuesday, May 11th

  1:00 - 1:45pm CST

Business Continuity and Lessons Learned from the Pandemic

Holly Thompson

Systems Consultant
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority

Building Blocks in Information Security

Frank Williams

Information Security Officer
Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Kristi Glasgall

Lead Threat & Risk Cybersecurity Engineer
Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Chronicles of a Pension Administration System Conversion

Brian O’Brien

Business and Technology Solutions Director
Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund

Robin Gilham

Manager Project Management Office
Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund

Tyler Green

Business Systems Manager
Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund

  1:45 - 2:00 CST

Break

  2:00 - 2:45pm CST

Digital Transformation through a Pandemic

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio

Chief Information Officer
United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund

Leading through Chaos

Christopher Wiedel

Director of Information Technology
Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois

  2:45 - 3:00pm CST

Break

  3:00 - 4:00pm CST

Path Forward - A Blended Work Environment

Ashish Jain

Chief Technology Officer
California State Teachers’ Retirement System

Prashant Mittal

Director, Pension Solution Project
California State Teachers’ Retirement System

How IMRF journey of excellence prepared us for a pandemic

Keyla Vivas

Chief Information Officer
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

You have to ensure your work is secure!

Tatiana Pezzoli

Chief Information Security officer
Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York

  4:00 - 5:00pm CST

Sponsor and Member Booth Visits & Consultations


Wednesday, May 12th

  1:00 - 1:45pm CST

Merritt Schroeder

Director of Business Relationship Management
Teachers Retirement System of Texas

Board Governance

Timothy Taylor – Chief Technology Innovation Officer

Chief Technology Innovation Officer
California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)

Kerry Worgan – Supervising Pension Actuary

Supervising Pension Actuary
California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)

Continuous Service Improvement Process (CSIP) impact on remote work readines

Ameet Chaudhury

Deputy Director , IT

Ericc Diaz

Service Management, IT

  1:45 - 2:00 CST

Break

  2:00 - 2:45pm CST

Karen Solarte

Director of Business Solutions for Technology Services
Virginia Retirement System

Sugandha Agarwal

Senior Technology Solutions Analyst
Virginia Retirement System

Dave King

Chief Information Officer
Arizona State Retirement System

Noaman Ahmed

Application Release Manager
Arizona State Retirement System

Rich Nacinovich

Enterprise Infrastructure Manager
Arizona State Retirement System

Tariq Ali, CTO SamCERA

Chief Technology Officer
San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association

Darius Nagal, IT SamCERA

System & Web Engineer
San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association

Rocky Martin, PensionX Division Lead

San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association

Mac Clemmens, CEO

San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association

  2:45 - 3:00pm CST

Break

  3:00 - 4:00pm CST

Member Business Meeting and Officer Elections

  16:00:00 CST

Conference Concludes

Frequently Asked Questions

The 2021 PRISM Conference will be held May 10th through May 12th. The conference will offer sessions from 1pm to 4pm (CST).
Simply click on the Register Now! button on this page and fill in the form. Once complete, you will receive an email with your login instructions for the conference.
This year’s conference is FREE to all PRISM active members thanks to our wonderful sponsors!...so be sure to renew your PRISM membership now!
Your login details will be emailed to you ahead of the event. You can use these details to access the online event.
The event will remain open 24/7 for 30 days. It’s best when you can attend live and participate, but you will also have the opportunity to replay and/or watch sessions you missed during this time.
This is an online event. You do not have to travel to any specific location. You can participate anywhere that you have Internet access. The event is accessible from desktop, mobile and tablet devices.
Yes. Like any physical event, we will have a Cart for you! You can add all of the documents available to the online Cart in your account and then email them to yourself or share items with colleagues and friends by simply entering their email.
Anyone from an active member fund (meaning the yearly PRISM dues have been paid for 2021) can register at no charge. We encourage as many from your organization as interested!
NO. You do not need to download or install any software to participate in our conference. You only need to have access to the Internet.