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Chicago — The National Institute of Pension Administrators (NIPA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2008 Recognition Awards, honoring Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Volunteer. Recipients were selected to receive the two unique awards based on their significant contributions to NIPA and the retirement plan industry. The awards were presented at the Annual Awards Ceremony during the 2008 NIPA Annual Forum & Expo (2008NAFE), May 5-7, at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nev. “NIPA sincerely values our great wealth of volunteers who continually strive to advance professional skills within the retirement plan industry,” said NIPA Executive Director, Laura Rudzinski. “Each volunteer has enabled NIPA to grow into a stronger source for bringing retirement plan professionals face-to-face with conferences, networking opportunities and educational offerings. Our volunteers’ hard work does not go unrecognized.” Craig P. Hoffman, Esq., Vice President and General Counsel, SunGard Relius, LLC, Jacksonville, Fla., received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hoffman’s professionalism and contribution to the retirement plan industry has been marked by various educational and leadership roles. As part of Hoffman’s service to the industry, he has presented numerous sessions at NIPA conferences, all of which have featured discussions pertaining to the most important issues retirement plan professionals face each day. He was an expert speaker at the National Summit on Retirement Savings, and served as a charter member of the first IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Governmental Entities. Hoffman is a well-respected, frequent speaker at industry meetings and serves on the editorial boards of several pension journals. Additionally, Hoffman has extensive leadership experience within the retirement plan industry. He is a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Past President of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), where he presently serves as co-chair of the Political Action Committee, and previously served as a member of the Board of Directors, and as the co-chair of the Government Affairs Committee. The Lifetime Achievement Award honors one individual who has made extraordinary contributions to NIPA and the industry over the course of many years. Kristina Kananen, APA, QPA, QKA, DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc., Westmont, Ill., received the Outstanding Volunteer Award, recognizing her ongoing commitment to the retirement plan industry and NIPA. Kananen has been a member of NIPA since 2001. During her time with NIPA, Kananen has served on both the 2007 and 2008NAFE Planning Committees as well as NIPA’s Accredited Pension Administrator (APA) and Accredited Pension Representative (APR) Designation Committee. The APA/APR Designation Committee recently completed an extensive revision of NIPA’s APA Designation requirements, to which Kristina directly contributed her expertise and industry knowledge. Kananen’s career in qualified retirement plans began in 1974. She has worked for several small TPA firms and an insurance company. For more than 30 years, her duties have included designing, installing, administering and terminating defined contribution and defined benefit plans. Currently, Kananen serves on the DATAIR Customer Support Team where her primary responsibility is DATAIR’s Pension Reporter government forms software, which includes the 5500 Series, PBGC forms, 1099Rs and 5300 Series forms. The Outstanding Volunteer Award honors an individual who has significantly contributed on a volunteer basis for NIPA. ### About NIPA
This nation-wide educational association representing the pension administration profession fosters the highest standard of ethical and professional conduct by providing self-improvement outlets to all members and interested parties. NIPA offers two main educational programs each year: the executive-focused Business Management Conference and the all-level Annual Conference. The Association sponsors two professional designation programs: the Accredited Pension Administrator (APA) and the Accredited Pension Representative (APR). To supplement its educational programming, NIPA promotes local chapters and publishes a quarterly newsletter.
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