Press Release

PSCA Honors Nancy Gerrie and Robert C. Merton with Lifetime Achievement Awards

Issued by PSCA [Plan Sponsor Council of America]

Apr. 5, 2022

This prestigious award is given annually to individuals for their noteworthy contributions to the defined contribution industry.

Arlington, VA (April 5, 2022) – Nancy Gerrie and Robert C. Merton will each be awarded the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award at its National Conference on April 28, 2022, in Phoenix, AZ.  Winners of PSCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award are nominated by PSCA members and then voted on by the PSCA leadership committee. Previous award recipients include Phyllis Borzi, Former Assistant Secretary of Labor; Dr. Zvi Bodie, Professor Emeritus at Boston University; Cindy Hounsell, President of WISER, the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement; Anna Rappaport, founder of Anna Rappaport Consulting; Nancy Webman, retired editor of Pensions & Investments; Karen Barnes, managing counsel for McDonald’s Corp.; and David Booth, Founder and Executive Chairman of Dimensional Fund Advisors.

Nancy Gerrie

Nancy Gerrie has counseled plan sponsor clients on a variety of retirement plan and employee benefit plan matters during her more than 30 years as an attorney. Her clients describe her as practical and innovative as well as gifted at explaining complex ERISA matters. She has been formally recognized numerous times for her accomplishments. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Gerrie has advocated for women’s equality and inclusion at every level of the legal profession. Ms. Gerrie has served as a role model and mentor to many young women in the benefits field, elevating their careers and benefiting the retirement community as a whole.

Ms. Gerrie has also been a tireless volunteer for PSCA, helping to create many of the resources used by our members today. “Nancy has always been willing provide her expertise in webinars, National Conference presentations, and magazine articles. She has been generous in sharing her time and intellectual capital and never hesitated to say yes to PSCA when asked for support,” said Tobi Davis, PSCA’s Director of Operations.

Robert C. Merton

Robert C. Merton, PhD, is the distinguished professor of finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management and professor emeritus at Harvard University. He also serves as Resident Scientist at Dimensional. Dr. Merton received the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1997 for a new method to determine the value of derivatives.

For more than 50 years, Dr. Merton has revolutionized both the theory and practice of finance. Always in pursuit of remedies for complex financial problems, Dr. Merton’s pioneering contributions have shaped a variety of financial innovations – from lifecycle finance, optimal intertemporal portfolio selection, and capital asset and options pricing to helping promote, protect, and improve retirement systems around the globe. He has been passionate about the efficient design of retirement systems in his research and education. Dr. Merton has been featured in myriad academic journals and media outlets, and his ongoing work has positively impacted the world of retirement for generations to come.

Dr. Merton has shared his expertise with PSCA members during webinars and National Conference presentations with extremely positive audience feedback. “PSCA appreciates Dr. Merton’s willingness to share his insights with our members and we are pleased to bestow this honor on such a distinguished member of the retirement community,” said Will Hansen, PSCA’s Executive Director.

About the Plan Sponsor Council of America

The Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA), part of the American Retirement Association (ARA), is a diverse, collaborative community of employee benefit plan sponsors, working together on behalf of millions of employees to solve real problems, create positive change, and expand on the success of the employer-sponsored retirement system. With members representing employers of all sizes, we offer a forum for comprehensive dialogue. By sharing our collective knowledge and experience as plan sponsors, PSCA also serves as a resource to policymakers, the media, and other stakeholders as part of our commitment to improving retirement security for millions of Americans. For more information, visit www.psca.org.

Disclosures

Robert Merton provides consulting services to Dimensional Fund Advisors LP.

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