Session Descriptions
Investments Plenary Session
Moderator: Curt Fee, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Panelists: Spencer Glendon, Wellington Management Company; Paul McCulley, Pacific Investment Management Company
Two respected strategists representing well-known investment management firms will comment on current issues regarding investments and the global economic environment. The session will be conducted using a moderated question and answer format with both pre-selected questions and an invitation for questions from the audience.
Breakout Session I Descriptions
Retirement Benefits I – Defined Benefit Plans
Moderators: Pat Coller, The Church Pensions Fund and Lisa Schilling, The United Methodist Church
This break-out session will focus on issues of current interest to sponsors of defined benefit plans. The following topics will be covered:
- Income replacement objectives – how much is enough?, led by a Representative from The United Methodist Church
- United Methodists’ experience with new DB plan, led by a Representative from The United Methodist Church
- Future of cash balance plans, led by James Kemper, Ice Miller
CEO
Moderator: Robert W. Maggs, Jr. CBA Board of Directors Vice-Chair, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The CEO Topical Interest Group provides opportunity for discussion among CEO’s (and Board of Trustee Representatives) on topics of mutual interest. Recent subjects have included compensation surveys, risk management, succession management, and business continuity, among others.
Health Benefits
Moderator: Steve Gustavson, YMCA Retirement Fund
This break-out session will focus on current topics of general interest to health plan sponsors such as employee health and wellness programs.
CFO
Moderator: Louis P. Barbarin, American Baptist Churches
This session will discuss financial topics that impact church pension boards and Explore possibilities for collaboration.
Breakout Session II Descriptions
Retirement Benefits II – Defined Contribution Plans
Moderators: Karen DeRocker, American Baptist Churches Minister and Missionaries, and Marlo J. Kauffman, Mennonite Church USA
This break-out session will focus on issues of current interest to sponsors of defined contribution plans. The following topics will be covered:
- Strategies to discourage roll-outs
- Roth TSAs – pros and cons for church plans (including planning tool demonstration), led by James Kemper, Ice Miller
Legal
Moderator: Robert H. Rydland, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
This session will examine legal topics affecting church benefits plans including housing allowance, state-mandated health benefits, UBIT and Alternative Investments, governance and other timely developments in the ever changing legal arena.
Investments
Moderator: David Zellner, The United Methodist Church
The session will be conducted as a roundtable discussion where participants will discuss various investment topics of interest to those involved in managing and administering investment programs to support retirement plans. Topics will include asset/liability management, legal matters affecting alternative investments, investment manager selection, alternative investments, participant fund options, and various other investments topics of interest to those attending the session.
Communications
Moderators: Holly Vincent Bean, The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board, Rolanda Johnson, The Salvation Army
Speaker: Lee Dukes, Matria Healthcare
Many church health plans are searching for ways to foster better individual health and responsibility while reducing health care costs. The objective is to increase productivity, decrease absenteeism, and improve the overall well being and accountability of our plan members.
With wellness programs in development or in place, the real challenge becomes how to measure the success of these programs and what is the best way to gauge an employee's willingness to change. In keeping with the theme "To Serve Well, Be Well" this breakout session will feature Mr. Lee Dukes, Senior Vice President of Wellness Solutions for Matria Healthcare. Mr. Dukes will speak on the topics of behavioral change in maintaining and sustaining one’s health and wellness and how to use the Prochaska Model to measure individual changes that affect the whole membership.