Session Descriptions

Investments Panel Session

Moderator: Candace Cox, Chief Investment Officer, Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board (MMBB)
Panelists: Celia Dallas, Co-Director of Research, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates; Ken Leech, Chief Investment Officer, Emeritus of Western Asset Management Company

Two respected strategists representing well-known investment management and consulting 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

• Information Technology Topical Interest Committee

Moderator: Tom Drez, Christian Brothers Services
The purpose of the IT Group is to leverage our business and technology experience and knowledge to better support the missions of our organizations. This session is a forum for sharing ideas and information pertaining to current initiatives, discussing and evaluating technological trends and innovations that add value, and soliciting outside experience to further augment our knowledge in new and emerging technologies relevant to our operations.

• Communications Breakout Session I

Leveraging Electronic Media to Bridge Troubled Waters
Moderator: Jack E. Pfitzer, Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
Join us for an opportunity to learn and share about the use of electronic communications and the evolving role of the Web in your communications strategy.

Lisa Witter, Chief Operating Officer for Fenton Communications (the largest public interest communications firm in the country) and coauthor of the book, “The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World – And How to Reach Them,” will start off the session discussing the demographics of Web and e-communications usage in society today. Following Lisa’s presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in two of the following small group discussions:

See what other church denominations have underway regarding these topics and share your insights or dilemmas. We all benefit from each others’ experiences. Come and share in this informative session!

• Retirement Benefits Breakout Session I

Moderator: Marlo V. Kauffman, Mennonite Church USA
A.) Presenter: G. Daniel Miller, Esq, Conner & Winters LLC
Legal Update, with special emphasis on 403(b) rules, update on fee transparency, fiduciary rules that apply to church plans, and Puerto Rico issues.
B.) Presenters: Keith Brown & Matthew Price, Episcopal Church
Church trends in terms of attendance, giving, spending of endowment money by congregations, and the impact on pension plans, especially in light of the global economic situation today.
C.) Presenter: Karen DeRocker, American Baptist Churches
How are we communicating to help members evaluate their risk tolerance in this type of market? What are we doing with education? How has the economic crisis changed how we communicate to participants?

• Health Benefits Breakout Session I

Moderator: Bradley Joern, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The pre-conference meeting serves as the annual meeting of the Health Benefits Committee of the CBA. During this session, the committee will hear reports from the various healthcare and disability coalitions, hear a report from subcommittees, discuss the current status of mental health parity and how church plans have chosen to comply with the law, discuss additional relevant health care topics, and elect officers for 2010.

Breakout Session II

• Retirement Benefits Breakout Session II

Moderators: Dave Adams, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Mark J. Borchert, Lutheran Church, Missouri-Synod
Discussion on the extent to which the economic downturn has impacted the funding of DB plans and annuity reserves for DC plans, and how denominations are responding.

• CEO Breakout Session (Open to CEO’s only)

Moderator: Michael A. Downs, CBA Planning Committee Past Chair (2007), United Church of Christ
The CEO Topical Interest Group provides opportunity for discussion among CEOs on topics of mutual interest. Recent subjects have included compensation surveys, risk management, succession management, and business continuity, among others.

• Health Benefits Breakout Session II

Moderator: Bradley Joern, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Topics relevant to denomination health plans will be discussed, potentially including health care reform and CBA plan use of and experience with CDHP’s and spending accounts.

• CFO Breakout Session

Moderators: Tim Koch, United Methodist Church and Stacy Kruse, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
This session will discuss financial topics that impact church pension boards and explore possibilities for collaboration.

Breakout Session III

• Health Benefits Breakout Session III

Moderator: Bradley Joern, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Discussion of health data management, including the current and future use of Personal Health Records.

• Legal Breakout Session

Moderator: Robert H. Rydland, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
This session will examine legal topics affecting church benefit plans including pending Church Alliance legislation, compliance with 403(b) written plan document requirements, housing allowance, state-mandated health benefits, and other timely developments in the ever-changing legal arena.

• Investments Breakout Session

Moderator: David Zellner, The United Methodist Church
This session will be conducted as an open roundtable discussion where participants will exchange information regarding various investment topics of interest to those involved in managing, administering, and fiduciary oversight of investment programs to support retirement plans. The session will be moderated with various topics that include asset/liability management, new asset classes, socially responsible investing practices, investment manager selection, alternative investments, best practices for fiduciaries, participant fund options, and various other investment topics of interest to those attending the discussion.

• Communications Breakout Session II

Communications that Bridge the Gap:
When Generations Collide
Moderator: Jack E. Pfitzer, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
All CBA communicators and marketing and education professionals – no matter what your product, service, or specialization – will want to attend this critical breakout session. The focus will be on the challenges we face today communicating to a wide array of audience demographics. Learn how to target your communications to a specific audience and how to break through the clutter. The days of cookie-cutter communications brochures are gone. We have access to member factors including age, gender, buying habits, financial status, ethnicity, and technology use. How do we tailor messages and choose communication vehicles to consistently reach each population segment? For example, every church plan has a major sector of Baby Boomers facing or approaching retirement – how are we helping them evaluate their risk tolerance? How are we helping people know, understand, and make the best financial decisions for their retirement years? And, this applies to the flip side: how can we better educate the younger workers on all benefit fronts, while holding their attention? Our guest presenter, Elizabeth Byerly, senior communication consultant from Watson Wyatt, will focus on communicating to and engaging a diverse workforce. Elizabeth will share insights from Watson Wyatt’s Communication ROI™ study that shows how effective communications can provide a positive return on investment – beyond the bottom line to fulfilling an organization’s mission.

Topics will include