Public Funds Summit East 2018 | Opal Group | 16 July 2018 | Newport Marriott, 25 America's Cup Ave, Newport, RI 02840, US

Opal Financial Group’s annual public funds conference addresses issues that are critical to the investment success of senior public pension fund officers and trustees in the new millennium. Concerns of funding liabilities for beneficiaries in a world of declining returns yet maintaining a balance between the risk/ reward paradigms is center in the mind of many trustees and representatives of pension plans around the country. The exchange of ideas both in and out of the session halls are key in educating and identifying viable alternatives that will address these concerns. We will discuss how surplus returns should affect employee benefit plans; closely examine the processes for selection and evaluation of investment managers. Beyond the investment sphere we also address legal issues facing pension plans, ethic regulations and the importance of on-going education for plan sponsors and their fiduciaries. Although attendance is not limited to those in the public sector, the conference takes aim at topics that are of particular relevance to public pension funds. By focusing on an atmosphere of education rather than sales or marketing, the Public Funds Summit provides a unique environment in which members of the public sector can exchange ideas and learn from other delegates, money managers and consultants. Opal will kick off the event with its Annual Regatta Cup, in which attendees will have the opportunity to work with a professional sailing charter crew while competing against industry peers.

2018 Speakers:

John Agenbroad
Chairman, Inter-Local Pension Fund

Robert Appling
Managing Director, Wilshire Associates

Dana Blydenburgh
Retirement Services, City of Lakeland Employees' Pension And Retirement System

Will Buividas
Trustee, City of Phoenix Police Pension Board

Maria del Carmen López
CTP, Executive Director, University of Puerto Rico Retirement System

Ryan Carrington
Portfolio Manager/Analyst, SKY Harbor Capital Management, LLC

Lily Cavanagh
Treasurer, Redford (MI) Police & Firemen Retirement System

Marty Dirks
Trustee, Federated Retirement System for the City of San José

Derek Dobson
CEO and Plan Manager, CAAT Pension Plan (Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan)

Gary Draghi
Chief Investment Officer, Hartford Municipal Employees' Retirement System

Ziv Ehrenfeld
Managing Director, Private Debt, PSP Investments USA

Mark Eisner
Chairman, Daytona Beach Police and Fire Pension Fund

Thomas Forma
Senior Institutional Consultant, Morgan Stanley

Jack Frost
Trustee, West Palm Beach (FL) Police Pension Fund

Leonard Gilroy
Director of Government Reform & Senior Managing Director, Reason Foundation

Max Giolitti
Chief Risk Officer, Verus

John Girard
Trustee, Boca Raton Police and Firefighters’ Retirement System

Robert Grden
Executive Director, Wayne County Employees' Retirement System

Harry Griffin
Trustee, San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund

David Harris
Consulting Actuary, Nyhart

Brad Heinrichs
President/CEO, Foster & Foster, Inc.

Walter Jackson
Portfolio Manager, ONEX CREDIT

Russ Kamp
Managing Partner, Kamp Consulting Solutions, LLC

Matthew Lay
Trustee, Oklahoma Firefighters Pension & Retirement System

Anthony Lombardi
Associate Partner, Institutional Advisory Solutions, Aon Hewitt

James Maloney
Board of Directors, Illinois Public Pension Fund Association (IPPFA)

David McConico
Chairman, City of Aurora (CO) General Employees' Retirement Plan

Sheryl Mejia
Director of Emerging Managers, New York State Common Retirement Fund

Mark Meyers
Trustee, Dearborn Heights Police & Fire Retirement System

Daniel Miller
MPA, Deputy Executive Director, Board of Education Retirement System of the City of New York

Steve Nelsen
Executive Director, Washington State Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' (LEOFF)

Kevin M. Nichols
Senior Investment Management Consultant, The Forma Group - Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

M.K. Palmore
CISM, CISSP, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Guy Pinkman
Trustee, City of Lincoln Police and Fire Pension

Julian M. Regan
Senior Vice President, Segal Marco Advisors

Don Ruiter
Trustee, Daytona Police and Fire Pension Fund

Ronald Ryan
CEO, Founder, Ryan ALM, Inc.

Scott Schaefer
Senior Investment Officer, Office of Investment and Innovation | SBA

Alec Stais
Chief Investment Officer, Employees' Retirement System of Rhode Island

Darryl Walker
Board Trustee, Alameda County Employees Retirement Association

Doug Watler
Board Member & Trustee, Deerfield Beach Fire Pension

TBA
Backstop Solutions Group, LLC

TBA
Causeway Capital Management LLC

TBA
Tortoise Capital Advisors

TBA
William Blair & Company, LLC

2018 Sponsors and Partners:

TITLE:
• DuPont Capital

MEDIA:
• Alliance
• Alpha Journal
• Alpha Week
• Automated Trader
• Barclay Hedge
• Crowd Reviews
• Eurekahedge
• Family Office Elite Magazine
• Fintrx
• FLAIA
• Focus Economics
• FON Family Office Networks
• Global Banking & Finance Review
• TheGRCBluebook
• HedgeConnection
• IntegriDATA
• Private Banking
• Savvy Investor
• Smart Money Match