Public Funds Summit East 2023 | Opal Group | 10 July 2023 | Newport Marriott, Newport, RI, 25 America's Cup Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island 02840 USA

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.

2023 Speakers

Xay Khamsyvoravong
Mayor of Newport, RI

James A. Diossa
General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island

Adrienne Harris
Superintendent, New York State Department of Financial Services

PRESENTERS:

Ari Rastegar
Founder & CEO, Rastegar Property

Michelle Holleman
Director of Communications, Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund

MODERATORS:

Sarah Hammer
Executive Director, The Wharton School

Joe Matthews, CFA, CFP
Senior Institutional Consultant, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Brian Green
Partner, Consulting Department, AndCo Consulting

Guy Pinkman
Trustee, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation / Lincoln Fire & Police Retirement System

Frederick Bailey
Trustee & Chairman of Investment Committee, City of Savannah Employee's Retirement Plan

Sarah Hammer
Executive Director, The Wharton School

Kurt Vroman
Chairman, Deltona Firefighters Pension Plan

William Veliz
Trustee, El Paso Firemen and Policemen's Pension Fund

Kevin M. Nichols, CPWA®, CAIA®, CIMA®, QPFC
Financial Advisor, Senior Investment Management Consultant, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

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

Oliver Fadly
Principal, Head of Private Debt, NEPC, LLC

Guy Pinkman
Trustee, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Lincoln Fire & Police Retirement System

Kurt Vroman
Chairman, Deltona Firefighters Pension Plan

Greg Knoll
Beneficiary Trustee & Board Treasurer, Illinois Fire Pension Investment Fund / IPFA Executive Director

Michael Grodi
Board Chair, Monroe County Employees Retirement System

PANELISTS:

Julian Regan
Senior Vice President, Public Sector Market Leader, Segal Marco Advisors

Stacey Dion
Partner, Head of Global Government Affairs, The Carlyle Group

Michael Acton, CFA
Managing Director, Head of AEW Research, AEW Capital Management, L.P.

William Beck
Senior Vice President, Wilshire

Scott Kimball
CIO, Loop Capital Asset Management

Russ Kamp
Managing Director, Ryan ALM, Inc.

Alan Hickey
Director, Setanta Asset Management

Jim Robertson
Executive Vice President – Private Debt, ATEL Growth Capital

Brian Sunday
Managing Director & Portfolio Manager, AEW Capital Management, L.P.

Jim Schnorf
Investment Committee, Eastern Illinois University Foundation

Paul Whiting
CEO, Farsight Partners

Floyd Simpson CFA, CAIA
Director, PFM Asset Management

David Thomas
Chief Executive Officer, Founder & Senior Investment Management Consultant, Equitas Capital Advisors

Irv Lowenberg
City Treasurer, City of Southfield Fire & Police Retirement System

Sriram Lakshminarayanan
CIO, Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System

Steve Delaney
Chief Executive Officer, Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS)

Serena Hallowell
Member, Motley Rice

Chet Waldman
Senior Partner, Wolf Popper LLP

Scott Foglietta
Partner, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP

Frederick Bailey
Trustee & Chairman of Investment Committee, City of Savannah Employee's Retirement Plan

Eliza Bailey
Managing Principal, Belay Investment Group

Dean Crombie
Trustee, New Hampshire Municipal Retirement System

James Parker
Co-Founder, Leonid Capital Management

Ken Kencel
President and CEO, Churchill Asset Management

Peter Gleysteen
CEO/CIO, AGL Credit Management

Eric Newman CPA, CGMA
Treasury Manager, City of Stamford (Conn)

Dail St. Claire
President & Sr. Advisor, St. Claire Consultants, LLC

Svetlana Loshakov
Senior Managing Director, Head of Investment Office, Clearstead

Timothy Schantz
Chairman of the Investment Committee, Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Laura Weeks
Relationship Manager, UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)

Francie Heller
Member Board of Trustees, Furman University Endowment

Daniel Johnson
Partner, Consulting Director, AndCo Consulting

Oliver Fadly
Principal, Head of Private Debt, NEPC, LLC

Christopher S. Tessman
Senior Vice President, Wilshire Advisors, LLC

Christopher Cutler, CFA
Founder, Manager Analysis Services

Steve Delaney
Chief Executive Officer, Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS)

Irv Lowenberg
City Treasurer, City of Southfield Fire & Police Retirement System

Michelle Boyles
Consulting Actuary, Bolton

William Fornia, FSA
President, Pension Trustee Advisors

Jillean Battle
Chief Deputy Treasurer, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Office of the Indiana State Treasurer

2023 Sponsors

GOLD SPONSOR:
• Rastegar

SILVER SPONSORS:
• AEW
• AGL
• Atel Capital Group
• Belay Investment Group
• BLB&G
• Farsight Partners
• Leonid Capital Management
• Loop Capital
• Motley Rice
• Nuveen
• Setanta Asset Management
• Wolf Popper

BRONZE SPONSORS:
• Amundi Asset Management
• Pomerantz LLP
• TerraCap

HANDBAG SPONSOR:
• KSF