(updated)
Seven winners of the second annual Innovator Awards were announced Monday by Pensions & Investments and the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association.
The awards, presented at P&I's West Coast Defined Contribution conference, recognize plan executives who took bold and comprehensive steps to improve participants' retirement income security.
The winners are:
- Sophie Dmuchowski, deputy director, office of communications and education, for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, Washington, for lifetime income disclosure;
- David Zellner, chief investment officer of the General Board of Pension & Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church, Glenview, Ill., for distribution planning;
- Lois Osorno, director of human resources for Aloha Petroleum Ltd., Honolulu, for education and communication;
- Britt Huber, vice president for human resources at Kiva Microfunds Inc., San Francisco, for technology and behavioral finance;
- Angela Buk, head of risk management and investment operations, Chrysler Group LLC, Auburn Hills, Mich., for outcome orientation;
- Chad Ryan, director of retirement plans at PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y., for addressing plan leakage; and
- Philip White, director of Racker Rewards at Rackspace Hosting, San Antonio, for financial wellness.
The judges also selected eight executives for Awards of Excellence:
- Helene Sanford, the Palm Bay, Fla.-based director of human resources and compensation for Intersil Corp.;
- David Beik, vice president for operations at Verizon Investment Management Corp., a unit of Verizon Communications Inc., in Basking Ridge, N.J.;
- Tom Gonnella, executive vice president, Lincoln Trust Co., Denver;
- Lisa Blasdale, senior benefits manager, Staples Inc., Framingham, Mass.;
- Michele Talka, senior director, HR operations, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute, Tampa, Fla.;
- Gina Zoetvelt, former senior benefits manager, Motorola Solutions Inc., Schaumburg, Ill;
- Thomas Woodruff, director of the Healthcare Policy and Benefit Services Division in the Connecticut Comptroller's office; and
- Tim Berry, former auditor for the state of Indiana.
