Industry experts worked alongside representatives from Pensions & Investments and the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association to evaluate entries in the 2017 Excellence and Innovation Awards.
The program recognizes DC plan executives who develop creative and innovative programs to help improve participants' retirement incomes. The awards also strive to recognize excellence in execution.
To arrive at the winners, judges individually scored each online entry, trimming the initial list to 22 finalists.
"Across the country, DC plan sponsors are doing some very good work when it comes to improving the retirement security of their participants,'' said Amy Resnick, editor of Pensions & Investments as well as a program judge. "That made our task all the more difficult. But the seven that ultimately made our list of Excellence and Innovation winners in 2017 were truly standouts.''
The external judges were:
- Marla Kreindler, partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, Chicago;
- Annamaria Lusardi, academic director, Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, George Washington University School of Business, Washington;
- Chris Lyon, partner, Rocaton Investment Advisors LLC, Norwalk, Conn.;
- Jamie McAllister, senior vice president and defined contribution consultant, Callan LLC, Chicago;
- Lew Minsky, president and chief executive officer, Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.;
- Keith Overly, executive director, Ohio Deferred Compensation, Columbus;
- William Ryan, associate partner, Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting, Chicago; and
- Tina Stamato, senior manager, savings plan administration, Pfizer Inc., New York.
Additional P&I judges were: Julie Tatge, executive editor, Chicago, and Robert Steyer, defined contribution reporter, New York.
