Session:
Data Analytics Panel
Data Analytics Panel
Session Description:
Discover how pension systems are adapting to the data explosion and leveraging data analytics to better serve their members and employers. Panel speakers from pension systems and industry experts will share their experiences working with data and the resulting benefits. Our sponsors will talk about the importance of the accuracy of the data being used for those analytics.
Panelists:
Jonathan O’Reilly, Texas Teachers Retirement System (TRS of Texas)
Jonathan O’Reilly is the Director of Operations Audit and Business Intelligence at Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). Before joining TRS in 2023, he led analytics teams at Care.com, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and Texas Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. He holds a Master of Arts in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Texas A&M, and is an Advanced Certified SAS Programmer.
Nicholas Rea, South Dakota State Retirement System (SDRS)
Nick is the Director of IT Services at the South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS). Prior to his current role, he was the first data analyst at SDRS. As an analyst and in his current role, he has worked to establish data services by developing reporting solutions, automating manual processes, integrating new technology solutions, and implementing data governance best practices. He holds a MS in Program Evaluation and Data Analytics, and a BS in Geography with an undergraduate certificate in Applied Business Data Analytics from Arizona State University.
Laurie Mitchell, Tegrit
Laurie Mitchell has worked in the pension industry since 2003, when she joined the Michigan Office of Retirement Services. There, she served in many roles, including leading portions of their pension replacement project, and served eight years as their Customer Service Director. After retiring, she joined Tegrit, where she serves as a Senior Business Consultant focusing on marketing and RFP management.
Robert Rust, ICON Integration & Design
Rob has 38 years working in the public pension arena. Twenty-three years working for the Public School & Education Employee Retirement Systems of MO as Director of Member Services and Asst. Executive Director, and 15 years with Icon Integration & Design (2009 – 2024) and Linea Solutions (Aug. 2023 to present), helping public pension plans meet their data integrity needs. In his previous life (boy, he’s old), Rob was a business education teacher and coach in Missouri.
Rob’s public pension experience spans every facet of a pension plan’s day-to-day operations, from the walk-in member to working with the Board of Trustees. Additionally, Rob served on GFOA’s Committee on Retirement and Benefits Administration and for several years as a member and President of the Missouri Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (MAPERS) board. Of note… he is an avid Mizzou football fan. Go Mizzou!
