Running for PERA Board of Trustees: Signatures Needed

I’ve decided to run for the open retiree seat for the Colorado PERA Board of Trustees (Julie Friedemann, the current Board member for that seat, has decided not to run for reelection). I’ve spent my entire adult life in K-12 education and believe strongly in public service. This is an opportunity for me to “give back” and “pay it forward” to other public servants. I previously served on the PERA Board of Trustees, representing the School Division from 2014-2017, when I decided to “sample the product” and retired, and therefore had to step down from the active School Division position. I have attended (mostly virtually) all but five of the 37 PERA Board Meetings since I stepped down in order to stay abreast of the complex issues surrounding administering a pension plan. I have also taught a Personal Financial Literacy class for Colorado educators through CEA COpilot since 2021.

In order to get on the ballot, I have to get at least 50 valid signatures from retired PERA members from the School, Judicial, or Local Government Divisions. Most of you reading this are likely active members in PERA so are not eligible to sign. So here’s the ask:

1. If you are a retired PERA member (from the School, Judicial or Local Government Divisions), please sign the petition. If you are currently doing a transition year (sometimes called 93/93 or 110/110), that does qualify you as a retired PERA member.

2. If you are not a retired PERA member, you likely know some retired members from those divisions. Please consider sending this information along to them, along with the link to the petition and asking them to sign.

Please note that this is not voting for me at this point, just getting me on the ballot. Should I get on the ballot, I will likely also be asking you to vote for me during the month of May. Ballots are mailed out May 1st – 7th (and due by the end of May), and you can submit a paper ballot or complete your ballot online using the link and information provided in that mailing. You can decide at that point if you’d rather vote for a different candidate (information about each candidate will be provided in the mailing and online).