DuPage County Treasurer and Evanston Finance Director Elected to IMRF Board

-- 2009 board officers announced--

OAK BROOK, Ill. – January 15, 2009 – DuPage County Treasurer Gwen Henry and Evanston Township High School District 202 Chief Financial Officer William Stafford were elected to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) board of trustees as executive trustees. Henry began a two-year term and Stafford began a five-year term on January 1, 2009.

Members of IMRF’s independent eight-member board of trustees serve without compensation in five-year staggered terms. The board includes four executive trustees elected by participating units of government, three employee trustees elected by participating IMRF members and one annuitant trustee elected by IMRF retirees.

As DuPage County treasurer, Henry is responsible for custody and distribution of county funds. She manages and invests more than $400 million, oversees the collection of a levy in excess of $2.2 billion and distributes collected taxes to more than 390 taxing bodies. She also currently serves as treasurer of the DuPage County Emergency System Telephone Board. Henry has served as the mayor of Wheaton, Ill., a member of the DuPage County Water Commission, a member of the DuPage County Board and Forest Preserve and a member on numerous local committees (Development, Finance, Ethics, Solid Waste, Health & Human Services, Planning & Development).

Since May 2006 Stafford has served as chief financial officer for Evanston Township High School District 202, managing finance, safety, operations, maintenance, food service, information systems, budget and capital improvements. He oversees five directors and also serves as the secretary to the Evanston Board of Education. Prior to that position he was the finance director for the City of Evanston. He has also served on numerous police and fire pension boards.

“Gwen Henry and William Stafford bring more than 45 years of combined experience in local government to our board,” said Louis Kosiba, executive director of IMRF. “Their deep understanding of fiscal management will serve us well as we continue to use proven, financially-sound practices to ensure a modest retirement income for public workers serving local units of government in Illinois.”

New IMRF Board Officers
The IMRF board of trustees also named new officers for 2009: Dixon, Ill.-resident Sharon Thompson will serve as president, Orland Park-resident Ruth Faklis as vice president and Wheaton-resident Martha Rademacher as secretary. The new officers assumed their positions on January 1, 2009.

Thompson served as Lee County Treasurer from 1974 through 1994 and has been the IMRF annuitant trustee since 2001. During her time on the board she has served on the Investment, Audit and Legislative Committees, and has held positions as secretary, vice president and president.

Faklis joined the IMRF board as an executive trustee in 2008. She has been director for Prairie Trails Public Library District since 1990, where she serves as the library’s IMRF authorized agent. She has participated on the board’s Legislative and Benefit Review Committees.

Rademacher has been an IMRF executive trustee since 2002. She has worked for the Park District Risk Management Agency since 1989, where she currently serves as the director of finance and programs. During her time on the IMRF board she has served on the Audit, Benefit Review, Investment and Legislative Committees, and has held positions as secretary, vice president and president.

About IMRF
The IMRF was created by the Illinois General Assembly. Since 1941, IMRF has partnered with local units of government to provide death, disability and retirement benefits for working and retired public employees. Today, IMRF has more than 177,000 active members working for over 2,900 different units of government, including school districts, counties, cities and villages, parks and libraries. It has more than 87,000 retirees receiving an average monthly benefit of $835. IMRF consistently works toward reaching full funding over the long term, ensuring that it remains financially sound. A full funding goal guarantees public workers a secure and modest retirement income at the lowest long-term cost to taxpayers.

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