JACK EHNES

Jack Ehnes serves as a member of BPC’s Executive Council on Infrastructure. He is the CEO of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS). Ehnes provides leadership for the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. CalSTRS administers a hybrid retirement system, consisting of a traditional defined benefit, cash balance and defined contribution plans, as well as disability and survivor benefits. CalSTRS serves more than 868,000 members and benefit recipients. The asset value of the investment portfolio was $190.8 billion as of February 28, 2015. CalSTRS administers retirement benefits for California’s public school educators in grades kindergarten through community college.

Ehnes came to CalSTRS in 2002 from Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company (Denver, Colorado). Among his duties as vice president for corporate affairs, Ehnes served as the trustee/plan administrator for Great-West’s employees’ defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Prior to Great-West, Ehnes served as the Colorado insurance commissioner, deputy insurance commissioner and board trustee for the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association, which included six years as chair and vice chair of the board.

Ehnes is currently chairman of the FTSE Environmental Markets Committee. He also serves on the boards of the National Council on Teacher Retirement, Ceres (a national network of investors and environmental organizations working to address sustainability challenges), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans; and, the National Association of Corporate Directors, Northern California Chapter. Ehnes is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Long-Term Investing.

As a recognized leader and public servant, Ehnes has served on high-profile national task forces throughout his career including those with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and on various healthcare and insurance commissions and advisory boards. He was also a board member of the National Institute on Retirement Security and board chair of the Council of Institutional Investors.

Ehnes received the 2011 Employee Benefit Research Institute Lillywhite Award, recognizing outstanding lifetime service and contributions to Americans’ economic security. In 2011 he made the National Association of Corporate Directors’ list of the 100 most influential corporate governance professionals.

Ehnes is a native of Rochester, New York, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.