Gov. Pritzker has appointed Richard Figueroa, Jamie-Clare Flaherty and John Lyons to the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) Board of Trustees.
Figueroa, of Chicago, is the chief investment officer of Barrett-Lo Visionary Development. Before joining Barrett-Lo, he was the chief operating officer of Janko Group, the director of capital markets for the Opus Group and served as the director of acquisitions for Mansur & Company. Figueroa has a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a master’s degree in public policy and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Figueroa will serve out the remainder of a six-year term that will expire in June 2021. He previously served on the SURS board from 2012 – 2016.
Flaherty, of Chicago, is the director of strategic initiatives for The Obama Foundation. Before joining the foundation, she was vice president and chief of staff at Ariel Investments. Flaherty received her Juris Doctor and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Michigan.
Flaherty will serve out the remainder of a six-year term that will expire in June 2024.
Lyons, of Chicago, is a partner at the law firm DLA Piper LLP (US). He has practiced law in Illinois for the past 20 years focusing on corporate restructuring and governance. Lyons holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University.
Lyons will serve out the remainder of a six-year term that will expire in June 2024.
The Illinois Senate must confirm all three appointments.
The SURS Board of Trustees consists of 11 trustees: five appointed by the governor including the chairperson who also serves as the chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, four active members elected by SURS active members and two annuitants elected by the annuitants of the System.
Other members of the SURS Board of Trustees include Chairperson Tom Cross, Aaron Ammons, John Engstrom, J. Fred Giertz, Steven Rock, Collin Van Meter and Antonio Vasquez.
The State Universities Retirement System of Illinois serves over 230,000 members, 61 employers and has assets of over $21 billion. The System provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits to state university and community college faculty and staff.