Meeting of the Executive Committee
Meeting: March 4, 2026 | Posted: June 9, 2026 | SURS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
The meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) convened on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.
This meeting was held in person at the State Universities Retirement System in Champaign, IL.
The following trustees were present: Dr. Fred Giertz; Mr. Scott Hendrie; Mr. John Lyons, chair; Mr. Collin Van Meter; and Mr. Antonio Vasquez.
Others present: Ms. Suzanne Mayer, Executive Director; Ms. Bianca Green, General Counsel; Mr. Michael Calabrese of Foley & Lardner LLP; Ms. Kelly Carson, Executive Assistant; Ms. Carolyn Clifford of Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd.; and Mr. Patrick Sullivan of Featherstun, Gaumer, Stocks, Flynn & Eck, LLP.
Executive Committee roll call attendance was taken: Trustee Giertz, present; Trustee Hendrie, present; Trustee Lyons, present; Trustee Van Meter, present; and Trustee Vasquez, present.
Approval of Minutes
Trustee Lyons presented the minutes from the Executive Committee meetings of September 10, 2025.
Trustee Giertz made the following motion:
- That the open session minutes from the September 10, 2025, Executive Committee meeting be approved as presented.
Trustee Hendrie seconded the motion, which passed via all trustees present voting in favor of the motion.
Approval of Closed Session Minutes
Trustee Lyons presented the closed minutes from the Executive Committee meetings of September 10, 2025.
Trustee Hendrie made the following motion:
- That the open session minutes from the September 10, 2025, Executive Committee meeting be approved as presented.
Trustee Van Meter seconded the motion, which passed via all trustees present voting in favor of the motion.
Chairperson’s Report
Trustee Lyons did not have a chairperson’s report.
Presentation of Claims: EIU
Ms. Bianca Green provided a verbal summary of the issues on appeal in the claim entitled: : In re the Claim of EIU, Case No. 2023-27. Counsel for EIU agreed with Ms. Green’s summary of the claim and of the agreed upon expected relief for EIU that stems from recent changes to the Illinois Pension Code that now prohibits SURS from imposing return to work monetary penalties upon EIU for this specific situation.
Trustee Hendrie made the following motion:
- That the Motion for Relief filed by EIU be granted and that the Stipulated Motion presented by both parties be approved and signed by the Executive Committee that directs SURS staff to apply subsection 40ILCS 5/15-139.5 (i-5) to the pending appeal in this case and grant EIU statutorily allowed credits in the amount of $153,983.28 for Academic Year 2022 and in the amount of $158,602.80 for Academic Year 2023, which have already been applied to additional contributions owed by EIU.
Trustee Vasquez seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Presentation of Claims: Ghassemi
Attorney Carolyn Clifford provided a brief verbal summary of the issues on appeal in the Claims Panel Committee Cases of: In re the Claim of Mahmood Ghassemi, Case No. 2022-06 and Case No. 2023-12. She submitted into evidence the full administrative record in the matter, which the committee received for review in advance of the hearing. Ms. Clifford reminded the committee members that they were allowed to go into closed session to deliberate on the evidence that the committee received in the matter, but that the committee’s decision must be made in open session.
Closed Session
At 3:15 p.m. Trustee Van Meter moved that the Executive Committee go into closed session pursuant to §2(c)(4) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Trustee Vasquez seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Return to Open Session
Trustees resumed open session at 3:39 p.m.
Trustee Vasquez made the following motion:
- That the findings and conclusions of the Claims Panel Committee in the matter of Mahmood Ghassemi, Case No. 2022-06, be affirmed and that a written order reflecting this decision be drafted by external counsel and signed by the committee members voting in favor of the decision.
Trustee Giertz seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Trustee Vasquez made the following motion:
- That the findings and conclusions of the Claims Panel Committee in the matter of Mahmood Ghassemi, Case No. 2023-12, be affirmed and that a written order reflecting this decision be drafted by external counsel and signed by the committee members voting in favor of the decision.
Trustee Hendrie seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Presentation of Claims: DeCicco
Attorney Patrick Sullivan provided a brief verbal summary of the issues on appeal in the Claims Panel Committee case of: In re the Claim of Stephanie DeCicco, Case No. 2025-04. He first asked trustees to rule on Ms. DeCicco’s motion to allow her to file a supplemental documents in support of her pending statement of exceptions.
Closed Session
At 3:49 p.m. Trustee Van Meter moved that the Executive Committee go into closed session pursuant to §2(c)(4) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Trustee Hendrie seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Return To Open Session
Trustees resumed open session at 3:55 p.m.
Trustee Hendrie made the following motion:
- Motion to deny the claimant’s motion to file a supplemental filings with to her statement of exceptions.
Trustee Vasquez seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote.
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Attorney Patrick Sullivan then provided a brief verbal summary of the issues on appeal in the Claims Panel Committee Case of: In re the Claim of Stephanie DeCicco, Case No. 2025-04. He submitted into evidence the full administrative record in the matter, which the committee received for review in advance of the hearing. Mr. Sullivan reminded the committee members that they were allowed to go into closed session to deliberate on the evidence that the committee received in the matter, but that the committee’s decision must be made in open session.
Closed Session
At 4:12 p.m. Trustee Vasquez moved that the Executive Committee go into closed session pursuant to §2(c)(4) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Trustee Lyons seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Return to Open Session
Trustees resumed open session at 4:40 p.m.
Trustee Van Meter made the following motion:
- That the findings and conclusions of the Claims Panel Committee in the matter of Stephanie DeCicco, Case No. 2025-04, be affirmed and that a written order reflecting this decision be drafted by external counsel and signed by the committee members voting in favor of the decision.
Trustee Vasquez seconded the motion, which passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Public Comment
There were no public comments presented to the Executive Committee.
Adjourn
There was no further business brought before the committee and Trustee Giertz moved that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was seconded by Trustee Van Meter, and it passed via the following roll call vote:
Trustee Giertz – aye
Trustee Hendrie – aye
Trustee Lyons – aye
Trustee Van Meter – aye
Trustee Vasquez – aye
Mr. Michael Calabrese, Foley & Lardner LLP,
Fiduciary Counsel to SURS and its Board of Trustees