DENVER – The Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) Board of Trustees announced today that Ron Baker has been named the finalist for the Executive Director.

Mr. Baker has served as the Interim Executive Director since December. He has served Colorado’s public workforce through various roles he has held since joining PERA in 1994. After starting with PERA in management positions overseeing information technology, Mr. Baker was appointed Chief Administrative Officer in 2013. In his new role, Mr. Baker becomes the seventh executive director of the $49 billion retirement system, which was established in 1931 by the Colorado General Assembly.

The announcement comes after an extensive eight-month nationwide search for the top position at PERA conducted by the Board in cooperation with a national executive recruiting firm.

“The Board embarked on a thorough and competitive process to ensure that the most qualified candidate would be installed to lead PERA,” said PERA Board of Trustees Chairman Timothy M. O’Brien. “Ron’s qualifications and commitment to PERA are unparalleled. In addition to his decades of tenure at PERA, he led the organization through a challenging time during the first part of this year that included a legislative session in which major changes were made to the retirement plan. He was the clear and unanimous choice for the Board.”

Mr. Baker is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in mathematics with a dual emphasis in computer science and mathematics. He is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.

“I appreciate the confidence of the Board in me to continue to serve the PERA membership,” said Baker. “I look forward to helping guide PERA into this next chapter.”

Mr. Baker will assume the position as Executive Director pending contract negotiations and final Board approval.

Colorado PERA provides retirement and other benefits to more than 587,000 current and former teachers, State Troopers, corrections officers, snow plow drivers, and other public employees who provide valuable service to all of Colorado. PERA is a vital and stable contributor to Colorado’s economy, distributing more than $4 billion in 2017 to 101,000 retirees who live in Colorado.

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