Conference - MO Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems

MAPERS Annual Conference

July 15-17 2026
Margaritaville Lake Resort | Osage Beach, MO

Registration is Now Open

2026 MAPERS Conference Agenda (Tentative)

Wednesday, July 15 – Paradise A, 6th Floor

12:00–12:10 pm
Opening Remarks
Andrea Binkley, Chief Benefits Officer, MOSERS; Vice President, MAPERS Board

12:10–1:00 pm
Sunshine Law
Jay Turner, Missouri Attorney General’s Office

1:00–1:30 pm
Amortization Strategies for Unfunded Accrued Liabilities in Public Pensions
Jeff Tebeau, Senior Consultant
Heidi Barry, Senior Consultant and Team Leader
Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company (GRS)

1:30–2:00 pm
Actuarial 101
Ryan Falls, Principal & Consulting Actuary, Milliman

2:00–2:25 pm
Afternoon Break

2:25–3:15 pm
All in the Numbers: Enhancing Precision in Mortality Verification for Pension Funds
Vinnie Pellegrino, Vice President, ABL Tech

3:15–4:05 pm
Member Engagement Isn’t Optional: It’s Mission Critical
Jason Hoy, Executive Director
Kansas City Police Employees’ Retirement System

4:05–4:35 pm
Capitol Report
Robert Coleman, Executive Director
Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement (JCPER)

5:30–7:00 pm
Whole Hog Reception*
Location: Paradise C

Thursday, July 16 – Paradise A, 6th Floor

7:00–8:00 am
Breakfast Buffet*
Location: Paradise C

8:00–8:15 am
Opening Remarks
Cecelia Carter, Chairperson
KC Public School Retirement System Board; President, MAPERS Board

8:15–9:05 am
Great Geopolitical Reset and Implications
Grant Johnsey, Head of Market Solutions
Banking & Markets, Americas, Northern Trust

9:05–10:05 am
Morning Keynote
Darin Kinder, Former Secret Service Agent and 9/11 WTC Survivor

10:05–10:25 am
Morning Break
Location: Registration Foyer

10:25–11:10 am
Investments in Data Centers Panel
Scott Greenfield, Principal, AB CarVal
TBD, Principal Asset Management
Moderated by Ben Frede, PSRS

11:10 am–12:00 pm
US Economic and Financial Market Outlook
Scott Colbert, Chief Economist, Commerce Trust

12:00–1:15 pm
Lunch*
Location: Paradise B/C

1:15–2:30 pm
Afternoon Keynote – Live Inspired
John O’Leary, National Bestselling Author, Podcast Host, and Subject of the Movie Soul on Fire

2:30–3:00 pm
Afternoon Break
Location: Registration Foyer

3:00–3:50 pm
Are You Qualified
Nicole Giambarrese, Partner
Lindsay Knowles, Of Counsel
Ice Miller

3:50–4:40 pm
Cybersecurity Update
Gartner Group

5:30–7:00 pm
Hors d’oeuvre and Pasta Reception*
Location: Paradise C

Friday, July 17 – Paradise A, 6th Floor

7:00–8:10 am
Breakfast Buffet*
Location: Paradise C

8:10–8:15 am
Opening Remarks
Jeff Kempker, Chief Strategy & External Affairs Officer, LAGERS
Immediate Past President, MAPERS Board

8:15–9:05 am
Applying ADA Title II in the Financial Industry
Dax Castro, Senior Accessibility Trainer
Chax Training and Consulting

9:05–10:00 am
AI and the Customer Experience
TTEC Digital

10:00–10:15 am
Morning Break
Location: Registration Foyer

10:15–11:00 am
Communications Panel
Candy Smith, Chief Communications Officer, MOSERS
Mike Azar, Strategic Communications Specialist, MPERS

11:00–11:30 am
General Business Meeting
MAPERS Board

11:30 am–12:00 pm
Lunch on the Run*
Location: Registration Foyer

*Meals are open to all attendees and registered guests.

Coming Soon!

Recent legislation (105.666 RSMo, SB 406) requires trustees of Missouri public employee retirement plans to attend trustee education programs provided at this conference, which is a great incentive for plan attendance. The two evening receptions will give you the opportunity to network with Board Members and Administrative staff from many Missouri public retirement plans.

Are you a Plan Sponsor Member looking for public pension plan trustee education programs?

You’ll find them at our Annual MAPERS conferences. Senate Bill 406 requires trustees of Missouri public employee retirement plans to attend trustee education programs which include information on topics such as:

Duties and responsibilities of board members
Ethics
Governance process and procedures
Pension plan design and administration of benefits
Actuarial principles
Investments
Fiduciary duties
Legal liability and risks
Sunshine law requirements
The role of staff and consultants in plan administration

The Annual Conference includes sessions that will help you meet these legislative requirements and is the perfect platform to learn from some of the most respected names in the public pension arena.

Are you a Corporate Member wanting to spotlight your company? As a Conference Sponsor, you can host a conference event and distribute your company’s promotional hand-outs at the event you choose to sponsor. Conference sponsorships are offered at five (5) levels ranging in cost from $1,000 to $5,000.

Sponsorship Incentive Levels:

Bronze $1,000 – Acknowledgement on printed materials and session slides. Sponsorship of Friday lunch.
Silver $1,500 – Acknowledgment on printed materials and session slides. Sponsorship of Thursday or Friday breakfast. Option to add a promotional item to the MAPERS swag bag.
Gold $2,000 – Acknowledgement on printed materials and session slides. Sponsorship of Thursday lunch. Option to add a promotional item to the MAPERS swag bag.
Platinum $2,500 – Acknowledgement at opening ceremony, on printed materials and session slides. Sponsorship of Wednesday night or Thursday night reception. Option to add a promotional item to the MAPERS swag bag. Option for speaker introduction during conference sessions.
Double Platinum $5,000 – Acknowledgement at opening ceremony, on printed materials and session slides. Sponsorship of Wednesday night and Thursday night reception with acknowledgement on each table. Option to add a promotional item to the MAPERS swag bag. Option for speaker introduction during conference sessions.

Coming Soon!