Author: Christopher K. Merker, Ph.D., CFA

Christopher K. Merker, PhD, CFA, is a director with Private Asset Management at Robert W. Baird & Co. He holds a PhD in investment governance and fiduciary effectiveness from Marquette University, where he has taught the course “Sustainable Finance” since 2009. Executive director of Fund Governance Analytics (FGA), an ESG research partnership with Marquette University, he is a member of the CFA Institute ESG Working Group, an international committee currently exploring ESG standards, publishes the blog, Sustainable Finance, which covers current topics around governance and sustainability in investing, and is co-author of the book, The Trustee Governance Guide: The Five Imperatives of 21st Century Investing.
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First Annual U.S. Public Pension Governance Survey is Live

In partnership with Marquette University and Fund Governance Analytics (FGA), on June 1 we began sending out Governance Portal account activation credentials to over 300 organizations across the United States. Board and staff leadership of public pension systems over the next month have been invited to fill out the FEQ Governance Survey. This is the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind ever undertaken, and we are excited to see both interest and early participation. For an overview of the topic, see Benefits Magazine article from January.

The 2018 survey closes on July 15. Organizations have up until that time to complete the 37-question survey to receive a free one-page report including their FEQ score along with peer universe benchmarks. The benchmarking information is valuable, not just from this year’s participants, but prior data collection representing 25% of the pension universe by assets, as it points to best practices among organizations. Our goal this year is to expand our data collection to over 50% of the universe.

During our research, we determined that stronger board governance (as measured by the FEQ score) can drive both higher investment returns and lower contribution requirements.

If your organization was not included among the initial group, there is still time for you to participate. Please send your request to cmerker@fundgovernanceanalytics.com, and we will add you to the survey group!