Public Policy with State Street

Join PECA and State Street Investment Management for an engaging and timely lunch discussion at The Capital Grille on May 14th at 11:30 AM.

This session will deliver a fast-paced look at the evolving defined contribution (DC) landscape, featuring insights from Melissa Kahn, Head of Public Policy, and James Ryder, DC Investment Strategist. Together, they’ll unpack the latest public policy developments, the current pulse of DC, and what regulators and lobbyists are prioritizing right now.

We’ll close by turning to one of the most talked-about topics in the industry: the rise of alternatives in DC plans. What does this mean for your business? We’ll explore the potential implications across TPAs, audits, consulting, and plan design—and where the opportunities (and challenges) may lie.

Come for the insights, stay for the conversation—and leave with a sharper perspective on where DC is heading next.

1 hour of CE credit and lunch will be provided!

Event Details

Date: May 14th

Time: 11:30 AM

Location: The Capital Grille – Dunwoody, Atlanta, GA

Price:  Members – Free /  Non-Members – $30

Sponsors:  State Street

Please RSVP to reserve your seat — space is limited.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Melissa Kahn

Managing Director, Retirement Strategist, DC

Melissa is the Managing Director for Retirement Policy for the US Retirement team. Melissa leads the  team in developing and communicating the team’s public policy positions as they relate to the retirement market, and is responsible for cultivating relationships with key retirement policy decision-makers.

Melissa is based in Washington, D.C., and in Boston. She works closely with State Street’s Regulatory, Industry, and Government Affairs (RIGA) group, which is responsible for coordination of overall State Street public policy positioning and advocacy.

Melissa is an attorney with extensive experience in developing and implementing policy and strategies on domestic and international employee benefits legislation and regulation, as well as Social Security reform. Importantly, she has worked for many years on Retirement Income policy. Immediately prior to joining SSIM, Melissa was a consultant providing strategic planning, policy analysis and advocacy work on a variety of issues, including retirement, long-term care, Social Security, and global employee benefits to financial institutions and large plan sponsor clients in the US. Previously, Melissa worked at MetLife, where she spent 12 years in the company’s Washington D.C. government relations office. Melissa also has worked for the Retirement Strategies Group, the American Council of Life Insurance and the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America.

James Ryder

Vice President, Investment Strategist, DC

James is a Vice President of State Street Investment Management and an Investment Strategist within the Defined Contribution team. In this role, he is responsible for representing State Street Investment Management’s DC investment strategies, supporting current relationships and expanding State Street Investment Management’s DC initiative. The team also serves as a resource to plan sponsors on a variety of plan design considerations, including plan design architecture and key regulatory and legislative topics. James serves as a voting member of State Street’s Defined Contribution Investment Group, responsible for oversight of State Street’s Target Retirement strategies and other DC asset allocation products.

James joined the Investment Strategy group from Pioneer Institutional Asset Management, and has been a member of the industry since 2008.

James earned a BA in American Studies from Hobart College. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and Boston Security Analysts society.

Thank you to our Sponsor!!