Jefferson City, MO – Shannon Joyce Owens was re-elected as Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System (MOSERS) in Jefferson City during its regular meeting on January 18, 2018. Ms. Owens is an elected representative of state employees. She joined the Board in January, 2015.
MOSERS is a public employee retirement system managing approximately $8.5 billion in assets. The system administers retirement (defined benefit and deferred compensation plans), life insurance, and long-term disability benefits for approximately 114,000 state employees, retirees, and beneficiaries.
The MOSERS Board of Trustees, chaired by Ms. Owens, has responsibility for oversight of the management of system assets as well as administration of the system’s benefit programs. The day-to-day management of MOSERS is delegated to the executive director who is hired by the Board.
During her time on the Board, Ms. Owens has established Board committees focused on investments, the pension administration system, and strategic planning & governance. One of her priorities in the coming year will be promoting proactive communication with all stakeholders regarding the Board’s responsibilities as fiduciaries. Ms. Owens describes the MOSERS Board as active, engaged, transparent, and making improvements.
Ms. Owens has been a state employee since December 2000 and currently serves as IT Policy Director for the Department of Natural Resources. In this role, she provides direction for planning, development and administration of information management and technology. She led statewide eFiling implementation for the Office of the State Courts Administrator which allows attorneys to file cases electronically.
Ms. Owens graduated from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a degree in business administration and received her masters degree in business administration from William Woods University. She resides in Jefferson City with her husband, Joe, and two children, Valyn and Leo.
The Board also acted to re-elect Crystal Wessing as Vice Chair. Ms. Wessing also serves on the MOSERS Board as an elected representative of active state employee. She currently serves as the Director of Financial & Administrative Services for the Office of Administration’s Information Technology Services Division. She has more than 17 years of service with the state having previously worked at the Departments of Labor and Industrial Relations, Natural Resources, and Health.
