NCPERS Names Public Pension Communicator of the Year Award Winners

The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems announced four winners of the Public Pension Communicator of the Year Award, during its 2025 Pension Communications Summit on Monday in Washington, D.C.

The award honors communication professionals at public pension plans who have demonstrated innovative leadership, creativity and created a measurable impact over the past 12 months.

Judges evaluated nominees using scoring criteria to select three winners in categories based on funds’ assets under management and one winner in the new “rising star” category, created to recognize individuals who have been at their organization for five years or less and have demonstrated “exceptional potential and growth.”

The 2024 Public Pension Communicator of the Year Award winners were as follows:

In the category for pension funds with less than $10 billion in AUM: Mehrin Rahman, communications director of the City of Austin Employees’ Retirement System.

Rahman has more than a decade of experience in public sector communications and joined COAERS in 2020. Her efforts include launching a financial wellness program, spearheading a rebrand and redesigning the fund’s website.

For funds with between $10 billion and $50 billion in AUM: Candy Albers Smith, chief communicators officer at the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System.

Smith has worked with MOSERS since 2006 and currently leads a team that designs, produces and distributes MOSERS’ websites, produces print and electronic communications, and delivers more than 100 member education events each year. Her team’s interactive campaign for MOSERS Month, “The Wonderful World of Retirement,” was designed to encourage members to view their annual benefit statement and resulted in a 24% increase in engagement compared with the prior year.

For funds with more than $50 billion AUM: Jonathan Yost, senior marketing and communications specialist at the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System.

Yost has more than 18 years of PR and communications experience, bringing a “data-driven and innovative” approach to Oregon PERS’ content and engagement strategy, according to NCPERS. His key achievements include the redesign of the agency’s flagship publication, “PERS by the Numbers,” and the development of the agency’s first “Popular Annual Financial Report.”

In the rising star category: Mary-Joy Coburn, director of communications at the Orange County Employees Retirement System.

In less than two years, Coburn transformed OCERS’ communication strategy and revamped OCERS’ digital presence by modernizing the website, optimizing social media engagement and redesigning the OCERS newsletter. “Her innovative outreach, including webinars and dynamic video content, has simplified complex retirement topics to make them approachable for all audiences,” NCPERS stated.

More information about the awards can be found on the NCPERS website.