PBGC Names Anne Henderson as New Participant and Plan Sponsor Advocate

The board of directors of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation announced Tuesday the appointment of Anne Henderson as its participant and plan sponsor advocate, effective January 12. Henderson, currently a management and program analyst in the PBGC’s Office of Policy and External Affairs, succeeds Constance Donovan, who retired last August after 11 years at the PBGC.

The PBGC Office of the Advocate works with defined benefit plan participants to ensure they receive benefits from the PBGC to which they are entitled. The office also works to resolve disputes between plan sponsors and the PBGC.

“The board is pleased to have selected Anne Henderson to serve as the next advocate, and we look forward to working with her and the dedicated staff of the Office of the Advocate to continue to promote and support defined benefit pension plans and the participants and beneficiaries they serve and provide valuable insight into how PBGC can best serve the public,” said Julie A. Sue, acting secretary of labor and chair of the PBGC’s board of directors, in a statement.

In addition to Henderson, the Office of the Advocate includes Camille Castro, senior associate participant and plan sponsor advocate, and Emily Spreiser, associate participate and plan sponsor advocate.

“I’m thrilled and honored to serve as the next PBGC Participant and Plan Sponsor Advocate, a unique role that assists plan sponsors and participants in PBGC-trusteed plans in resolving disputes with PBGC,” Henderson said in a statement. “Improving customer service has been the common thread of my federal career. I look forward to building on the efforts of the previous advocate and with Camille and Emily in the Office of the Advocate to ensure that PBGC continues to serve its customers by providing the board and Congress with an independent perspective and outlook on PBGC and the defined benefit pension system.”

Henderson has been at the PBGC since 2008, following a five-year stint as a public affairs specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from George Washington University.