LCPR executive committee appoints Casey Connors to Secure Choice board pending background check

The Executive Committee of the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement voted May 14 to appoint Casey Connors to the Minnesota Secure Choice Retirement Program Board of Directors, effective June 15, 2026, contingent on a satisfactory background check and enactment of the 2026 Omnibus Pension and Retirement Bill.

The committee, meeting remotely with a quorum of three members present, accepted staff’s recommendation to appoint Connors after reviewing resumes and interview summaries. ‘‘Ms. Connors has had quite a bit of experience formulating a governance policy, and that's something the Secure Choice board could definitely use and work on in the next couple years,’’ staff member Ms. Lenczewski said while summarizing interview feedback.

Representative Lilly, vice chair, moved the appointment, saying she would ‘‘happy to move our candidate, Ms. Connors.’’ Chair Friends called for a voice vote and recorded unanimous support from the members present; the committee chair announced that the motion prevailed and the appointment would be recorded pending the specified conditions.

Staff told the committee that the seat has been vacant since January and that the statutory criterion for the position—experience in record-keeping for 401(k) plans—was not technically satisfied by either finalist. Ms. Lenczewski said a pending amendment in the 2026 Omnibus Pension and Retirement Bill would change the requirement to ‘‘relevant experience,’’ which staff said both candidates possess.

The two candidates discussed in committee materials were Derek Hughes, formerly with Minnesota State and now with Minnesota Management and Budget, and Casey Connors, an investment professional with board-service experience. Staff said interviewers Aaron Leonard and Chad Roberts participated in candidate interviews and that there was ‘‘general consensus’’ in favor of Connors’ governance experience.

Senator Howe asked why the vacancy had lasted since January, noting the committee might have been able to recruit sooner. Ms. Lenczewski said staff conducted extensive outreach—‘‘we probably touched over almost a thousand people’’—but that the narrow statutory qualifications limited the candidate pool. She said the planned statutory amendment should make future recruitment easier. Senator Howe suggested the committee itself consider more active recruitment next time.

Under LCPR Rule Four, staff explained, the Executive Committee may act with the authority of the full commission between meetings; the committee said it will notify the full LCPR of the appointment but does not require further commission action to put the appointment into effect once the conditions are met. The committee adjourned after recording the appointment.

Next steps: staff will complete the background check and notify the full commission of the Executive Committee’s action; Connors’ service on the Secure Choice board will begin only if the background check is satisfactory and the omnibus pension bill becomes law.