The Employee Benefit Research Institute on Wednesday named retirement industry veteran Lori Lucas as its president and CEO, effective immediately.
Lucas replaces Harry Conaway, who took over as EBRI’s CEO in 2015.
Lucas previously served as executive vice president and defined contribution practice leader for Callan Associates, one of the country’s largest independent consultants to defined benefit and defined contribution plans. There she launched and delivered retirement research and worked directly with plan sponsors. Previously, she served as director of retirement research at Aon Hewitt.
She says her extensive research experience will continue to drive her in her new role at EBRI.
Lucas says one of her goals with the organization will be making EBRI’s research more widely accessible and “relevant to members, the industry, policy makers, the media and the general public.”
“My goal is to continue EBRI’s focus on unbiased data and research that is critical in today’s evolving employee benefits environment,” Lucas says. “This includes retaining EBRI’s stature as the leading expert and most objective source of research and education in employee benefits, while also providing the data and insights for a fast-changing workplace environment.”
EBRI says that Lucas takes the helm “at a pivotal time in our country’s economic history, including unprecedented challenges to American workers’ financial security.”
Lucas is no stranger to EBRI: She’s been involved with the independent, nonprofit organization since 1999 in a variety of capacities, including working with staff members on research topics and serving as vice chairwoman of the institute. EBRI says its mission is “to be a research and data organization providing the highest quality of information on retirement, savings and health programs for workers and employers, without lobbying or advocacy involvement.”
