Beth Conradson Cleary holds the "belief that financial wellness is a workforce strategy that can meaningfully improve employees' financial security, well-being, and retirement outcomes."
For the executive director of the City of Milwaukee Deferred Compensation Plan, the financial emphasis is to be expected, as Cleary helps advance the city's holistic financial wellness efforts in collaboration with the city's Healthy Rewards wellness program.
The plan is a voluntary tax-advantaged governmental 457(b) plan designed to help employees save throughout their careers so they can better plan and prepare for retirement, and has served more than 10,000 participants with assets exceeding $1.37 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025.
"I've collaboratively worked to transform financial wellness from a passive educational resource into an incentive-driven, outcomes-based strategy," Cleary explained. "By integrating financial wellness into our city's Healthy Rewards program, we created opportunities for employees and their spouses to engage in financial education, receive personalized guidance, and be rewarded for taking positive financial actions."
Cleary emphasized that, most essentially, those opportunities are more equally accessible.
"I'm particularly proud that our approach has improved retirement readiness across all employee groups while helping reduce disparities among historically underrepresented populations," she said. "I believe my colleagues would describe me as a mission-driven leader who combines a fiduciary lens, innovation, and a deep commitment to helping employees retire with dignity, confidence and choice."
Beth will be honored at EBN's Benefits at Work conference in September, which you can
