June 17, 2022

Two Trustees elected to Board, two Trustees appointed to vacant seats

DENVER—The Colorado PERA Board of Trustees today announced that two new Trustees have been elected to the Board:

• Scott Smith was elected to represent the School Division
• Tracy Marie Rushing was elected to represent the State Division

Smith, chief financial and operating officer at Cherry Creek School District 5, fills a seat currently held by Guillermo Barriga, who did not seek re-election. Smith will serve a four-year term.

Rushing, a supervisor in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, fills a seat currently held by Ashley Smith, who was appointed to the Board in 2021. Rushing was elected to a two-year term.

In addition to the above results, the Board appointed two new Trustees. The Board appointed Catherine “Trina” Ruhland to represent the Local Government Division. Ruhland is a deputy county attorney with the Boulder County Attorney’s Office. Ruhland fills a seat vacated by Cheryl Pattelli, who left the Board in November 2021.

The Board appointed JB Phillips to represent the School Division. Phillips is a middle school science teacher in Fruita and fills a seat vacated by Tina Mueh, who retired at the beginning of June.

Ruhland and Phillips will serve one-year terms in their respective seats until the next Board election in 2023.

By state law, the Colorado General Assembly sets contribution rates and benefit levels while the PERA Board has oversight of investments and benefit administration. The Board includes 16 Trustees: 11 Trustees elected by the PERA membership; three appointed by the governor; a non-voting ex officio member elected by the membership from the Denver Public Schools Division; and the state treasurer, who serves as an ex officio voting member of the Board.

More information on the Board of Trustees is available on PERA’s website.

Colorado PERA provides retirement and other benefits to nearly 650,000 current and former teachers, State Troopers, corrections officers, snowplow drivers, and other public employees who provide valuable service to all of Colorado. PERA is a vital and stable contributor to Colorado’s economy, distributing more than $4.3 billion in 2021 to more than 110,000 retirees who live in Colorado.

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