U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao appoints new members and leaders to 2007 ERISA Advisory Council

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the appointment of five new members as well as new leadership for the 2007 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council.

The 15-member council provides advice on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Members are selected by the secretary of labor and appointed for staggered three-year terms.

The five new appointees and their council positions are: Stephen McCaffrey of Brooklyn, N.Y., representing employers; Patricia Brambley of Newtown, Pa., representing investment counseling; Richard Helmreich of Columbus, Ohio, representing the general public; Elizabeth Dill of Los Angeles, Calif., representing actuarial counseling; and Randy DeFrehn of Washington, D.C., representing employee organizations.

Stephen McCaffrey is a senior counsel at KeySpan Corp., where he provides advice on fiduciary matters and plan administration under ERISA. He also is instrumental in negotiations with the 50 multiemployer or union plans in which the company participates.

Patricia Brambley is founder and president of Resources for Retirement. Her firm provides investment counseling and education for mid-sized employee benefit plans and assists plan sponsors in understanding the types of plan choices and associated vendor, funding and pricing arrangements.

Richard Helmreich is a partner at the Porter Wright Morris & Arthur law firm and chairs its employee benefits practice group. He is responsible for counseling clients on all types of employee benefit plans, including tax-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans and executive compensation arrangements.

Elizabeth Dill, an actuary, is the worldwide partner and global retirement strategist at Mercer Human Resource Consulting, where her clients include for-profit companies and non-profit organizations. Her work involves both retirement and retiree health and welfare plans.

Randy DeFrehn is executive director of the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans and has more than 30 years of experience in the field of multiemployer plans. He has served as an administrator of pension, health and welfare plans as well as a benefits consultant and a registered investment advisor.

The 2007 advisory council chair is James D. McCool, the executive vice president for corporate and retirement services at Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. William L. Scogland will serve as the council's vice chair. He is a senior partner at the Jenner & Block law firm in Chicago.

Additional information about the Advisory Council is available at www.dol.gov/ebsa.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.