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Texas Public Employees Association Names Ann Fuelberg 2005 Administrator of Year
ERS Executive Director Honored for Work to Maintain State Employee and Retiree Benefits

AUSTIN, Texas (August 10, 2005) – The Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA) has named Ann S. Fuelberg, executive director of the Employees Retirement System, as TPEA’s 2005 Administrator of the Year for successfully guiding ERS through the Regular Session of the Legislature that ended in May.

“Ann was thorough, knowledgeable and confident. She did her homework and did a first-rate job of working to maintain critical state employee and retiree benefits, while making sure ERS was running as efficiently as possible,” said TPEA Executive Director Gary W. Anderson. “Her efforts in re-bidding and negotiating ERS’ two largest health care contracts saved well over $100 million and prevented cuts in employee and retiree health benefits.”

Fuelberg said she was honored to be chosen and pledged to continue her efforts in the future.

“Retirement benefits and health insurance are front-burner issues for both public service and private industry,” Fuelberg said. “There is little doubt new ideas will continue to evolve and it is vitally important to stay ahead of the curve to serve the best interest of both our members and the state.”

Fuelberg accepted the award at TPEA’s recent Annual Meeting in Dallas .

Fuelberg was appointed executive director of ERS by the Board of Trustees in 2004. Under her leadership, ERS administers programs that provide retirement, health insurance, deferred compensation, and flexible benefits for more than 200,000 current state employees and retirees.

Fuelberg is responsible for managing the Texas Employees Group Benefits Program, which provides health care coverage to more than 500,000 state and higher education employees, retirees and their families. ERS also manages an investment portfolio with a market value of more than $20 billion.

Under her tenure, the ERS Board and staff has successfully renegotiated three-year contracts for a pharmacy benefit manager and the administrator of the state’s self-funded health plan that will save the state a total of $127 million while maintaining the benefits of ERS members.

ERS Board Chairman Owen Whitworth said he was delighted TPEA selected Fuelberg for the honor.  

“Ann is a conscientious and inclusive leader,” Whitworth said. “She does a remarkable job of balancing all of the demands on her office with the individual and collective needs of state workers.”

Fuelberg is a veteran of state government who has served as a deputy Comptroller of Public Accounts and was named the first executive director of the Department of Information Resources when it was created in 1989. Under her leadership, the agency received the 1993 CIO Magazine Award for Excellence in Customer Service.  

Fuelberg later served as vice president of Transactive Corporation, handling business development, marketing and customer relations for the Austin-based online processing company that became the nation’s largest electronic benefits transfer system. She has also operated an independent business consulting service, assisting both government and the private sector.

Fuelberg holds a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a juris doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law.