HARRISBURG, PA – The Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) held public meetings this week during which it announced the re-election by acclamation of the retiree board member and the retirement of a trustee representing active certified members.
Retiree Board Member Election
Incumbent Susan C. Lemmo was re-elected to serve a new 3-year term as Trustee of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement Board, representing PSERS retirees (annuitants and Class DC participants receiving distributions).
Lemmo, a Clearfield resident, ran unopposed for her seat and was re-elected by acclamation at a public meeting of the Board on Friday, June 13. Lemmo's new term begins on Jan. 1, 2026, and ends on Dec. 31, 2028.
This will be Lemmo's second term representing PSERS retirees. Prior to retiring from a 32-year career as an art teacher in the Curwensville Area School District, Lemmo served three terms (2014-2022) on the PSERS Board, representing active certified members and participants. During that time, she earned the Certified Public Pension Trustee accreditation from the Pennsylvania Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the National Council on Teacher Retirement.
"I am grateful for the continued trust and support from PSERS retired members to serve this Board,” Lemmo said. “I endeavor to continue doing my best as a fiduciary representing retirees and working in support of PSERS’ mission, ‘to be a partner with our members to fulfill the promise of a secure retirement.’"
Active Certified Board Member Retirement
Board Trustee Dr. Pamela R. Brown, who represents the active certified members, is retiring.
Dr. Brown is an Instructional Support Teacher in the Oxford Area School District and previously worked in corporate accounting and executive management. Her three-year term runs from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2026. A special election for this active certified seat will be announced later this year, with Dr. Brown remaining on the Board until a new board member is elected.
"Serving on the PSERS Board has been an honor and a meaningful part of my professional journey,” Dr. Brown said. “I am proud to have worked alongside trustees who are deeply committed to the financial security of our members, and I’ve appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the system and represent my fellow active certified members during a time of important work and progress.”
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About the Board of Trustees
The 15-member Board of Trustees is an independent administrative board of the Commonwealth. The Board stands in a fiduciary relationship to PSERS’ members regarding investments and disbursements of the system’s funds. The Board’s other functions outlined in the Public School Employees’ Retirement Code include certifying contribution rates, authorizing the system’s actuarial valuation and independent audit, publishing an annual financial statement, and overseeing the operational activities performed by the system’s executive director and chief investment officer.
About the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System
PSERS, founded in 1917, began operations in 1919 to oversee a statewide defined benefit pension plan for public school employees. PSERS' role expanded upon the passage of Act 5 of 2017 to include oversight of two new benefit options consisting of defined benefit and defined contribution (DC) components and a stand-alone DC plan. As of Dec. 31, 2024, PSERS had a total net position of about $79.5 billion and a membership of about 256,000 active, 254,000 annuitants and beneficiaries, and 27,000 vested inactive members