The 2025 PRISM conference in Memphis provided a remarkable platform for public pension professionals to connect, learn, and share insights across the retirement and IT sectors. I was joined by my colleagues Mitch Baker, and Craig Hangartner, who was attending his first PRISM conference. The event kicked off with a welcome reception on Sunday evening, offering a perfect opportunity to reunite with familiar faces from previous years.
The opening keynote set a compelling tone for the conference, exploring the critical importance of cybersecurity in today’s dynamic and complicated environment. The presentation underscored how leveraging the right technologies has never been more critical, especially in the financial world where public pension systems must safeguard sensitive member data and financial assets against evolving threats. Security, cybersecurity, and fraud were clearly top of mind for attendees, with several general sessions dedicated specifically to these critical topics.
The first full day featured insightful sessions, including an informative keynote, and a revamped “Roll Call” that efficiently consolidated fund and vendor introductions via pre-conference polling. The day concluded with a fascinating visit to the museum at Graceland, where attendees explored Elvis Presley’s legacy through historical exhibits and his impressive car collection.
The remainder of the conference agenda highlighted critical industry discussions, including a Vitech-sponsored keynote by Dr. Zoe Alexander addressing AI capabilities and the importance of cautious implementation in the technology sphere. Throughout the event, it became clear that Pension Administration System (PAS) reform is accelerating year-over-year for multiple reasons, and artificial intelligence is presenting several new opportunities that funds must position themselves to leverage in the coming years. A major theme that emerged was the big emphasis on technology refresh in the pension space, with AI and digital engagement at the forefront of most conversations and topics.
Sessions throughout the conference revealed how different retirement systems tackle similar challenges through varied approaches based on their specific legislative environments, technical capabilities, and staffing resources. Attendees demonstrated a strong curiosity about what others were doing and showed genuine enthusiasm for learning from their peers’ experiences and strategies. A standout presentation from CALPERS showcased their massive system serving 2.2 million members, with impressive statistics including 1.5 million annual calls and 3,000 monthly retirement applications. Their technical landscape of 19.1 TB of data and 4 million lines of Java code demonstrated the scale at which public pension systems operate.
Particularly relevant was the PERSI presentation on Secure 2.0 implementation, detailing how they’re managing the IRS-mandated changes that must be implemented by June 2025, including new eligibility requirements, automatic enrollment with auto-escalation, and ROTH component options. Each day brought valuable discussions on leadership with engaging sessions from funds representing Ohio, Texas, and Missouri.
Evening networking events fostered meaningful industry connections, including the Vitech Client Appreciation Event and the lively Beale Street Block Party featuring excellent food, music, and drinks. Throughout these gatherings, member pension funds showed significant curiosity about the new functionality and capabilities of the vendors present at the conference, reflecting a clear push to leverage technology further. These professional and social gatherings reinforced PRISM’s essential role in helping retirement systems navigate technological transformations while maintaining exceptional service to their members.
