Congratulations to the 2025 NAGDCA President’s Award Winners!
NAGDCA proudly recognizes the recipients of the 2025 NAGDCA – Art Caple President’s Award, which honors excellence in public sector defined contribution plans. Established in memory of past NAGDCA President Art Caple, the award celebrates visionary leadership and innovation that enhance participants’ financial well-being.
Each year, the NAGDCA Awards Committee carefully reviews and scores all nominations, and selects the top three finalists before choosing the winners. Presented annually to two plans—one large (assets of $500 million or more) and one standard (under $500 million)—the award ensures plans of all sizes are recognized for their outstanding impact.
Learn more about the 2025 winners below.
2025 LARGE PLAN WINNER
State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS)
Using Plan Design to Improve Retirement Outcomes
SURS completed a multi-year redesign of its Retirement Savings Plan, introducing the Lifetime Income Strategy, a custom default investment option that provides guaranteed retirement income flexibility. The team also launched a new 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan with auto-enrollment and auto-escalation, helping participants save more for retirement.
Through plan consolidation and design, fees were reduced by up to 58%, investment expenses lowered, and engagement soared—with 82% of members fully invested in the new default. Education and outreach efforts included more than 60 webinars and 1,500+ one-on-one meetings across 58 institutions statewide.
Click here to learn more about the award-winning campaign.
2025 STANDARD PLAN WINNER
County of Fresno
Increasing Plan Participation: A Journey of Education and Engagement
Fresno County achieved remarkable success in boosting plan participation from 37.3% in 2016 to 69.0% in 2025 through a decade-long initiative focused on removing barriers to enrollment and fostering a culture of savings.
Key strategies included Active Choice Enrollment for new hires, a simplified EZ Enrollment Form, enhanced employer matching contributions, and year-round education campaigns. The County combined data-driven communications with human-centered design—proving that sustained effort and creativity can drive meaningful outcomes.
