New episode features Malia Bonham and Seth Miller detailing Washington State Department of Retirement Systems’ expansion of automatic enrollment from state employees to local governments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lexington, KY, May 20, 2025—The National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators today announced the availability of Expanding Access: Washington State’s Auto Enrollment Success Story, the latest episode in the NAGDCA Connect Virtual Engagement and Learning Series. NAGDCA is the premier professional association for plan administrators and services providers of government-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans.
Connect is a series of recorded conversations between NAGDCA Executive Director Matt Petersen and thought leaders from the public DC plan industry. The goal of the Connect conversations, as described by Matt, is to help solve the most fundamental problem of these plans: What public employees need from their DC plans.
In this latest Connect conversation, Malia Bonham and Seth Miller from the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems provide a behind-the-scenes look at the legislative strategy, stakeholder engagement, and lessons learned from the State’s expansion of its automatic enrollment to include local governments in addition to state employees.
“The goal of this month’s NAGDCA Connect conversation—the fifth in the NAGDCA Connect series—is to provide state and local government plan sponsors that are either exploring auto enrollment for the first time or looking to refine their existing approach with practical insights and inspiration. As always, the focus of the Connect series is advancing understanding and tactics to optimize public DC plan performance, and best ensure meaningful outcomes for public sector employees,” Matt said.
The Expanding Access Connect conversation may be accessed here.
All five Conversations comprising the NAGDCA Connect series to date may be accessed here.
ABOUT NAGDCA
NAGDCA is the premier professional association for plan administrators and services providers of government-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. NAGDCA members include 270 plan sponsors representing 15,000 governments in 49 states. Participants come from every level of state, territorial, and local government, including counties, cities, public safety agencies, school districts, transportation, and utilities. NAGDCA’s members administer governmental deferred compensation and defined contribution plans, including Section 457(b), 401(k), 401(a), and 403(b) plans. To learn more about NAGDCA, visit https://www.nagdca.org/.
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