SAN FRANCISCO—Ceres announced today that Anne Stausboll, Chief Executive Officer of the nation’s largest public pension fund, the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), was unanimously elected as co-chair of its board. Ceres President Mindy S. Lubber made the announcement before 500 corporate leaders, investors and environmentalists at the Ceres 2009 Conference, Achieving a Sustainable Global Economy at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
“Anne is a visionary leader who understands not only the short-term risks and opportunities, but also the fiduciary duty to protect and enhance long-term shareholder value. She is a total believer in Ceres’ mission and her appointment is a powerful symbol both of how far corporate sustainability has come and changes that lie ahead,” said Lubber.
Stausboll will co-chair Ceres board with Norman L. Dean, Vice President and General Counsel of Cooler Inc., and help guide the organization’s implementation of its ambitious Ceres 20·20 agenda, a plan to move the global economy onto a sustainable path by 2020. For more information on Ceres 20·20 visit www.ceres.org
“As a long-term investor in today’s challenging market conditions, we know that taking care of the planet is also taking care of the world’s economy,” Stausboll said. “On sound fiduciary reasons, CalPERS strongly backs Ceres core work of integrating environmental and governance considerations into the financial markets. I look forward to deepening CalPERS’ longstanding and fruitful engagement with Ceres by assuming this leadership position.”
Stausboll is the first woman to head CalPERS. Previously she served as CalPERS Interim Chief Investment Officer/Chief Operating Investment Officer from April 2008 to December 2008. Prior to that she was the pension fund’s Chief Operating Investment Officer. Before coming to CalPERS, Ms. Stausboll was Chief Deputy Treasurer to the California State Treasurer, beginning in July 2000.
CalPERS is the nation’s largest public pension fund with approximately $174 billion in market assets. It provides retirement benefits to more than 1.6 million State, school, and local public employees, retirees and their families, and health benefits to nearly 1.3 million members. For more information on CalPERS, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.
Founded in 1989, Ceres is a leading coalition of investors, environmental groups and other nonprofit organizations working with companies to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change. For more information, visit http://www.ceres.org buy 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag