Meet the APERS team, which is responsible for the daily operations of the retirement system. In addition to leading a dedicated staff, the executive team provides counsel to the Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees has delegated the overall administration of the agency to the Executive Director. This includes oversight for the following areas within the agency to include:
Legal Counsel, Assurance Office, Social Security Section 218, Investments and Finance, Benefits Administration, and Operations.
Benefits Administration is responsible for administering retirement, disability, and death benefits for the system’s members and survivors. The division consists of Employer Services, Member Services, and Retiree Services.
Investments and Finance is responsible for managing the trust fund and insuring prudent investments and accounting of funds for members.
Operations includes, Human Resources, Information Technology, Public Affairs, and Digital Services.
Amy Fecher became the Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Employees’ Retirement System (APERS) in July of 2022.
Prior to her service at APERS, Ms. Fecher was appointed by Governor Asa Hutchinson as the first Secretary of the Department of Transformation and Shared Services in July 2019 after leading the state’s Transformation Initiative as the Chief Transformation Officer. This historic legislation streamlined Arkansas’s 42 cabinet-level agencies and over 200 boards and commissions into 15 Departments to centralize state services, find revenue savings, and simplify services to the citizens of Arkansas.
Ms. Fecher has over twenty-five years of experience working in the public, private, and not‐for‐profit sectors. Her government experience includes time at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the Arkansas Department of Rural Services, and working in former Governor Mike Huckabee’s administration.
Ms. Fecher volunteers with the Miracle League of Arkansas and serves on the Information Network of Arkansas Board.
She is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas. Ms. Fecher and her husband, Shawn, have three boys and live in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Allison Woods
Deputy Director of
Benefits Administration
Carlos Borromeo
Deputy Director of
Investments
Ashley Golleher
Deputy Director of
Operations
Senior Team
- Jason Willett, Chief Fiscal Officer
- Laura Gilson, General Counsel
- Phillip Norton, Director of Information Technology
- Jennifer Taylor, Director of Benefits Administration
- Jacobia Bates, Director of Public Affairs
- Patty Shipp, Assurance Officer
- Usha Doolabh, Manager, Investments
- Jon Aucoin, Manager, Digital Services
- Cheryl Wilburn, Manager, Benefits Operations
- Tammy Shadwick, Manager, Human Resources
- Shelly George, Manager, Employer Reporting
- Stephanie Blair, Manager, Communications