Cindy Hounsell Receives PSCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Cindy Hounsell, President of the Women’s Institute For A Secure Retirement (WISER), will receive the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 71st Annual National Conference to be held May 1-2, 2018 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.  

Said her nominator Annette Grabow, Retirement Plans Program Manager at Sonepar USA, “I have known Cindy for many years now and continue to be impressed by her incredible dedication and heart for helping women navigate the many obstacles to a secure retirement. WISER’s mission is personified in Cindy’s efforts… Cindy’s contributions have not been limited to the plan sponsor community but cover the broader retirement landscape. Plan sponsors benefit from her work and resources.”

In her nomination, Grabow stated that Cindy Hounsell exceeds the criteria established for this award, one could not find a more dedicated, selfless, passionate, wise, hard-working, enthusiastic, committed person to her cause.  WISER has been able to reach thousands of women through their programs. WISER understands and responds to the more complicated challenges and deterrents women face in preparing for retirement.

“Cindy is the perfect fit for our Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Jack Towarnicky, PSCA’s executive director. “She’s a recognized leader positively affecting policy and the changing views in the retirement community. Her specific focus on helping women achieve their financial goals benefits all workers and their families, actively employed or already retired, regardless of gender.”

Cindy has testified before Congress and served as a delegate for a number of White House summits and conferences including the last two White House Conferences on Aging, the White House Social Security Conference, and each of the National Retirement Saver Summits.  In 2011, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis appointed Cindy to the ERISA Advisory Council. Previously, she was appointed by the Bush Administration to the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education representing the field of retirement and financial planning. 

Cindy currently serves on the Boards of National Alliance for Caregiving, STRIVE-DC, the Advisory Council of Wider Opportunities for Women’s Elder Economic Security Initiative, and on the Financial Services Roundtable’s Retirement Advisory Council.  She is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2015 and honors individuals for their contributions to the growth of the defined contribution industry. The award is presented at PSCA’s National Conference and Cindy will be recognized at an award ceremony on April 30th. The 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Anna Rappaport, founder of Anna Rappaport Consulting. The 2016 Award recipient was Nancy Webman, retired editor of Pensions & Investments. Recipients in 2015 were Karen Barnes, managing counsel for McDonald’s Corp. and David G. Booth, co-founder, co-CEO, and chairman of Dimensional Fund Advisors.

For more information, please contact Hattie Greenan at [email protected].