SACRAMENTO--Trustees of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) unanimously re-elected Dana Dillon as Chair and Jerilyn Harris as Vice-Chair for the 2009-10 term at today’s meeting.

The 12-member Teachers’ Retirement Board nominates and elects their chair and vice-chair annually. Members serve four-year terms. The board officers provide leadership to the trustees as they develop policies and provide direction for the nation’s second-largest public pension fund.

Dana Dillon, a teacher/librarian with the Weed Union Elementary School District, has held the Teachers’ Retirement Board Chair since 2007-08. She has served on the board since 2004, and was Vice-Chair from 2005 to 2007. Dillon has been active in the California Teachers Association for more than 25 years. She is currently a member of the CTA Board of Directors.

Jerilyn Harris is an award-winning science teacher with more than 25 years experience teaching in Ukiah and Beverly Hills. On the board, she chairs the Appeals and Legislative committees. Harris retired from teaching in 2002 and has served on the Teachers' Retirement Board since 2005 and as Vice-Chair since 2007. She is a former chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

“As strongly built as we are, CalSTRS can’t help but be affected by the current severe economic times. While the storms don’t impact the teachers’ pensions, we are doing all we can to overcome these global challenges,” said Dillon. “I’m confident my dedicated board members and our expert CalSTRS professionals will steer us through for the overall benefit of those who depend on us.”

The California State Teachers' Retirement System, with a $113 billion portfolio, is the second-largest public pension fund in the United States. It administers retirement, disability and survivor benefits for California's 833,000 public school educators and their families from the state's 1,400 school districts, county offices of education and community college districts.