December 18, 2003

SACRAMENTO -- In a historic, first-time-ever vote, current California educators elected three members to the governing body of the California State Teachers' Retirement System.

In election results announced today, the two board representatives of kindergarten through twelfth grade educators are:

• Dana Dillon, a library media teacher with the Weed Union Elementary School District. Dillon has spent 17 years as a member of the California Teachers Association’s Retirement Committee and has served as both chair and vice-chair.
  
• Gary Lynes, a math and science teacher in the Hillborough City School District. Lynes is a current CalSTRS board member and serves as its chair. He also serves as chair of the Investment Committee.

The third elected seat, representing community college faculty, has been filled by Carolyn Widener, an English professor at West Los Angeles College. She was the only candidate who qualified for the community college seat. Widener, a current member of the board, has served as the chair of the Health Benefits Committee.

Dillon, Lynes and Widener will serve four-year terms, which begin January 1, 2004. The new chair and vice chair will be elected at the February 5 board meeting.

Recent legislation established the election for these three seats to the 12-member Teachers' Retirement Board, which sets policy and makes rules for CalSTRS.

CalSTRS, with a $107 billion portfolio, is the nation’s third largest public pension fund. It administers retirement, disability and survivor benefits for California’s public school educators in grades kindergarten through community college, serving more than 715,000 members and benefit recipients.