Pension Resource Institute has named Annie Messer as President and appointed Haley Erickson as Chief Compliance Officer of Group Plan Systems as part of a broader leadership expansion across its retirement plan businesses.
The appointments complete a two-year plan to strengthen leadership and integrate legal, compliance and operational expertise across Pension Resource Institute, Group Plan Systems and Fiduciary Law Center.
Together, the affiliated firms support broker-dealers, Registered Investment Advisors, banks, trust companies and independent retirement plan advisors.
The combined ecosystem provides compliance infrastructure, pooled employer plan administration, practice management resources, legal support and unlimited home office consulting.
Messer’s promotion positions PRI to support wealth management firms that are building or expanding dedicated retirement plan businesses.
She joined PRI in 2023 following 14 years at Cambridge Investment Research, where she led retirement and fiduciary initiatives. Messer most recently served as PRI’s President of Member Relations.
As President, Messer will focus on helping PRI’s member firms develop compliant and scalable retirement plan operations.
The company expects demand for these services to continue growing as state retirement plan mandates encourage more employers to establish workplace savings programs and wealth management firms seek new sources of organic growth.
PRI was founded in 2010 and supports more than 70 member firms and approximately 50,000 financial professionals.
Its platform includes configurable compliance tools, training, document resources, regulatory monitoring, practice management support and consulting services.
Erickson’s appointment creates a new Chief Compliance Officer position at Group Plan Systems.
GPS describes itself as the largest independent pooled employer plan fiduciary and currently operates or is preparing to launch more than 30 pooled employer plans and other group retirement arrangements.
A pooled employer plan allows multiple unrelated employers to participate in one retirement plan. The structure can reduce the administrative burden placed on individual employers by centralizing several fiduciary, compliance and operational responsibilities.
GPS can serve in legal roles including the ERISA Section 402(a) Named Fiduciary, ERISA Section 3(16) Plan Administrator and Plan Sponsor.
In her new role, Erickson will lead efforts to provide a more consistent client experience across the GPS platform as the business moves from individually managed plan execution toward a more integrated and technology-driven service model.
Erickson brings 15 years of third-party retirement plan administration experience. Her background includes compliance testing, regulatory reporting and plan correction procedures.
She joined GPS two years ago after holding several management and consulting positions focused on translating complicated Employee Retirement Income Security Act requirements into practical guidance for advisors and plan sponsors.
Erickson holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duquesne University and the Qualified 401(k) Administrator credential.
GPS also added Justina Feliz as a Fiduciary Consultant to support Erickson’s expanded responsibilities.
Feliz will assume several of Erickson’s former day-to-day compliance duties and lead the onboarding process for new pooled plans.
PRI separately appointed Erin Fager as its first Director of Marketing and Communications.
Fager will develop employer-facing content and other resources in response to increasing demand from financial advisors.
She will continue serving as the marketing and communications leader at Fiduciary Law Center, a position she assumed in January 2025 after spending nearly eight years at Prime Capital.
The leadership changes also include a planned transition for Steve Niehoff, who has served as Chief Operating Officer across GPS and related PRI businesses.
Beginning August 1, Niehoff will step away from daily operating responsibilities while continuing to support PRI, GPS and their affiliated businesses as an independent contractor in a controller capacity.
Employees at GPS who previously reported to Niehoff will report to Erickson. PRI employees who reported to Niehoff will move under Messer’s leadership.
Niehoff also plans to establish his own consulting firm and serve a broader group of financial services organizations.
Fiduciary Law Center has added Jason Benham as a full-time associate, expanding the ecosystem’s legal capabilities.
Benham brings more than 20 years of retirement plan industry experience. He spent 14 years at LPL Financial and more than eight years at Independent Financial Group, where he led the company’s retirement plan division.
He recently earned his law degree and was admitted to the State Bar of California.
The additions are intended to create a more coordinated structure in which PRI provides compliance and practice management services, GPS administers pooled employer plan programs and FLC delivers legal support.
KEY QUOTES:
“Haley’s and Annie’s appointments are the culmination of a two-year plan to create an integrated model of legal and operational fiduciary expertise across our ecosystem.”
“Haley understands the operational detail behind a well-run retirement plan and has earned this role through her technical command and client focus. Annie has led our member firm relationships through an important period of growth, and her promotion strengthens PRI’s ability to support firms building and scaling retirement plan businesses.”
Jason Roberts, Founder and CEO of Pension Resource Institute and Managing Partner of Group Plan Systems
“PRI’s role has always been to help member firms build retirement plan businesses on a strong compliance and practice management foundation.”
“As more wealth management firms look to retirement plans as a source of organic growth, my focus is helping our members turn that opportunity into a compliant, scalable business.”
Annie Messer, President of Pension Resource Institute
“GPS has built a strong foundation for firms that want to compete in the group plan market.”
“My focus is making sure clients have a consistent, predictable experience as they build and manage that business and, above all, that their plans are administered according to GPS’s processes for meeting obligations under ERISA and the Tax Code.”
Haley Erickson, Chief Compliance Officer of Group Plan Systems
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to continue working with companies and people I care about deeply.”
“At the same time, I’m excited to start my own consulting firm and be able to offer service to a wider range of firms.”
Steve Niehoff, Outgoing Chief Operating Officer of Group Plan Systems and Related Pension Resource Institute Businesses
