CalSTRS Chief Executive Officer Cassandra Lichnock announced that Chief Investment Officer Scott Chan was named an Elite 100 CIO by Markets Group. Chan was chosen for his leadership, vision and significant contributions to the investment industry.

Lichnock shared Chan’s award, and other recognitions earned by the CalSTRS Investments, Financial Services and Public Affairs branches, as part of her bimonthly CEO Report to the board.

Chan and CalSTRS’ former CIO Christopher J. Ailman also received the Randy Kim Prize for Fiduciary of the Year from With Intelligence and The Allocator. This award recognizes CalSTRS' steady and consistent stewardship of the fund, ability to meet long-term return targets and capacity to face constant challenges.

The Financial Services Branch won awards for two June 30, 2023, year-end reports:

• The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report was awarded the certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the U.S. and Canada. This achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting.    
• The Popular Annual Financial Report received the GFOA award for outstanding achievement for conformance with the highest standard for state government popular reports.

Finally, Public Affairs earned two 2024 Influence Awards from the Public Relations Society of America’s California Capital Chapter. The first award was for the team’s strategic external communication and engagement plan for the transition between CIOs Ailman and Chan. The second award was for an internal video series that highlights CalSTRS staff.  

CalSTRS' commitment to excellence and trustworthiness aligns with its mission to secure the financial future and sustain the trust of California’s public educators.