Mitch Barker 
Senior Vice President
(800) 540-6369, ext. 116

Mitch helps cities, counties and special districts design and implement Post-retirement Healthcare Funding programs and alternatives to Social Security. Mitch’s vast understanding of public sector financial management helps him structure plans that save public agencies money and improve retirement benefits. Mitch earned a BS in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University.

Kristen Farris*  
Vice President, Enrollments and Client Services
(800) 540-6369, ext. 139

Kristen began serving PARS public agencies in 1998 as a Plan Enrollments Administrator where she enrolled participants in more than 150 Retirement Incentive and Enhancement Plans. Today she oversees the enrollment of all PARS plans and works to provide PARS member agencies with exceptional client service. As a liaison between PARS and the public agency, Kristen’s primary role is to provide customized plan enrollment packets and orientations for public agency personnel and plan participants. Kristen earned a BA in English Literature from the University of California, Irvine.

Kevin Murphy  
Executive Vice President
(800) 540-6369, ext. 128

Kevin joined PARS in 1998 with 22 years of front-line municipal management experience and is responsible for managing the consulting division of PARS. He specializes in consulting with cities, counties, and special districts. At PARS, Kevin leads the consulting team, providing solutions to public agency managers with fiscal, legal, political and labor relations challenges. He helps government agencies analyze existing plans and designs innovative, customized retirement plan enhancements, supplements and alternatives. Kevin earned a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and did graduate work at California State University, Long Beach in Public Administration.

Ryan Nicasio, CEBS  
Vice President, Consulting
(800) 540-6369, ext. 134

Ryan came to PARS in 1998 as an Administrator in the Plan Accounting Department. While managing the ARS plan accounting systems, he also completed the CEBS designation. For nine years, Ryan managed the PARS Plan Accounting Department and databases to ensure that contributions, earnings and expenses were properly allocated to more than 300,000 plan participants and agency accounts. Today Ryan oversees the department of Implementation and Plan Design. Ryan graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Economics with a minor in Mathematics and has earned a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefits at the Wharton School of Business.

Eric O’Leary, CEBS  
Vice President
(800) 540-6369, ext. 124

Eric has been involved in the design and implementation of more than 300 PARS retirement plans since 1993. He specializes in retirement incentives, Social Security alternatives, and GASB 45 plans. Eric graduated with honors from Concordia University, Irvine with a BA in Business Administration and a minor in Mathematics and has earned a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefits and the Wharton School of Business.

Dion Papafote*  
Manager, Texas Sales and Marketing
(888) 838-2809

Dion joined PARS in 2000 and oversees sales and marketing in Texas. She has a strong background in insurance, securities, and the employee benefits industry – particularly in the school district market. Before coming to PARS, she worked in the marketing and administration of plans for 8 years for a financial and retirement services company. She has a BA from the University of Texas, Austin and holds licenses in retirement, insurance, and health plan management.

Reggie Smith
Senior Consultant
(800) 540-6369, ext. 145

Reggie joined PARS with more than 25 years of experience in educational management and served as Chairman of the Executive Board for the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles. Reggie helps school districts, community college districts and departments of education articulate their retirement program needs and develop plans to meet those needs. Reggie earned a BA in History and Sociology and a Master of Education Administration degree from the University of North Carolina.

Maureen Toal, MPA, CAPPP**  
Vice President, Public Affairs
(800) 540-6369, ext. 135

Maureen joined the PARS team in 1999 with 17 years of local, state and federal public sector management experience. She helps agencies understand the advantages of qualified plans and helps keep a finger on the pulse of federal and state public retirement plan legislation. She updates agencies through the PARS Legislative Alert and PARS Agency Watch. Maureen earned a BS in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MPA with an emphasis in public personnel administration from the University of Southern California. Maureen has also completed a Certificate of Achievement in Public Pension Policy from International Foundation of Employee Benefits and the Wharton School of Business.

Heidi Vega  
Senior Manager, Plan Administration
(800) 540-6369, ext. 108

Heidi came to PARS in 1997 as a Specialist in the Administration Department. By 1998, Heidi was promoted to Manager based on her performance and ability to lead and motivate. Heidi is responsible for ongoing Alternate Retirement System and 457 Plan administrative operations, including troubleshooting and customer service. She ensures that all member agencies’ needs continue to be met and provides technical guidance to public agency administrative staff. Heidi trains and oversees the staff that handles participant inquiries. In addition, she helps prepare communication materials for the various types of plans.

Dennis Yu, MBA, CEBS  
Vice President
(800) 540-6369, ext. 104