< 25 Top Pension Power Players

25. Randi Weingarten
President, American
Federation of Teachers
Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, is among the most impassioned leaders fighting for defined benefit pension plans. Representing 1.6 million teachers nationwide, the 59-year-old has a big budget and considerable political power behind her, but she’s got good reason for concern: There’s no doubt that she and the teachers she serves will lose influence under Republican President Donald Trump. Since Trump nominated charter school advocate Betsy DeVos (No. 3) to head the Department of Education, Weingarten has been using her bully pulpit to slam DeVos on her charter record and her support for the restructuring of government pensions in Michigan. Weingarten continues to battle hedge funds that manage teachers’ pension investments, calling for institutional investors to shun managers with high costs and those who work against issues important to teachers. — Julie Segal
The 2017 Pension Political Power 25
![]() Secretary of Labor ![]() Governor of Illinois ![]() Secretary of Education ![]() Founders, Laura and John Arnold Foundation ![]() Secretary of the Treasury |
![]() Secretary of Commerce ![]() California Chief Justice ![]() Speaker of the House ![]() Founder, SkyBridge Capital ![]() California State Senator and President Pro Tempore |
![]() Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security ![]() President, New Jersey State Senate ![]() Governor of California ![]() Co-founder, Avenue Strategies ![]() President, Elliott Management Corp. |
![]() Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce ![]() U.S. Senator ![]() Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen ![]() Governor of Wisconsin ![]() President, AFL-CIO |
![]() Mayor of Dallas ![]() U.S. Senator ![]() Partner, Davis & Harman ![]() U.S. Senator ![]() President, American Federation of Teachers |
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