Gregory W. Smith

General Counsel
Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association

Gregory W. Smith joined the Public Employees' Retirement Association of Colorado (Colorado PERA) as General Counsel in February 2002. As General Counsel, Mr. Smith is responsible for protecting the fiduciary interests of the nation's 23rd largest pension plan with $29 billion in assets and serving more than 430,000 members and benefit recipients. Mr. Smith serves as the Chief Legal Officer with the oversight of all legal issues and activities. In addition, Mr. Smith guides PERA's involvement in corporate governance at a national level, and manages PERA's participation in class action securities litigation including suits where Colorado PERA serves as lead plaintiff, such as, the Royal Ahold N.V. case, in which a $1.1 billion settlement was reached in November 2005. Under Mr. Smith's direction PERA remains involved in many innovative ventures in the pension arena that will keep Colorado PERA in the national forefront. In addition, he serves on the Executive Board for the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys and the Board of Directors for the Council of Institutional Investors. He authored "The Deterioration of Investor Tools and the Resulting Fiduciary Challenges" in the 2008 fall edition of the Journal of Government Financial Management.

Mr. Smith joined Colorado PERA in February 2002 after a distinguished career as an equity partner at Hamilton & Faatz, P.C. While practicing at Hamilton & Faatz, P.C., Mr. Smith held first chair responsibilities in numerous court and jury trials in both the state and federal courts. Mr. Smith's areas of litigation experience include public pension plan representation, commercial, construction, real estate and employment litigation, as well as extensive appellate practice.

Mr. Smith received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver. Mr. Smith has presented and moderated on pension fund related legal matters to a variety of organizations, including the Institutional Investor Educational Foundation, NY, International Corporate Governance Network, National Council on Teacher Retirement, National Association of Public Pension Attorneys, Colorado Retired School Employees Association, Council of Institutional Investors, Government Finance Officers Association, United States Treasury Department, and for the Colorado Association of School Executives.