Ann Y. Orr has been selected to serve as the acting director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), replacing former director Gordon Hartogensis.
Orr was designated by President Joe Biden after Hartogensis concluded his five-year term on April 30, 2024, the PBGC announced in a release last week.
Orr has extensive experience working with PBGC—first as chief of staff from 2011 to 2019, where she helped manage top agency priorities and provided strategic advice to the director and agency officials. Since June 2021, Orr has worked with the organization as chief policy officer, overseeing the coordination of policy development, research, and legislative affairs, along with agency communications and interactions with PBGC stakeholders. She has also served as liaison to the Board of Directors, White House officials, and Congress.
Aside from her work with the PBGC, Orr was acting director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service from 2019 to 2021. The organization works as a nonpartisan source of information and expertise for presidential candidates and their teams who are preparing for new political leadership and to presidents preparing for a second term.
Previously, Orr served as chief of staff for the National Endowment for the Humanities. She also spent 10 years on Capitol Hill as a professional staff member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Outside of her work in government, Orr was the executive director of two private-sector foundations: the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation and The National Trust for the Humanities. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
As Orr moves into her new role, PBGC’s deputy chief policy officer, Michael Rae, will be performing the duties of chief policy officer.
The PBGC works in protecting the retirement security of over 31 million American workers, retirees, and beneficiaries in both single-employer and multiemployer private sector pension plans.
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Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with over six years of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. Amanda received her degree in journalism and government and politics at St. John’s University. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado with her partner. In her free time, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, and watching the latest drama show.