Board of Trustees Election

As a member of OPERS, you have a voice in decisions and policies affecting your retirement benefits. Every member is part of a specific group with representation on the Board of Trustees.

The Board is ultimately responsible for all administration and management of OPERS including setting retirement system policies, approving the overall investment plan and asset allocation strategy, reviewing and approving budgets and acting as fiduciaries of the System.

Elected Representatives

The OPERS Board is comprised of 11 trustees — seven individuals are elected by the specific group each represents. The seven elected positions on the OPERS Board of Trustees are designated for election on a staggered basis, ensuring experience and organizational knowledge is stable from year to year. Three individuals with investment expertise are appointed by Ohio’s Governor, Treasurer and jointly by the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and the President of the Ohio Senate. The Director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services also serves on the Board of Trustees by virtue of office.

2025 Board of Trustees Election

The nomination process closed on Monday, August 4, at 4:30 p.m. EDT.

The three seats up for election in 2025 include one representative for each of the following groups:

County Employees – Representing approximately 86,000 members working at a county job within the state of Ohio..

View a complete list of OPERS County employers (PDF opens in new tab)

Miscellaneous Employees – Representing approximately 46,400 members not included in one of the other groups, employers such as: park districts, conservancy districts, sanitary districts, health districts, townships, metropolitan housing authorities, state retirement systems, public libraries, county law libraries, union cemeteries, joint hospitals, or institutional commissaries within the state of Ohio.

View a complete list of OPERS Miscellaneous employers (PDF opens in new tab)

Retirees – One of two seats representing approximately 188,600 age and service, disability, and defined contribution (DC) plan retirees. This group includes re-employed retirees.

View a searchable list of all OPERS employers

Voting

Voting materials will be mailed on August 26, 2025 for all contested elections. All votes must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, October 3, 2025. The final results will be certified by the Ohio Secretary of State at the OPERS office on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Every vote counts

Members of the OPERS Board of Trustees are elected to four-year terms. While elected by a specific group, all members of the Board of Trustees have a fiduciary duty to act SOLELY in the interest of ALL MEMBERS of the system, not just those that elected them. It’s important that you participate in the selection of a member from your group. The member elected will help guide OPERS over the next four years and ensure those fiduciary obligations are met.