Board Members
Annie Chao
President; Elected by Active Members
Current Term: 07/01/2019 – 06/30/2024
Investment Committee
Annie Chao was elected to the Board of Administration by active LACERS Members in 2016 to complete the unexpired term ending June 30, 2018. She was again elected by the active LACERS Members in 2019 to complete a 5-year term ending June 30, 2024.
Ms. Chao is an Investment Officer for Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions, one of the City’s other pension plans. In her current role, she is the Head of Real Estate and has overseen public equities, bonds, commodities, hedge funds, and performance evaluation.
Sung Won Sohn
Vice President; Appointed by the Mayor
Current Term: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2026
Benefits Administration Committee; Governance Committee
Sung Won Sohn was reappointed to the Board by Mayor Eric Garcetti for the term ending June 30, 2026. He was originally appointed by Mayor Garcetti on November 18, 2015.
Dr. Sohn is a Professor of Finance and Economics at Loyola-Marymount University. He is also president of SS Economics, an economic consulting firm focused on the U.S. economy, international trade in the pacific-rim and technology including AI. Dr. Sohn was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hanmi Financial Corporation, a commercial bank in Los Angeles, California. Before joining Hanmi in 2005, Dr. Sohn was an Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at Wells Fargo Banks. He was also Vice Chairman of the Board at a retailer Forever 21. Dr. Sohn also serves as a Commissioner for LACERS (Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System) which manages $22 billion in assets. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Western Alliance Bancorporation, and National Association of Corporate Directors PSW Emeritus. He is a trustee emeritus at Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Sohn is an internationally-known economist.
Thuy T. Huynh
Commissioner; Appointed by the Mayor
Current Term: 08/05/2022 - 06/30/27
Audit Committee, Chair; Benefits Administration Committee
Thuy Huynh currently serves as a Senior Associate Director and Chief of Staff at UCLA where she has worked for over a decade to advance the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by implementing policies and programs to close educational equity gaps among underrepresented and low-income communities. Ms. Huynh is an advocate for inclusive admissions policies and the development of robust university and UC system-wide outreach and retention initiatives to increase the representation of first-generation college students. Ms. Huynh has also worked at the UC system-wide level to advocate for policy and fiscal priorities that support the system’s basic needs and food security services administered at its ten campuses. Ms. Huynh was a key advisor in UCLA’s adoption and implementation of the Diversity Requirement in the College of Letters and Science.
Elizabeth Lee
Commissioner; Elected by Active Members
Current Term: 07/01/2023 - 06/30/2028
Audit Committee; Investments Committee, Chair
Elizabeth Lee was elected to the Board by Active LACERS Members in 2018 for the term ending June 30, 2023. She was again elected by the Active LACERS Members in 2023 to complete a 5-year term ending June 30, 2028.
Elizabeth Lee has held a number of positions at the City of Los Angeles where she deepened her commitment to public service, fellow employees, and the City. She is a Finance Specialist at the Office of the City Administrative Officer (CAO), Revenue Group. At the City Controller, Financial Analysis and Reporting Division, she led the preparation of the City’s Single Audit and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and managed the Open Data, debt, revenue, and other reporting programs.
Gaylord “Rusty” Roten
Commissioner; Appointed by the Mayor
Current Term: 06/28/2023 - 06/30/2025
Investment Committee
Gaylord “Rusty” Roten has been a member of IBEW Local 11 since 1980 and currently serves as the Union President for the chapter. Mr. Roten has been elected to several other offices. He serves on the IBEW Local 11 Pension Trust, which serves over 12,000 members. Mr. Roten is also a delegate to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the L.A./O.C. Building Trades Council.
In the past, Mr. Roten was a delegate on the South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB) for many years and served on the Executive Board for the SBWIB for three years. He has also been a pension (Labor side) trustee for 22 years and has served on the C.O.C. (Citizens Oversight Committee) for the Centinela Valley School District for four years.
Mr. Roten has been married for 35 years and has three adult children. He has lived in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles for 31 years. Mr. Roten’s education level includes some college and completion of a 4-year Journeymen Wireman Apprenticeship program. He has attended various training classes on labor law, union management, history, and bookkeeping, among others.
Janna Sidley
Commissioner; Appointed by the Mayor
Current Term: 08/05/2022 - 06/30/24
Audit Committee; Governance Committee, Chair
Recently retired, Janna Sidley was honored to serve as the first female general counsel for the Port of Los Angeles for over nine years. Ms. Sidley’s career with the City of Los Angeles began in 2003.
In addition to Ms. Sidley’s work with LA, she serves as a Commissioner of the California Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, appointed in 2016 by Governor Brown and reappointed by Governor Newsom.
Ms. Sidley was honored in 2020 as a member of Lawyers of Distinction and in 2019 received a Leader in the Law award from the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Ms. Sidley holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Michael R. Wilkinson
Commissioner; Elected by Retired Members
Current Term: 07/01/2020 - 06/30/2025
Governance Committee; Benefits Administration Committee, Chair
Michael R. Wilkinson was elected to the Board of Administration by retired LACERS Members in 2013, filling the vacant seat resulting from Commissioner Ken Spiker’s resignation. He was re-elected to the Board for a new term, beginning July 1, 2015 ending June 30, 2020. He was again elected by the retired LACERS members in 2020 to complete a 5-year term ending June 30, 2025.
Mr. Wilkinson started with the City as News Secretary to City Attorney Burt Pines and later served as a Deputy City Attorney in the Special Operation Division as a Housing Enforcement Deputy prosecuting slumlords.