Catherine E. Walker, Assistant Chief Executive Officer

Catherine Walker has been serving the Alameda County Employees' Retirement Association (ACERA) since 1996 where she began her tenure as Chief Financial Officer, and was elevated to the position of Assistant Chief Executive Officer in 2005. From May 2010 to July 2011, Ms. Walker served as Acting Chief Executive Officer of ACERA.

Ms. Walker has focused on matters that shape the success of ACERA, its Board of Retirement, and the members they serve, as well as the public pension industry on a larger scale. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing policies, improving the standards of financial reporting, budgets, and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), ensuring accuracy and reliability. Ms. Walker also works closely with executive management, directing day-to-day operations as well as interacting with department heads of ACERA’s seven Participating Employer Organizations.

Prior to joining ACERA, Ms. Walker worked for CPA firms where she managed and participated in the audits of numerous pension plans of large public and private companies. She began her career with KPMG where she earned a highly esteemed Quality Service Award.

Ms. Walker is a California Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting with Distinction from California State University Sonoma.

In addition, she has completed the following courses and certifications.

• Pension Funds & Money Management Program
  Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania

• Program on Negotiations for Senior Executives
  Harvard School of Law

• Investment Management Process
  Callan College San Francisco, CA

• GASB Certificate of Recognition for early implementation of GASB 34

• Public Plan Policy Employee Pension (CAPPP)
  International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans (IFEBP) (IFEBP)

• Evaluation Internal Controls
  Governmental Financial Officers Association (GFOA)

She is currently a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CALCPA), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Committee on Retirement and Benefits Administration (CORBA), State Association of County Retirement Systems (SACRS), Governmental Financial Officers Association (GFOA), and serves as the Board Chair for Governmental Financial Officers Association Black Caucus (GFOA).