After 18-month delay, Nebraska retirement board identifies new executive director candidate

LINCOLN — A year-and-a-half after John Murante left his post as director of Nebraska’s Public Employees Retirement System, the board is poised to recommend his potential replacement.

Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Board Chair Janis Elliott confirmed in an email to the Examiner that the board has selected Thomas Pfeifle as its candidate to serve as the new executive director. Elliott said members are set to approve the terms of his employment at their next meeting June 15, and from there Pfeifle needs the approval of Gov. Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Legislature to finalize the appointment.

Pillen spokeswoman Laura Strimple said the governor intends to concur with the board’s recommendation for Pfeifle’s appointment.

Not much information is publicly available about Pfeifle. Elliott did not respond to requests for an interview about the search process. Murante said Pfeifle is from Colorado, and has a background working with pensions.

According to the minutes of the board’s April 20 meeting, members interviewed three candidates who were selected as finalists for NPERS director. In addition to Pfeifle, the board interviewed Rachel Biar and Martin Noven.

When he departed NPERS in December 2024, Murante said he recommended his deputy director, Tyler Cummings, to replace him. He said he thought Cummings would be a good fit, since he’d spent more time working in the agency than Murante. Murante held the director position for just over a year, while Cummings had worked for NPERS since 2019.

Cummings said he went through the interview process, and was recommended by the board to replace Murante, but Pillen rejected his appointment. He said he was never given a reason for the rejection.

The decision contributed to the departure of former board member Allen Simpson in April 2025, who told the Examiner he felt like if the governor didn’t approve the committee’s pick, he shouldn’t stay on.

“They’re not going to get a better candidate than Tyler Cummings,” Simpson said.

At the time, Strimple said the governor hadn’t rejected any candidates, and that state law requires the board to “work with the governor” in selecting a director.

Last week, Strimple said Pillen’s rejection of Cummings was rooted in a “historic effort” by state lawmakers in 2023 to reject the appointment of Nebraska State Education Association lobbyist Jason Hayes to lead NPERS.

In a similar series of events, the NPERS governing board and Pillen approved Hayes’ appointment. Even the Legislature initially approved the recommendation, but a week later a push from State Sens. Danielle Conrad and Lou Ann Linehan convinced lawmakers to rescind the approval.

Strimple said the Legislature’s concerns about Hayes were related to his lack of experience working with large-scale pensions and managing employees. Based on those previous concerns, she said Pillen rejected Cummings’ recommendation.

Following the rejection, Cummings continued working at NPERS for more than a year, and effectively served as the interim executive director in Murante’s absence. Cummings said he was not involved in the search for a permanent director.

Cummings left NPERS in April of this year because he said he received an opportunity to work with the city of Lincoln on its pension plans for police and firefighters.

“It was just an opportunity to continue working in the public retirement sector, especially here for the first responders in Lincoln,” Cummings said.

Pfeifle is already listed as NPERS’ executive director on the agency’s website. Elliott said Pfeifle agreed to work for NPERS until his appointment is finalized.