Each year on the first Friday in March, organizations across the country observe National Employee Appreciation Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the people whose daily work keeps organizations, communities, and essential services running. For TEXPERS, this day carries special meaning. Our association exists because of the commitment of individuals who dedicate their careers to public service and to the stewardship of retirement systems that protect the financial security of public employees across Texas. From pension system administrators and trustees to the professional partners who support them, the work our members do helps ensure that promises made to public workers remain secure.

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented demand for electricity, prompting major technology companies to pursue new energy strategies, including nuclear power development and dedicated data center generation capacity. An upcoming Broadband Breakfast webinar, AI, Nuclear Power and Data Centers (Feb. 18 at Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT), will explore how hyperscale technology firms are reshaping energy markets and investment dynamics in infrastructure. Recent developments include Microsoft’s agreement to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear facility, Google’s partnerships with small modular reactor developers, and Amazon’s investments in nuclear technologies to support future AI infrastructure.

For Texas public pension trustees and administrators, 2025 felt like a long-awaited thaw. Dealmaking picked up. IPO markets reopened. Exit values climbed. On the surface, private equity looked healthier than it had in years. But the newest Global Private Markets Report 2026: Private equity — Clearer view, tougher terrain, released Feb. 10 by McKinsey & Co., offers a more nuanced signal. The fog may have lifted, the authors write, but the terrain ahead is more technical and demanding for both general partners and limited partners.

State governments across the U.S. are racing to attract large-scale data center projects fueled by cloud computing and artificial intelligence; however, a new analysis suggests that the long-term fiscal trade-offs could significantly impact state and local budgets. While the report does not directly address public employee retirement systems, its findings raise questions that are increasingly relevant for pension trustees and administrators, particularly regarding tax policy, infrastructure costs, and long-term fiscal sustainability.

At first glance, federal broadband policy may seem far removed from the day-to-day responsibilities of public employee retirement system trustees and administrators. But recent developments reported by Broadband Breakfast suggest changes that could have meaningful economic implications for Texas communities — and, indirectly, for the public pension systems that serve them.

Texas public employee pension systems will face clearer timelines and applicability rules for required investment reviews under updated guidance approved by state regulators in December, a move aimed at strengthening investment oversight and compliance planning.

Artificial intelligence adoption is often discussed in abstract terms. Pilot programs. Vendor demos. Strategic roadmaps that never quite leave the page. But a recent report from JPMorgan Chase, highlighted by VentureBeat, offers a more grounded example of what large-scale AI use can look like when governance, infrastructure, and organizational trust are aligned. According to the report, roughly half of JPMorgan’s workforce now uses internal AI tools. Not because they were mandated to do so, but because the tools were built to connect directly to real workflows, data, and decision-making needs. For public employee retirement systems, the lesson is less about copying a bank’s technology stack and more about understanding the governance conditions that make adoption possible and sustainable.

Managing a public pension system is a long-term commitment built on trust and transparency. Trustees and administrators are tasked with navigating market uncertainty, fiscal pressure, and public accountability while ensuring that retirement benefits remain secure for both active and retired public employees.

Cybersecurity threats are no longer confined to IT departments or large corporations. They are increasingly a governance and fiduciary issue, especially for public employee retirement systems that rely on a wide network of employers, vendors, and service providers.

The beginning of a new year is a good time to pause. Not to overhaul everything, but to reflect on what matters most and where renewed focus can make a real difference. For public employee pension trustees and administrators, New Year’s resolutions are less about personal ambition and more about responsibility, consistency, and trust.

In this episode of the TEXPERS Deep Dive Podcast, we take a look back at Pensionomics 2025, a national research report released in January 2025 by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS), which examines the economic impact of defined benefit pension spending.

The holiday season is here, and so is the annual question: What do you get for the people who safeguard retirement security for millions of public employees? Trustees, administrators, investment professionals, actuaries, and financial partners spend their days navigating market volatility, fulfilling governance responsibilities, and planning for the long term. A thoughtful gift can show appreciation for the vital work they do.

Public employee pension systems are beginning to explore how artificial intelligence can enhance their ability to communicate more effectively with the people they serve. While many AI tools were initially developed for marketing or customer service, the same concepts can also help retirement systems explain complex benefits in clearer and more timely ways.

Investing Without a Map: How Global Pension Funds Are Adopting Dynamic Asset Allocation

Texas public employee retirement systems are operating in one of the most uncertain investment environments in decades, according to a new global survey from the Amundi Investment Institute and CREATE-Research. The report, "Dynamic Asset Allocation on the Rise as Pension Plans Face an Era of Controlled Disorder," released in December 2025, describes today's market landscape as an era of controlled disorder, shaped by heightened volatility, shifting U.S. policy, and structural inflation pressures.

Texas public pension systems are reviewing new federal rules that establish accessibility requirements for websites and mobile apps used by state and local governments. The U.S. Department of Justice finalized the rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure digital services are accessible to people with disabilities.

Public pension funds hold some of the most sensitive information in local government. This includes Social Security numbers, banking details, beneficiary records, and extensive financial histories for active and retired public servants. As geopolitical tensions rise, cyber risks evolve, and regulations shift, organizations across every sector are reassessing the extent of control they truly have over their technology and data environments.

The race to develop artificial general intelligence is no longer just a technology story. It is emerging as a global competition with economic, geopolitical, and systemic implications, precisely the kind of long-horizon risk public pension fiduciaries are expected to monitor. A new RAND Corporation report, A Prisoner’s Dilemma in the Race to Artificial General Intelligence, offers a clear, neutral way to understand what’s driving this race and why it matters.

Trustees and administrators of Texas public employee retirement systems plan for service across decades. A new national study reveals that many Americans are not adopting the same long-term perspective. The inaugural Longevity Preparedness Index highlights significant gaps in people's readiness for extended lifespans. The Index was developed by John Hancock and the MIT AgeLab. Its findings have direct implications for the public employees who rely on defined benefit plans, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, librarians, utility workers, and municipal staff across Texas.

A newly released November 2025 issue brief from the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA), authored by Keith Brainard, NASRA Research Director, and Alex Brown, NASRA Research Manager, provides a detailed overview of employee contributions to public pension plans across the United States. The report, titled "Employee Contributions to Public Pension Plans," outlines national trends, recent reforms, and the increasing use of risk-sharing tools in public retirement systems. 

Research from the Pew Research Center confirms something pension trustees have long understood: how well Americans age is deeply shaped by income, and the gap between older adults’ lived experience and younger adults’ expectations is striking.