The ERISA Industry CommitteeBelow you will find a link to a one-page description about ERIC and biographical summaries of ERIC’s policy staff.
Mark Ugoretz has been President and CEO of The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) since 1983 and has responsibility for the association's legislative, regulatory, and educational mission. ERIC is a Washington-based association representing exclusively the employee benefits interests of America's largest employers.
Prior to joining ERIC, Mr. Ugoretz managed the nationwide state legislative and regulatory interests of the Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Association. Mr. Ugoretz also served as Chief of Staff to the late U.S. Representative Dominick V. Daniels of New Jersey, who was responsible for landmark legislation on employment training, worker safety, civil service retirement, and employment security and retirement legislation. Prior to his tenure on Capitol Hill, Mr. Ugoretz was an attorney/advisor to the Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board.
Mr. Ugoretz is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin where he also did graduate work in industrial relations.
Kathryn Ricard has been Senior Vice President, Retirement Policy at The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) since 2008 and has overall responsibility for developing retirement policy on behalf of ERIC’s members – America’s major employers. Ms. Ricard has over 20 years experience in retirement policy advocacy, including both regulatory and legislative issues.
Prior to joining ERIC, Ms. Ricard operated a consulting firm focusing on retirement security and compliance issues. Ms. Ricard served as the Vice President – Retirement Security for the American Council of Life Insurers where she developed retirement policy issues on behalf of the life insurance industry. In addition, Ms. Ricard also served as Assistant Council for the Investment Company Institute working on retirement policy issues for the mutual fund industry.
Prior to her work at various trade associations focusing on retirement policy issues, Ms. Ricard also worked at the Groom Law Group, a boutique law firm focused on benefits issues as well as at the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). After graduation from college with a degree in accounting, Ms. Ricard worked as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Ms. Ricard is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, and received her undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Virginia. Ms. Ricard is a lawyer and a CPA.
Gretchen Young is the Senior Vice President, Health Policy, for the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC). She works in Washington, D.C., where her primary responsibilities include working as a registered Congressional lobbyist on federal health issues and monitoring the work of Congress and the executive agencies with respect to health benefits.
Her primary focus over the past two years has been the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the accompanying regulations. She also has devoted considerable time and attention to employer wellness programs and the threats to them posed by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Prior to her work at ERIC, Ms.Young covered both retirement and health issues for several large consulting firms. She has worked for over 25 years in the employee benefits field, including stints at three federal agencies that regulate ERISA plans - IRS, PBGC, and DOL.
Washington, District of Columbia
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