Employer Update

The Virginia General Assembly recently appointed two new members to the VRS Board of Trustees:

Lawrence Bernert is senior managing director of the Norfolk-based investment advisory firm Clearstead Advisory Solutions. He’s been with the firm since 1995. Bernert has served as a board member and as chairman of the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Foundation, and as trustee of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.

Matthew James is the founder and CEO of MJames Consulting LLC. James has more than 35 years of experience in financial management and oversight, private- and public-sector regulations, and economic development. He has held government leadership positions at the local, regional and state level, including 10 years as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing parts of Hampton Roads.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin reappointed Susan Gooden, Ph.D., who serves as dean and professor of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Gooden joined the board in 2020.

Nine members serve on the VRS Board of Trustees. Their appointment is shared between the executive and legislative branches of state government.