Montpelier, VT - Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak today announced the hiring of Rebecca (“Becky”) Wasserman of Burlington as the first Executive Director of Vermont’s new public retirement-savings program, Vermont Saves. Vermont Saves is an automatic enrollment Roth IRA savings vehicle for employees who do not currently have access to a workplace savings plan.
“I am so glad to welcome Becky to the Treasurer’s Office team. We could not have hoped for a more highly qualified and well-respected director to get Vermont Saves off the ground,” said Treasurer Pieciak. “She brings a wealth of experience from the private sector financial services industry as a financial regulatory attorney and served for more than a decade as an attorney for the Vermont Legislative Counsel.” Ms. Wasserman is also the founder of a nonprofit serving asylum seekers in Vermont.
Ms. Wasserman will work with partners across state government and the business community to ensure the Vermont Saves program launches in 2024 or early 2025. “I am excited to work with Treasurer Pieciak and his team on an initiative that will have a statewide impact and bring needed financial security to many Vermont families,” said Ms. Wasserman. Early estimates indicate that the program, once fully implemented, will serve as many as 88,000 Vermonters. Other states established similar programs in recent years, and assets in those plans already exceed $1 billion.
Treasurer Pieciak and Ms. Wasserman, together with partners from the business community, AARP, and others, will travel the state to ensure all eligible employers and employees are fully prepared to participate in the program when it launches. Treasurer Pieciak’s presentation to the legislature contains additional information about the Vermont Saves program.
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