CCCERA Retirement Board Trustees

Board of Trustees

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION

Retirement Board Roster 2011-2012

Trustee	Term Expires	Appointed/Elected By
Maria Theresa Viramontes	June 30, 2013	Board of Supervisors
Brian Hast	June 30, 2013	General Members
John B. Phillips	June 30, 2014	Board of Supervisors
Richard Cabral	June 30, 2014	General Members
John Gioia	June 30, 2014	Board of Supervisors
Terry Buck	June 30, 2014	Safety Members
Russell V. Watts, County Treasurer	Permanent by Office
Jerry Telles	June 20, 2013	Retirees
Debora Allen	June 30, 2014	Board of Supervisors
Jerry R. Holcombe (Alternate)	June 30, 2014	Board of Supervisors
Sharon Naramore (Retiree Alternate)	June 30, 2013	Retirees
Vacant (Safety Alternate)		Safety Members

Board Member Biographies


Maria Theresa Viramontes Maria Theresa Viramontes is Chairperson for the Board of Retirement. A General Member representative, she has served on the Richmond City Council, Housing Authority, and Redevelopment Agency. Since 1999, she has served in several capacities on the First 5 Children and Families Commission in addition to her role as a former Chairperson. She is the initial Executive Director of the Richmond Children's Foundation. Her public service career includes the Contra Costa Community College Board of Trustees, over 9 years in the State Legislature as Chief of Staff for then State Assembly member Bob Campbell, City of Richmond Planning Commission, and the East Bay Regional Park District Foundation Board. She was the United States Department of Justice Representative for a presentation before the United Nations of collaborative efforts to reduce crime by regionally engaging citizens and public agencies. Her community awards include Mexican American of The Year, California State Legislature Resolution for Public Service of 15 years, and Peacemaker of the Year.
Brian Hast Brian Hast is a General Member representative for CCCERA, who is currently Vice-Chairperson. He has served as a trustee since 1998. He has been employed by Contra Costa County as a Deputy District Attorney since 1984. After graduating from the University of California Hastings College of Law in 1981, Mr. Hast worked for Peat Marwick, Mitchell & Co., and Merrill Lynch in tax and financial planning positions. Prior to attending law school, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business and an MBA in Corporate Finance from California State University at Hayward.
John B. Phillips John B. Phillips has had two private sector careers, retiring as a regional managing partner with the firm now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1997, and as the CEO of a health insurance company, California CPA ProtectPlus, in 2006. He is both a pension actuary and a CPA and now provides consulting services out of his own practice. He earned both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and he served on the 2008/2009 Contra Costa Grand Jury. He has also served on the Boards of a variety of for-profit, not-for-profit and professional organizations. Mr. Phillips is Board Secretary for 2011-2012.
Russell V. Watts, County Treasurer Rusty was elected Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector in June 2010. He serves as ex officio member on the Retirement Board, representing the County at large. He also serves on the County’s Debt Advisory Committee and the OPEB Trust Advisory Group, and is the Plan Administrator for the Public Agencies Post-Retirement Health Care Plan Trust. Rusty is also a member of the California Association of County Treasurer-Tax Collectors and serves on the association’s Legislative Committee. He received his B.A. from Brigham Young University and earned his Masters in Public Administration at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He has worked in tax administration and treasury management since 1994.
Richard Cabral Richard Cabral is a General Member representative for CCCERA. He has served on the retirement board since 1978. Mr. Cabral's public service also includes terms as President of AFSCME Local 512 (1991-Present), and SEIU Local 535 Contra Costa Chapter (1977-1979). He is a Director of the Council of Institutional Investors, serving as Treasurer, 1994-1995. He is a former trustee of 1st Choice Health Plan, serving as Chairperson of the Investment Committee, 1992-1994.
John Gioia John Gioia is a member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. He was elected in June 1998 and re-elected in 2002. He represents the communities of El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Kensington, Montalvin Manor, North Richmond, East Richmond Heights and Rollingwood. Mr. Gioia serves on numerous regional and county boards and commissions including the Association of Bay Area Governments Executive Board, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and CCCERA. He also served on the East Bay Municipal Utility District Board of Directors, 1989-1998, serving as President in 1995-1996. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at U.C. Berkeley.
Jerry Telles Jerry Telles is a Retiree Member representative for CCCERA. He retired in 1999 as a supervisor for the Contra Costa County Probation Department with 30 years of service. He received his B.A. from California State University, Hayward, and completed post graduate work at John F. Kennedy University. He is an active member of the Retiree Support Group of Contra Costa County and Secretary of Retiree Local 142, AFSCME. He is a past President of the Martinez Education Foundation. In addition, Mr. Telles served on the Martinez Bocce Ball Federation and the Student and Attendance Review Board of the Martinez Unified School District.
Terry Buck Terry Buck is the Safety member representative for CCCERA. He has been a Safety Member for 25 years. Mr. Buck is currently a Fire Captain with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. Prior to being elected a CCCERA board trustee, Mr. Buck was Local 1230's liaision to the Retirement Board. Mr. Buck has also been active in local school and youth activities.
Debora Allen
Sharon Naramore Sharon Naramore currently serves as a Retiree Member representative (alternate) for CCCERA. Previously Ms. Naramore served as a General Member representative, 1993-1998. She retired from the Contra Costa County Library with 34 years of service. She was a founding delegate and Captain of the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA), served as President of AFSCME 2700, and was Vice-President for Retired Employees of Contra Costa (RECC). She is an active member in the Retiree Support Group (RSG).
Jerry R. Holcombe Jerry Holcombe has extensive experience in the private sector, retiring as a Senior Vice President of Delta Dental of California in 2005 after a 32-year career. Following his retirement, he served two terms on the Contra Costa County Grand Jury, acting as its foreperson during the 2007-2008 term. He is a life-long resident of Contra Costa County and a 1969 graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. In later years, when his daughter was enrolled at Cal Poly, he was a member and served as the chairperson of the university’s Parent Advisory Council.