June 16, 2023

The Colorado PERA Board of Trustees today announced that one new Trustee has been elected and two Trustees were reelected to serve on the PERA Board: 

• Eunice Botchway was elected by School Division members 
• Trina Ruhland was re-elected by Local Government Division members 
• Timothy M. O’Brien was re-elected by retired members of the State, Local Government, and Judicial Divisions 

Botchway, a special education teacher at Aurora Public Schools, fills a seat currently held by JB Phillips, who was appointed to the Board in 2022. Botchway was elected to a two-year term. 

Ruhland, a deputy county attorney with the Boulder County Attorney’s Office, was elected to the seat in which she was appointed to in 2022. 

O’Brien, the auditor for the City of Denver, has served on the PERA Board since 2011. 

Both Ruhland and O’Brien will serve four-year terms.  

In addition to these results, Judge Rebecca R. Freyre, of the Colorado Court of Appeals, was the sole candidate for the Judicial Division seat and was reappointed to the PERA Board in March 2023. Judge Freyre will also serve a four-year term. 

By State law, the Colorado General Assembly sets contribution rates and benefit levels and the PERA Board of Trustees has oversight of investments and benefit administration. The Board is composed of 16 Trustees, 11 of whom are elected by the PERA membership, three Governor-appointed Trustees, a non-voting ex officio member elected by the membership from the Denver Public Schools Division, and the State Treasurer who serves as an ex officio voting member of the Board. More information on the Board of Trustees may be found on the PERA website.