The National Tax-Deferred Savings Association (NTSA) kicked off its summit on Feb. 26 in Tampa with a presentation by Immediate Past President Christopher Zingaro, hitting hard on the conference’s “Step Up” theme and imploring members to volunteer and get involved. “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps. We must step up the stairs,”said Zingaro.
Focusing on the organization’s growth, Zingaro noted last year’s request to have every member bring someone new. He noted that while not quite reaching that goal, he nonetheless was pleased with the attendance.
NTSA 2023 President Lisa Stubbs noted that while Zingaro focused on growth, she would target better engagement with current members and mentioned the three Gs—gather, grow, and go.
“The first step is to gather information, then grow engagement and membership and finally go forward,” Stubbs explained.
She also mentioned NTSA’s important work, noting:
- It’s the only industry association focusing on the k through 14 (two years of community college) 403(b) education market.
- It established the 403(b) professional designation, the Certified Retirement Education Specialist (CRES), with ongoing training and resources.
- It provides state and national-level advocacy on the issues important to its members.
- It provides access to educational webcasts, industry statistics, white papers, and articles relevant to the 403(b) market.
- Networking opportunities with industry professionals.
- NTSA leadership comes from industry volunteers.
NTSA Executive Director Nathan Glassey mentioned the almost 2,000 bills across the country that the organization has already reviewed in 2023, just two months into the year.
“A lot is going on,” Glassey emphasized. Of those, 382 bills are active, NTSA has prioritized 110, and 46 have been enacted.
Glassey also made a pitch for volunteers and the numerous ways to get involved, including:
- Sitting on awards committees
- The conference steering committee
- Membership engagement committee
- Professional education committee
- Research (business intelligence) committee
- CRES designation
Noting the significant number of provisions in the recently passed SECURE 2.0, he then called American Retirement Association CEO Brian Graff and Director of Federal & State Legislative Affairs Andrew Remo to the stage to explain their impact on the space.
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