Richard Shafer (Madison)
- Madison US-WI
College Sports, Vegetable Gardening
Richard Shafer, a Fellow of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists, has achieved several accomplishments over the course of his career in the financial services industry. Currently, Richard Shafer leads a retirement plan advisory firm which works with large and small independent educational organizations nationwide. After beginning his career as an Advisory Officer with TIAA-CREF in New York City, Richard Shafer worked with some of the biggest educational institutions in New England, handling up to $200 million in asset transfers. Shafer eventually gained a promotion to Second Vice President and Regional Manager, a role in which he aided in turning around an underperforming West Coast region. In addition, he supervised the daily work of 20 employees. Continuing to impress his superiors, Shafer became the Far West Regional Vice President for TIAA-CREF. Notably, he spearheaded an initiative that eventually resulted in the creation of 403BCompare.com, an award-winning resource containing information about vendors of 403(b) plans. Richard Shafer drew on the experience and skills he acquired at TIAA-CREF to become Senior Manager and Director of Retirement Plan Solutions at Madison, Wisconsin-based CUNA Mutual Group. Among other efforts, he aided in achieving a plan retention rate of 98 percent and a "very satisfied" satisfaction rate of 92 percent. In addition, Shafer assisted the company in securing a customer rank that was the best in the country in 2008. Richard Shafer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University, and he completed the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A Certified Association Executive, he enjoys growing vegetables and watching college sports in his spare time.