Nebraska auditor questions pay for absent retirement director

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 18:02 · Archive

Nebraska's state auditor is challenging continued payments to the executive director of the state pension fund who stopped working in September.

Thomas Pfeifle, executive director of the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement System, submitted his resignation on 21 September after roughly three months in the role, saying he wanted to be closer to his children in Colorado. The board approved his resignation at a special meeting on 30 September, setting his last day as 31 October.

Pfeifle has not worked at the NPERS office since 21 September, when he returned his state cellphone, keys, laptop and identification. According to State Auditor Mike Foley's report dated 6 October, he has put in zero hours of work since resigning. Despite this, Pfeifle has continued to receive payment. Foley's emails show that Pfeifle has already been paid roughly $7,800 before deductions for one payroll period, with several more paychecks to come.

Foley estimates that NPERS will pay Pfeifle approximately $23,000 in salary and benefits for roughly five weeks of unperformed work. Pfeifle earned an annual salary of $205,000, equivalent to about $98 per hour. Foley called the situation 'an assault on the taxpayers of Nebraska' and accused the board of 'completely abdicating their fiduciary responsibility to the state, to the employees, to retirees.' His employment ended an 18-month period when NPERS had no executive director following John Murante's resignation in December 2024.

How it is being reported

• Nebraska auditor presses state retirement agency for answers on outgoing director’s payWith no clear answers from the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Board on the continued pay for its seemingly absent executive director, State Auditor Mike Foley said he is growing frustrated.1011Now · 20 Oct, 17:39
• Nebraska auditor presses state retirement agency for answers on outgoing director’s payWith no clear answers from the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Board on the continued pay for its seemingly absent executive director, State Auditor Mike Foley said he is growing frustrated.WOWT · 20 Oct, 17:39

In this story: Thomas Pfeifle · Mike Foley · Nebraska Public Employees Retirement System · Nebraska · Colorado

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