Washington, DC - The Retirement Security Project announced today that J. Mark Iwry, Principal of The Retirement Security Project, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and former Treasury Department official, has been appointed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner as Senior Adviser to the Secretary and Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary for Retirement and Health Policy, effective April 27, 2009.
In this position, newly created on the occasion of Mr. Iwry's return to the Treasury, he will be responsible for policy with respect to pensions, retirement savings, health care, and executive compensation. “Mark is one of the nation's leading tax and retirement policy experts. He will bring to Treasury a great wealth of knowledge, experience, and savvy and I am confident he will play a leading role in bringing about needed changes to the nation's retirement system,” noted William Gale, Director of RSP and Vice President and Director of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution. “I appreciate the Secretary's confidence and am looking forward to joining him and the outstanding team at Treasury,” Iwry said. “I hope the establishment of this new position will help elevate the profile and priority of savings and retirement security within the Federal government.”
In addition to his work with Brookings and the Retirement Security Project, Iwry was also Of Counsel to the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP, and served as Research Professor at Georgetown University. Previously, Iwry was the Benefits Tax Counsel at the U.S. Treasury Department (1995-2001), serving as the principal Executive Branch official directly responsible for tax policy and regulation relating to the nation's tax-qualified pension and 401(k) plans and other employee benefits.
During his previous government service, he developed or co-authored various significant legislative and regulatory reforms to expand coverage, promote saving, and simplify and rationalize the private pension and benefits system. He has advised numerous Senators and Members of Congress, five Presidential campaigns (2008 and 2004), various federal agencies, companies, trade associations, State officials and legislators, foreign government agencies and officials, AARP, think tanks, foundations and other organizations, and has often been invited to testify before Congress as an independent expert (or, in previous years, representing the Treasury and the Executive Branch). Mr. Iwry was previously a partner in the law firm of Covington & Burling, and has chaired the D.C. Bar Employee Benefits Committee, co-authored the book Aging Gracefully with Peter Orszag and William Gale, served on the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform, and was recently named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Finance,” (by Treasury and Risk Magazine) and one of the “100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution,” world (by The 401(k) Wire).
About the Retirement Security Project
The Retirement Security Project is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts in partnership with Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and the Brookings Institution. It is directed by William Gale, also Vice President and Director of Economic Studies and Co-Director of the Tax Policy Center at The Brookings Institution; with Principal, David C. John, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation.