# City of Austin Employees' Retirement System

City of Austin Employees' Retirement System is a Pension Fund based in Austin, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Austin, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded:** 1941
- **Assets under management:** $4B (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** www.coaers.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/coaers-city-of-austin-employees-retirement-system

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The City of Austin Employees' Retirement System was established in 1941 to provide retirement, disability, and death benefits for municipal workers. Executive Director Christopher Hanson leads the plan alongside CIO David Kushner, with plan sponsorship and contributions flowing from the City of Austin itself. The board is chaired by the City's own CFO, Ed Van Eenoo, a governance structure that closely ties the retirement system to the fiscal health of the municipality it serves. The fund deploys capital across a mix of traditional and alternative assets. Observable allocations include global infrastructure through IFM Global Infrastructure, US commercial property via Principal US Property, and a gold futures strategy managed by NISA. COAERS serves over 20,000 active members, retirees, and surviving beneficiaries. The internal investment team includes Deputy CIO David Stafford, operating from the fund's Austin headquarters. The fund participates in several public-pension peer networks, including the Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems and the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, which function as information-sharing and advocacy channels for plan governance and investment practices. Unlike many public plans that outsource the majority of their investment decisions, COAERS maintains an in-house investment staff under Kushner while directly engaging with external managers for specialized exposures. The dual reporting line — with the Executive Director running operations and the CIO running the portfolio, both answering to a board chaired by the City's CFO — creates a check-and-balance architecture that embeds municipal fiscal oversight into the investment function.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Infrastructure
- Hedge Funds

## People

- Christopher Hanson — Executive Director
- David Kushner — Chief Investment Officer
- Ed Van Eenoo — Board Chair
- David Stafford — Deputy Chief Investment Officer

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at COAERS?

Chief Investment Officer David Kushner leads the investment program. He is supported by Deputy CIO David Stafford. The board is chaired by Ed Van Eenoo, who also serves as the City of Austin's Chief Financial Officer, creating a direct line between the plan sponsor's fiscal management and the pension fund's oversight.

### How large is the City of Austin Employees' Retirement System?

COAERS does not publicly disclose real-time assets under management. Altss estimates the fund manages approximately $4 billion, based on configuration and peer analysis of similarly situated Texas municipal plans. The fund serves over 20,000 active members, retirees, and beneficiaries.

### Is COAERS a state or municipal pension plan?

COAERS is a municipal defined-benefit plan, established in 1941, serving employees of the City of Austin. It is not part of the Texas statewide retirement systems. The City of Austin is the plan sponsor and primary contributing employer.

### How is COAERS governed?

Governance rests with a board chaired by Ed Van Eenoo, the Chief Financial Officer of the City of Austin. The executive director, Christopher Hanson, manages administration, while CIO David Kushner directs investments. The plan participates in industry associations including TEXPERS, NCPERS, and NASRA for policy and fiduciary guidance.

## Related profiles

- [Abbott Laboratories](https://altss.com/profile/abbott-laboratories)
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Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/city-of-austin-employees-retirement-system

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology