# Northbridge Retirement Board

Northbridge Retirement Board is a Pension Fund based in Whitinsville, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Whitinsville, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Whitinsville, MA, United States
- **Assets under management:** <$100M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** www.northbridgemass.org

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Northbridge Retirement Board, overseen by a three-member board plus an ex-officio town accountant, administers retirement assets for municipal employees of Northbridge, Massachusetts. Chairperson Sharon Susienka, Vice Chair Scott McGrath, and Appointed Member Thomas S. Frieswyk govern the fund, with Executive Director Caitlin Leahey handling day-to-day administration. The board operates under the regulatory umbrella of the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), the standard oversight body for Massachusetts contributory systems. Like many Bay State local pensions, Northbridge allocates significant capital via Massachusetts' Pension Reserves Investment Trust (PRIT), a pooled vehicle that provides diversified exposure to global equities, fixed income, real estate, private equity, and timberland. Direct strategy tags indicate a narrow focus on buyout, natural resources, and timber investments alongside the PRIT core holdings. Geographic exposure spans US and global markets through PRIT's commingled structures. With an Altss-estimated AUM under $100M, the board operates at the smaller end of Massachusetts' 102 contributory retirement systems. The fund maintains membership in the Massachusetts Association of Contributory Retirement Systems (MACRS), the primary industry and advocacy group for the state's municipal pensions. No dedicated investment staff beyond the board and administrator are publicly identified. The board's structural architecture is defined by its embeddedness in Massachusetts' layered public-pension framework — local governance via elected and appointed town officials, asset management largely delegated to PRIT, and regulatory compliance enforced by PERAC. This model separates fiduciary oversight from day-to-day money management, a hallmark of the commonwealth's approach to sub-scale municipal plans.

## Sectors

- Buyout
- Natural Resources
- Timber

## People

- Caitlin Leahey — Executive Director / Board Administrator
- Sharon Susienka — Chairperson
- Scott McGrath — Vice Chair and Elected Member
- Sharon Emerick — Ex-Officio Member, Town Accountant
- George Murray — Elected Member
- Thomas S. Frieswyk — Appointed Member

## Questions

### How does the Northbridge Retirement Board invest its assets?

The board invests primarily through the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Trust (PRIT) Fund, a pooled vehicle that provides diversified exposure across global equities, fixed income, real estate, private equity, and timberland. Targeted allocations also include buyout strategies and natural resources, per the board's stated strategy tags.

### What oversight governs the Northbridge Retirement Board?

The Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) provides regulatory oversight for the retirement system, a standard arrangement for Massachusetts' 102 contributory retirement boards. This includes compliance monitoring, actuarial reporting, and fiduciary governance standards.

### Who serves on the Northbridge Retirement Board?

The board includes Chairperson Sharon Susienka, Vice Chair and Elected Member Scott McGrath, Appointed Member Thomas S. Frieswyk, Elected Member George Murray, and Ex-Officio Member and Town Accountant Sharon Emerick. Executive Director Caitlin Leahey administers board operations.

### Is the Northbridge Retirement Board's AUM publicly disclosed?

The board does not publicly disclose a precise AUM figure. Altss estimates the fund at roughly $52 million based on available municipal pension data and peer benchmarking, placing it among the smaller Massachusetts contributory retirement systems.

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- [Hospice of Cincinnati](https://altss.com/profile/hospice-of-cincinnati)
- [Northern State University Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/northern-state-university-foundation)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/northbridge-retirement-board

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