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St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Retirement Plan
The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Retirement Plan provides retirement benefits for sworn deputies and staff of the sheriff's office in St.
St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Retirement Plan
The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Retirement Plan provides retirement benefits for sworn deputies and staff of the sheriff's office in St. Mary's County, Maryland. Administered by a board of trustees chaired by County Administrator David Weiskopf, the plan operates as part of the broader county government benefits framework. The board includes the county CFO, two sheriff's office representatives, a citizen trustee, and a plan administrator from human resources — a governance structure that blends administrative oversight with law-enforcement constituency representation. Despite its modest scale — Altss estimates roughly $159 million in total plan assets — the retirement plan's investment approach extends into asset classes that many plans of similar size avoid. Disclosed commitments include the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, providing exposure to toll roads, airports, and utilities across developed markets; Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, a non-traded REIT with mixed-use real estate holdings concentrated in the United States; and Millennium Management, the multi-strategy hedge fund platform. The plan also maintains exposure to buyout strategies and inflation-linked bonds, suggesting a deliberate allocation to real assets and absolute-return strategies alongside traditional fixed income. The plan is governed by a board that includes the County Administrator as chairperson, the Chief Financial Officer, citizen and law enforcement representatives, and the acting Human Resources director as plan administrator. The board sets investment policy and oversees external manager relationships, though day-to-day investment management is outsourced. No dedicated internal investment staff is disclosed, consistent with the plan's small asset base and reliance on consultant or staff support from the broader county finance function. What distinguishes this retirement plan structurally is its governance: it is neither a standalone state-level pension system nor a fully pooled county employee plan. It exists as a dedicated retirement vehicle for a single law-enforcement agency within county government. This carve-out structure gives the sheriff's office workforce a tailored benefit arrangement while centralizing fiduciary oversight under the county administrator and CFO — blending localized representation with centralized financial control, a pattern common in Maryland's county-level public safety pension architecture.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Leonardtown
Corporate office
Leonardtown, MD, United States
Principals
David Weiskopf
County Administrator and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees
Vanetta Van Cleave
Chief Financial Officer and Trustee
John Walter
Citizen Representative and Trustee
Sgt. Christopher Beyer
Sheriff's Office Representative and Trustee
Lt. Joshua Krum
Sheriff's Office Representative and Trustee
Tracy McPherson
Acting Human Resources Director and Plan Administrator
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions for the plan?
The Board of Trustees, chaired by County Administrator David Weiskopf, sets investment policy and approves external manager commitments. The board includes the county CFO, a citizen representative, two sheriff's office deputies, and the plan administrator. Day-to-day portfolio management is outsourced to external investment managers and typically supported by a consultant or county finance staff, given the plan has no dedicated internal investment team.
What does the plan invest in beyond traditional stocks and bonds?
The plan discloses commitments to the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, and Millennium Management. That places it across global infrastructure equity, US commercial real estate via a non-traded REIT, and multi-strategy hedge fund exposure. It also carries buyout fund investments and inflation-linked bonds, indicating an allocation framework that includes private markets, real assets, and absolute-return strategies.
How is this retirement plan different from the broader St. Mary's County employee retirement system?
It is a standalone plan specifically for sheriff's office employees, governed by its own board of trustees rather than being fully pooled with the general county workforce plan. This carve-out structure is typical for public safety personnel in Maryland and allows the plan to tailor benefit provisions and investment policy to a law-enforcement membership base while maintaining oversight through the county administrator and CFO.
What is the plan's current funded status?
The plan's funded ratio is not disclosed in the available public record. Like many municipal public safety pension plans nationally, the plan's health depends on annual county contributions, actuarial assumptions, and investment returns. Stakeholders can typically review the most recent actuarial valuation through the county's comprehensive annual financial report or the plan's separate filing with the state of Maryland.
Does the plan use a consultant for investment decisions?
Public records do not identify a named investment consultant for this plan. As a small municipal pension fund with an estimated $159 million and no dedicated internal investment staff, it is typical practice to retain an external advisor or lean on the county's finance department for manager recommendations, performance monitoring, and asset allocation studies.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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