A Message from the Chair

A Message from the Chair is published after each regular meeting of The Church Pension Fund (CPF) Board of Trustees. It reflects actions taken by the CPF Board that impact the products and services administered by CPF, as well as other highlights of the meeting.

Summer 2025

Dear Friends:

Earlier this month, The Church Pension Fund Board of Trustees (CPF Board) met for our summer meeting. It was a full agenda with thoughtful conversations on several topics.

We spent time remembering our dear friend and colleague the Very Rev. Sandye Wilson, who passed away on April 15, 2025. She was first elected to the CPF Board at the 78th General Convention in 2015 and was reelected to a second term in 2022. During the past ten years, she held a variety of positions on the board, most recently serving as a Vice Chair. She played a pivotal role in leading our regular discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as we continued the work that is so vital to the board’s effectiveness. She constantly reminded us that our ability to make sound decisions depends on our willingness to truly hear and understand each other’s varied perspectives.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been working with the Executive Committee of the board to identify possible candidates to fill Sandye’s vacancy. As a reminder, whenever a board seat is vacated mid-term, the CPF Board is responsible for electing a new member to fill the seat. After meaningful discussion and prayer, we elected business executive Thomas W. Jones to the CPF Board. Thomas is the founder and a former senior partner of venture capital investment firm TWJ Capital LLC, held C-level positions at Citigroup and TIAA-CREF, and served in senior roles at John Hancock Life Insurance Company. He will serve the remainder of Sandye’s term and hopes to stand for re-election at the next General Convention. We also elected current member the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge to complete the remainder of Sandye’s term as a Vice Chair of the CPF Board. Cynthia is the Dean Emerita of the Seminary of the Southwest and was elected to her first term on the CPF Board in 2022. Thomas and Cynthia are both recognized leaders in the Church and beyond and will bring valuable and relevant experience to their roles.

The board received an update on the Denominational Health Plan (DHP), including CPG’s recent transition to a new healthcare navigation system program with Quantum Health. The promises of this program—assistance with navigating the complexities of healthcare and assuring better, more cost-effective health outcomes—are real and important to all of us. Despite early indications of success in achieving these objectives, there have also been unexpected difficulties with the transition that have been understandably concerning for our participants. We discussed the negative feedback that The Episcopal Church Medical Trust (Medical Trust) has received about certain aspects of the transition, particularly involving out-of-network claims, and heard how the Medical Trust team is responding to that feedback. I will share that the team at CPG is working closely with its vendor partners to fix the problems as quickly as possible. We encourage you to share your feedback with the CPG team by email—benefits@cpg.org—with the subject “Feedback” or call 866-802-6333 as they continue to resolve individual transition issues and improve the healthcare experience for all who participate in the DHP.

In other healthcare news, the CPF Board approved a 2026 subsidy¹ increase for members in UnitedHealthcare’s Group Medicare Advantage (GMA) health plans. Depending on UnitedHealthcare’s final rates and design changes, the full 2026 monthly subsidy for individuals in the GMA Premium Plan is estimated to increase by 30% ($131), up from $431 to $562, while the full 2026 monthly subsidy for individuals in the GMA Comprehensive Plan is estimated to increase by 57% ($168), up from $295 to $463.

Finally, management shared updates on CPG’s progress against its 2025 corporate goals, as well as reviewed operational, editorial, and industry “wins” for Church Publishing as it continues to evolve for the benefit of the Church.

Thank you for your continued trust in CPG and the CPF Board. I wish you the very best for an enjoyable and restful summer.

Faithfully,

Canon Anne Vickers (retired)  
Chair, The Church Pension Fund Board of Trustees

The next meeting of the CPF Board will be September 17 to 19, 2025.

Browse past issues of A Message from the Chair in our Newsletter Library.

¹Given uncertain financial markets and their impact on assets, CPF has reserved the right, in its discretion, to change or discontinue providing a Medicare Supplement subsidy.