Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan
| Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Top official: | Grant Soderberg, chair |
| Active members: | 156 |
| Website: | Official website |
| Total assets under management | |
| 2023: | $128,968,378 |
- See also: Public pensions in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan is an Oklahoma state pension fund that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to the state's public employees. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan had $128,968,378 ($129 million) in total assets under management as of June 30, 2023.[1]
The management of public pension funds can indicate support or opposition to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investment practices. ESG investing considers the extent to which corporations align with and promote certain non-financial standards, such as net carbon emission or corporate board diversity goals. States typically hire asset management companies (AMCs) to direct pension plan investments, some of which have ESG commitments that guide their strategies.
This article features the following sections:
- Background: Information about the structure and functions of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan.
- Pension performance overview: Overview of the funding level and assets managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan.
- Assets and asset management: Information about the asset management companies (AMCs) that contract with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan, including a list of contracting AMCs that are participants in the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative and the Climate Action 100+ initiative.
- Governance and accountability: Details about the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan's oversight board, including members and selection.
Background
- See also: Public pensions
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan invests the assets of and provides funding for the full-time employees of the Department of Wildlife Conservation based on a formula established by Oklahoma state law. These plans—based on the employee's length of service and salary— provide retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to the state's public employees.[1]
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan served 156 active members and approximately 239 retirees and beneficiaries as of June 2023. [1]
Pension performance overview
The following table features information about the funding level and assets managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan as of June 30, 2023:[1]
| Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan pension performance (June 30, 2023) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal year | Percent funded | Unfunded liabilities | Total assets[2] |
| 2023 | 90.4% | -$13,699,498 | $128,968,378 |
Assets and asset management
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
|---|
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| • What is ESG? • Enacted ESG legislation • Arguments for and against ESG • Opposition to ESG • Federal ESG rules • ESG legislation tracker • Economy and Society: Ballotpedia's weekly ESG newsletter |
Asset management companies (AMCs) are hired to manage investment assets for state pension funds across all 50 states.
The Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (NZAM) suspended operations in January 2025 and relaunched in February 2026 with more than 250 signatories under a revised commitment statement that removed its prior net-zero deadline requirement.[3]
As of October 2024, 391 AMCs were investor participants in the Climate Action 100+ initiative, which aims to align investor engagement with companies toward the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.[4]
List of AMCs contracting with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan contracted with 14 asset management companies (AMCs) or specific funds as of December 31, 2023. Of those companies, one was an investor participant in Climate Action 100+, and none were members of NZAM, as of October 2024. The following list identifies the AMCs (and in some cases, the specific funds) contracting with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan: [5]
| Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan asset management companies Click on a column header below to sort the list of asset managers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMC name | Investment type | Assets under management | Percentage of total fund assets | NZAM Initiative signatory as of October 2024[6] | Climate Action 100+ signatory as of October 2024 |
| iShares:Russell 1000 L/C Idx;K (BRGKX) | Equity | $696,162,000 | 526.493% | No | No |
| Vanguard S-C Id;Inst (VSCIX) | Equity | $351,004,000 | 265.457% | No | No |
| Bank of Oklahoma Managed Equity (SA) | Equity | $1,776,289,000 | 1343.371% | No | No |
| Vanguard Dev Mkt;Adm (VTMGX) | Equity | $6,505,359.00 | 4.920% | No | No |
| Dodge & Cox Intnl Stck;I (DODFX) | Equity | $5,090,516.00 | 3.850% | No | No |
| MFS Intl New DiscvR6 (MIDLX) | Equity | $53,213,608.00 | 40.244% | No | Yes |
| Invesco Dev Mkt;R6 (ODVIX) | Equity | $7,808,896.00 | 5.906% | No | No |
| Bank of Oklahoma Managed Fixed Income (SA) | Fixed Income | $5,711,772.00 | 4.320% | No | No |
| PIMCO:Income;Inst (PI MIX) | Fixed Income | $5,592,236.00 | 4.229% | No | No |
| PIMCO:Intl Bd (DH);Inst (PFORX) | Fixed Income | $4,121,786.00 | 3.117% | No | No |
| Baird Aggregate Bd;Inst (BAGIX) | Fixed Income | $14,572,636.00 | 11.021% | No | No |
| First Eagle:Globahl (SGIIX) | Alternative Investments | $5,727,482.00 | 4.332% | No | No |
| Calamos:Mkt Neut Inc;I (CMNIX) | Alternative Investments | $3,427,335.00 | 2.592% | No | No |
| Neub Berman LJS;Inst (NLSIX) | Alternative Investments | $3,601,220.00 | 2.724% | No | No |
Governance and accountability
This section features information about the 14-member board of trustees that oversees the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan. The board is not specific to oversight of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan and does exercise oversight duties for other state funds.[7]
Board selection method
The board of trustees that oversees the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System is made up of eight appointed members and six designated members.[7]
Board of trustees membership
A 14-member board of trustees oversees the operation and administration of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan. The following individuals served on the board as of November 2024:[7]
- Grant Soderberg, chair
- Andy Schallhorn, vice chair
- Bob Anthony
- Diana O'Neal
- Lynne Bajema
- Stephen Baldridge
- Andrew Boyd
- Lauren Kelliher
- Shelly Paulk
- Edward Petersen
- Emily Roberson
- Todd Russ
- Jason Sutton
- one vacancy
See also
- Public pensions in Oklahoma
- Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)
- Arguments about environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)
- Opposition to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing
- Reform proposals related to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)
- State legislative approaches opposing ESG investing
- State legislative approaches supporting ESG investing
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 SAI.OK.gov , "Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Finacial Statements," accessed November 6, 2024
- ↑ Note: By default, this refers to the actuarial valuation of total assets. In some cases, the total market value of assets is shown instead. See the cited source for details.
- ↑ Reuters, "Investor climate group relaunches with looser rules but fewer US members", February 25, 2026
- ↑ Climate Action 100+, "The Three Goals," accessed June 20, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Ballotpedia: Asset management data for state-administered pension funds across the 50 states," accessed March 2023
- ↑ Note: NZAM announced on January 13, 2025, that it was suspending operations and removing the commitment statement and list of signatories from its website.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Defined Benefit Pension Plan, "Board of Trustees," accessed November 4, 2024
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