The Board of Pensions
Karen Butow is currently the Director of Risk Management and Governance at The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) since August 2022. Prior to this, they worked at SEI from January 2011 to August 2022, starting as a Risk Manager and eventually becoming the Director of Risk Management and Governance. In their role at SEI, Karen was responsible for identifying, monitoring, and mitigating investment risk, designing and implementing a comprehensive risk monitoring program, and developing internal risk management monitoring technology. Before joining SEI, they worked at Moody's Investors Service as an Analyst in the Structured Finance Derivatives Group from June 2006 to February 2011. During their time at Moody's, they assigned ratings to collateralized debt obligations, developed cash flow models, and wrote research publications.
Karen Butow earned their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Finance and Strategic Management from Villanova University, which they attended from 2011 to 2014. Prior to that, they obtained their Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Mathematics and Economics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where they studied from 2002 to 2006. Karen Butow also holds a certification in FRM (Financial Risk Manager) from the GARP FRM Program, but the exact month and year of obtaining this certification are not provided.
The Board of Pensions
At the Board of Pensions, we cultivate health, wholeness, and financial well-being in pastors and employees of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its affiliated organizations. Designated a Best Place to Work by Philadelphia Business Journal since 2018, we design and deliver benefits, assistance, education, and innovative programs to more than 63,000 people from our newly renovated offices in Center City Philadelphia. Our professional staff manage investments of more than $9 billion and oversee a fully funded pension plan, among other benefits, on behalf of our plan members. Our members work for PC(USA) congregations, colleges, retirement communities, and other PC(USA)-affiliated employers. Our work environment is innovative, collaborative, and caring. We invest in outstanding people of diverse talents and backgrounds and empower them to make a difference in others’ lives. At the Board of Pensions, we are planning for — and achieving — growth. Ultimately, everything we do is grounded in serving more, serving better, and serving the Church.