Chief Executive Officer Cassandra Lichnock announced to the Teachers’ Retirement Board that attorney supervisor John Shipley was a recent recipient of California's Medal of Valor, the highest honor granted to public servants by the state.

Shipley, who joined CalSTRS in 2023, serves as a senior litigation attorney. He was honored for actions he took outside the job.

While volunteering as a coach for a Little League baseball team, Shipley reacted to shots fired at a nearby picnic day event. Shipley quickly and calmly moved his players out of harm's way, ensuring their safety.

For his actions, Shipley received the Special Service Award (Silver) that honors acts of heroism that exceed the normal call of duty and involve personal risk to protect human life or state property.

During Lichnock’s report, the board also received an update on the continued stabilization of myCalSTRS, the secure online system that allows members to manage their retirement accounts.

The new system was part of a larger pension administration system modernization project. It went live one year ago, generating more calls than expected.

During this time, CalSTRS continued to deliver on its mission by sending monthly benefit payments to more than 454,000 recipients. Additionally, nearly 65,000 received one-time payments over the past year.

Call wait times are also significantly shorter, and these calls take less time as staff and members become more familiar with the system.