RETIREMENT PLAN ELECTS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Elder Joseph W. McCoy has served as Executive Director of the Regional Conference Retirement Plan since March 2005. Earlier this year he announced his intention to end service in that position in December of 2020.
Accordingly, The Regional Conference Retirement Board is pleased to announce the election of the next Executive Director for The Plan located in Huntsville, Alabama. Elder, Pastor, Dr. William T. Cox currently serving as President of the Allegheny West Conference headquartered in Columbus Ohio, is the newly elected Executive Director of the Retirement Plan. This decision was made by the Retirement Board on July 2, 2020 in a Zoom Conference meeting. It was the culmination of activities designed to choose the new Director who will carry the title of Executive Director-Elect until Elder McCoy completes his service in December 2020.
Early in 2020 a Search Committee was commissioned to seek and nominate potential candidates to fill the Executive Director position. Despite the challenges of COVID-19 several names were considered. After multiple meetings and deliberations over a few months Elder Cox was selected over all the ladies and gentlemen considered. Elder Cox has served the Plan as Chairman of the Board since August 3, 2016 and will relinquish that responsibility upon assumption of his duties as Executive Director for The Plan.
Among many others, one thing that commends Elder Cox to the position is the fact of his vigorous research into the efficacy of the proposed Regional Conference Retirement Plan in late 1999. He gave support for its creation from his position as a pastor of a local congregation not as a conference administrator. This led to his conference, Allegheny West, successfully joining seven other conferences in its creation. One of the nine Regional Conferences declined to join the effort at that time.
From his position as pastor of the Ephesus SDA Church in Columbus, Ohio and understanding that the leadership in his conference and his union conference were both reluctant to take that life changing step, he pursued a complete understanding of the proposed new Regional Retirement Plan, rallied his pastoring colleagues for additional support, and by the Grace of God found success in getting his conference to join The Plan. This was also accomplished with the cooperation of the acting president of the conference, Elder Hector Mouzon, who joined the effort in the place of other sitting senior conference officers. Eventually that Acting President signed the documents that brought Allegheny West into The Plan as a cooperating, supporting, fully participating member of the new Defined Benefits Regional Conference Retirement Plan.
During his tenure as Retirement Plan Board Chair, Elder Cox has frequented pivotal meetings with the Executive Director, becoming familiar with both legal and investment portfolio managing personnel that help keep The Plan functioning properly. Elder Cox also enthusiastically supported innovative initiatives presented to the Board by the Executive Director that has led to millions of dollars in savings for The Plan.
As stated in the beginning of this announcement, we are pleased to announce the election of the next Executive Director of the Seventh-day Adventist Regional Conference Retirement Plan, Elder, Pastor, Dr. William T. Cox; “Hear ye him.”
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