On April 25, the Board of Directors for MissionSquare Retirement announced that its Chair, Deanna J. Santana, has been appointed Acting CEO and President following the departure of Lynne Ford. Ford’s last day was April 24. 

Santana will remain in this position while the board finds a permanent CEO. Board member Bob Jones will become Board Chair during this time. 

In 1972, MissionSquare Retirement was founded to “help public sector employees build retirement security.” 

“For more than 50 years, MissionSquare Retirement has provided those who serve the public with the opportunity to retire with dignity and financial independence, and we remain singularly focused on this important mission,” said Santana.

“Mission-Square Retirement is in a strong position, and with this leadership transition, we will bring a renewed focus to our plan participants and sponsors. I am honored to serve as Acting CEO, and with the entire Board, we are committed to delivering for our stakeholders,” she continued. 

Santana has been serving in MissionSquare Retirement’s Board of Directors for eight years. She has been Board Chair since January. She previously worked as City Manager for Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, Deputy City Manager for San Jose, and the City Administrator for Oakland. 

Overall, Santana has more than 28 years of public service experience. 

She received two Bachelor of the Arts degrees in Rhetoric & Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters of City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“The Board has full confidence in Deanna to lead the team in carrying out our mission of helping public service employees build retirement security. The Board will work to ensure a higher level of transparency throughout the organization and bring substantive and meaningful support for the leadership and staff,” said Jones. 

Jones has been a board member at MissionSquare Retirement for seven years. He has most recently worked as Chairman and CEO of Old National Bank for over 15 years. He previously served on the boards of Vectren and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Jones also serves as the Senior Advisor for Ethical Leadership at Butler University’s Lacy School of Business. 

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Business Administration from Ashland University.