Event Information:

Date:

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Time:

8:30 AM – 4:15 PM CT

Location:

Parents Hall, Olmsted Center at Drake University

Live Stream on The Harkin Institute YouTube channel.

Registration:

This is a hybrid event but registration is required for in-person attendance. Attendees have the choice to attend in-person at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, or virtually.

The in-person event will take place at Parents Hall in the Olmsted Center at Drake. Lunch will be provided. If you are unable to attend, please email harkininstitute@drake.edu, or cancel through Eventbrite to help us minimize food waste.

Online attendees will watch a livestream and will have the opportunity to participate in Q&A.

Accommodations:

American Sign Language (ASL) and live captioning (CART) will be provided for all main stage content, in-person and virtually. ASL for in-person breakout sessions available upon request. Those requests, as well as any additional accommodation requests can be made by emailing harkininsititute@drake.edu.

Event Summary:

The 2026 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium will focus on a broader financial wellness theme supported by panels along the continuum of retirement security policy issues.

The speakers will discuss policies supporting retirement savings access and accumulation, navigating Social Security and Medicare, and the intergenerational impacts of these programs, access to retirement planning, retirement income decisions, and long-term care policies and supports.

Retirement Security Symposium Main Page

Agenda for the 2026 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium

Time	Session	Speakers
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Breakfast and Registration	At Parents Hall at the Olmsted Center
9:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.	Welcome remarks and award presentations	2026 Harkin Retirement Security Visionary Award 2026 Harkin Retirement Security Advocacy Award
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.	Panel 1: Retirement Income Strategies – Global Lessons and the US Landscape	Mike Ambery, Standard Life Jeffrey Brown, University of Illinois David Harris, TOR Financial Eric Shimp, Principal Moderated by Matt Stagner, Foster Group
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Panel 2: Social Security Reform and Economic Security in Retirement	Tracey Gronniger, Justice in Aging Siyan Liu, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Chantel Sheaks, US Chamber of Commerce Elisa Walker, AARP Moderated by Tyler Bond of the National Academy of Social Insurance
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.	Networking lunch and community partners tables exhibit
1 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.	Afternoon Keynote Speech: Strengthening Retirement Security: The Role of Public–Private Partnerships	Teresa Ghilarducci, Schwartz Center, The New School, NY
1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.	Panel 3: Targeted Economic Security Programs: ABLE Accounts, Emergency Savings, the Federal Saver’s Match, Student Loan Match	Alicia Callanan, IABLE Sid Pailla, Sunny Day Fund John Scott, Pew Retirement Savings Program Michael Sowa, Candidly Moderated by Kent Johnson of the Evelyn K. Davis Center & Polk County Financial Empowerment Center
3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.	Panel 4: The Interconnectedness of Care and Stories from the 2025 PBS Caregiving Documentary	Amy Chinn, Vice President Individual Life and Insurance Claims at OneAmerica Financial Tom Chiodo, Executive producer Special Projects, National Productions at WETA, Executive Producer PBS “Caregiving” Documentary Jill Kozeny, Executive Vice President, Chief Advocacy Officer, The American Council of Life Insurers Fran Mancl, Iowa Caregivers Moderated by John and Terri Hale, The Hale Group
4:15 p.m.	Closing remarks