TRTA Site Map Contact HOME ABOUT US MEMBERSHIP LEGISLATION COMMITTEES TRTA NEAR YOU FORMS CONTACT US CALENDAR HOME » ABOUT US » Executive Director Tim Lee TRTA Executive Director In 2004, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) hired Mr. Tim Lee as the company’s Executive Director. TRTA has a long and proud tradition in Texas as an advocacy and action organization representing the interests of retired public school employees. The association’s membership is a network of retired classroom teachers, administrators, school professionals and support personnel. With over 80,000 members, TRTA is the largest organization of its kind in the nation. Mr. Lee began his career as an advocate for public education retirees in 1996. At the time, he was hired as a legislative intern with the Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA). By April of 1997, Mr. Lee was picked to lead IRTA as its newly hired Executive Director, a position he held for eight years. In 2004, Mr. Lee was recruited by TRTA to take over the fast-growing association. Known around the country as a passionate speaker and energetic leader, Mr. Lee is a strong advocate for protecting the defined benefit pension plan and other post-employment benefits many states provide for retired public educators. Seeing these benefits as an economical way of ensuring retirement security for public school employees, Mr. Lee champions adequate and consistent contributions to pension funds by both the employer and employee. This common sense approach has worked well in Texas. TRTA has partnered successfully with the Texas Legislature to create a well-funded pension trust fund. While this plan may not be considered “rich” in comparison to other state-funded pension plans, it is one of the healthiest state pension plans not presently coordinated with Social Security. Mr. Lee has worked on public pension policy for 20 years. He has served on various state legislative panels and gubernatorial commissions, participated in forums with legislative leaders, and attended many conferences about managing and maintaining these vital public programs. Thousands of Texans receive Mr. Lee’s email newsletter The Inside Line. Mr. Lee is also a featured writer for the organization’s quarterly publication The VOICE. Tim attended public schools in Springfield, Illinois, and is a graduate of Illinois State University. He has post-graduate credit at the University of Illinois. More than anything, Tim is proud of his wonderful family. He and his wife Nichol have four children: Carter (13); Grace (13); Ethan (11); and Ryan (6). Legislative Updates Aetna Alternative Insurance Plans The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) has partnered with Aetna Healthcare to offer TRS-Care participants and spouses alternative health insurance options. To access the alternative options, use the following: Visit the Aetna/TRTA offerings website online at www.healthspire.com/TRTA. Call 1.888.299.0919 (TTY: 711) between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday to speak to a health plan expert who can guide you through your choices between the TRS plan or an Aetna plan. Please note, Aetna's call center will be open this weekend. This offering is available for TRTA members only. If you need to check or update your membership, please call TRTA at 1.800.880.1650. If you decide to opt out of TRS-Care retiree health insurance benefits, you will still need to inform TRS by calling 1.888.237.6762. Press #6 to get to TRS-Care. Read More 1 Comment Rating: Site Map Contact Us The TRTA Call Your Legislator Hotline: 1.888.674.3788 313 E. 12th Street, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78701-1957 ©2017 TRTA