Retired Indiana Public Employees Association names Jessica Love as its CEO

Indianapolis, IN – RIPEA has named Jessica Love as its new CEO. A seasoned nonprofit executive, Love will lead RIPEA’s efforts to improve the quality of life of their members by protecting and enhancing their retirement benefit, providing group insurance for members, and disseminating information to and advocating on behalf of retired Indiana public employees.

Love most recently served as the Executive Director of the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED), which does business as Prosperity Indiana, a statewide membership organization that builds a better future for Hoosier communities by providing advocacy, leveraging resources, and engaging members to create inclusive opportunities that build assets and improve lives. Under Love’s leadership, Prosperity Indiana saw year-over-year growth in net assets, delivered enhanced member benefits, and expanded the scope of impact to the communities they serve. Loves holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication/Journalism from Taylor University.  

RIPEA established a five-member search committee and engaged Talbott Talent, a nonprofit executive recruiting firm, to carry out an extensive and inclusive national search. Talbott Talent employed a recruitment-based approach, proactively seeking out the best and most qualified candidates to lead an organization. The search firm worked with the search committee to ensure the search was inclusive, engaging strategies to recruit a diverse pool of qualified candidates and executing a fair and consistent interview process. Love was selected to serve as RIPEA’s CEO and will begin her role effective February 6, 2023.

“We are so excited to see how Jessica’s experience and expertise in government advocacy, communications, and membership development will position RIPEA to make an even bigger impact in the lives and wellbeing of retired Indiana public employees,” states Roger Parent, President of RIPEA’s board of directors. “We are really looking forward to seeing where Jessica takes RIPEA in the future!”  

Love succeeds Bill Murphy, who retired from the executive director role earlier this month, after leading the organization for more than 43 years.

“I am honored to follow a leader like Bill, who has built this association through committed service to its mission for over 40 years,” said Love. “I look forward to getting to know the RIPEA members around the state, who will inform the way we advocate and lead on their behalf to meet the current and future needs of the network.”

RIPEA was created by the Indiana General Assembly in 1972 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent the interests of Indiana Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERF) retirees. RIPEA has since expanded to include representing active employees of PERF. There are over 45,000 RIPEA members. Learn more about RIPEA!