2023 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 13
BY SENATORS PEACOCK, ABRAHAM, BERNARD, CATHEY, CORTEZ, FESI,
FIELDS, FOIL, HENRY, HENSGENS, HEWITT, KLEINPETER,
LAMBERT, LUNEAU, MILLIGAN, ROBERT MILLS, MIZELL,
MORRIS, POPE, PRICE, REESE, SMITH, TALBOT, WHITE AND
WOMACK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Cynthia "Cindy" Young Rougeou for her career of public service and to
congratulate her upon her retirement.
WHEREAS, it was with a sense of loss and disbelief that the Legislature of Louisiana
learned of Cynthia "Cindy" Young Rougeou's decision to retire from her position as
executive director of the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System at the end of this
fiscal year after three decades of distinguished service to the state of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Cindy has served in all three branches of Louisiana state government;
before becoming assistant director and later deputy director at LASERS, she was an assistant
attorney general, an attorney for the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs,
the deputy director and chief legal counsel for Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and
undersecretary for management and finance for the Louisiana Department of State; and
WHEREAS, in 2006, Cindy was tapped by the LASERS board of directors to captain
what is today a thirteen-billion-dollar retirement system, disbursing annual benefits of over
a billion dollars earned by nearly one hundred thousand current and former public servants
in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Cindy has selflessly shared her knowledge and experience with others
through participation in many associations and boards; she is a past president of the National
Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) and of the Louisiana Association
of Public Employees' Retirement Systems (LAPERS) and currently chairs the La Capitol
Federal Credit Union Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, Cindy received the Civil Service League's Monte M. Lemann
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Award, recognizing her commitment to the advancement of the principles of the merit
system of public employment throughout Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Cindy was named one of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni of McNeese
State University, where she established a history scholarship through the McNeese
Foundation; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure as executive director, Cindy oversaw the development
and launch of online access for members, providing information about their accounts and
membership histories and offering a benefit calculator to assist in planning for retirement;
and
WHEREAS, under Cindy's leadership, LASERS has implemented significant reforms
to the retirement system; legislative enactments since 2010 are expected to produce over
three billion dollars in cost savings and have directed an additional half-billion dollars of
investment gains to reduce the unfunded accrued liability; and
WHEREAS, espousing the belief that ensuring a sustainable, financially sound
retirement system serves both LASERS members and the public as a whole, Cindy leads by
example, striving to embody LASERS' stated mission of providing a sound retirement plan
for LASERS members through prudent management and exceptional service; and
WHEREAS, Cindy's tenacity in championing the issues that affect LASERS
members, retirees, and their loved ones is well known; she is the quintessential fiduciary,
acting in the sole interest of LASERS members and beneficiaries for the exclusive purpose
of providing benefits and administering the system; and
WHEREAS, having faithfully safeguarded the post-employment security of so many
of her fellow Louisianians, Cindy will now be able to enjoy her own well-deserved
retirement drinking Diet Dr. Pepper, watching football, working in her yard, savoring
Louisiana seafood, and spending time in the company of her family and friends.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
congratulate Cindy Rougeou upon her retirement from LASERS, does commend her for a
long and distinguished career in service to others, does recognize and record for posterity
her many laudable achievements, and offers heartfelt wishes for success in all her future
endeavors and health and happiness in the years to come.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Cindy Rougeou.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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