Daniel was joined by David Kazansky — longtime New York City public school educator, union activist, pension advocate, and former three-term Teachers’ Retirement System trustee. This is part 1 of a 2 part interview with Kazansky. Over nearly three decades in the classroom and years in union leadership, David has built a reputation as a detailed, independent voice on pension governance and member oversight. He served on the TRS board from 2015 to 2024, chairing and co-chairing key committees, pushing for transparency around fees, alternative investments, and fiduciary responsibility. At a time when debates over private equity, divestment, Tier 6 reform, and trustee independence are front and center, David argues that pension governance shouldn’t be insider politics — it should be about protecting members’ retirement security.
Learn more about David here: http://wetrustdavid.org/Bio
Learn more about NYCTRS: https://www.trsnyc.org