Turning Board-Level Insights into Operational Reality
Trustees and plan sponsors invest significant time in learning. From board meetings to industry conferences and educational webinars, fiduciaries are constantly working to stay ahead of the regulatory issues affecting their plans. But knowledge alone isn't enough. The real question is: what happens after the webinar ends?
That question is at the heart of Zenith American Solutions’ Insider Insights for Multiemployer Plans webinar series. Created to address the most pressing challenges facing Taft-Hartley and multiemployer plans, this ongoing series brings together trustees, plan sponsors, and industry professionals for practical, actionable education. Featuring insider perspectives from a nationally recognized expert, each session is designed to help plans turn insights into action.
This article recaps the sessions presented to date and highlights how Zenith is already helping clients and trustees operate these complex regulatory and fiduciary issues behind the scenes.
About the Series: Insider Insights for Multiemployer Plans
Tailored specifically for Taft-Hartley and multiemployer plans, the series provides exclusive insights into regulatory developments, compliance strategies, and operational issues that directly impact plan fiduciaries. Each session is designed to be immediately actionable.
Featured Series Speaker: Hon. Lisa M. Gomez: Former Assistant Secretary of Labor, EBSA
A nationally recognized employee benefits attorney with nearly 30 years of experience representing Taft-Hartley multiemployer plans, Lisa Gomez brings a uniquely authoritative perspective to today's regulatory landscape and how it impacts everyday decisions. Before her government service, she served as plan counsel to multiemployer health and retirement plans across a wide range of industries nationwide.
Sessions Presented So Far
Good Governance for Multiemployer Trustees
Cybersecurity & Fiduciary Oversight
SECURE 2.0 Overpayment Recovery & Fiduciary Relief
Mental Health Parity (MHPAEA)
Building an Effective Fiduciary Team
Washington & Regulatory Updates
This is an ongoing series, with additional sessions already scheduled. Past recordings remain available to registered attendees and Zenith clients.
Expertise That Extends Beyond Administration
Third-party administration was once viewed through a narrow lens: processing claims, answering participant calls, and managing eligibility. Today, that is no longer enough. Plan fiduciaries face increasing regulatory scrutiny and a growing need for operational excellence.
Zenith goes beyond traditional administration, serving as a strategic partner that helps plans strengthen governance, maintain compliance, and navigate today's complex fiduciary environment. By aligning our administrative processes with your fiduciary responsibilities, we help mitigate risk and protect the long-term health of your plan.
Key Themes Shaping Today's Fiduciary Environment
To navigate the complexities of modern benefit plan management, Zenith's approach is grounded in four core pillars that ensure every administrative action supports broader fiduciary goals.
Governance & Fiduciary Support
We provide the critical documentation, reporting, and coordination necessary for trustees to demonstrate prudent oversight. Our processes are designed to support board readiness and create clear, defensible audit trails for all administrative actions.
Compliance & Regulatory Readiness
The legislative landscape is in constant motion. We actively monitor regulatory updates and implement the necessary operational changes—from system recalibrations to updated participant disclosures ensuring plans remain compliant without disrupting daily operations.
Operational Excellence & Internal Controls
Accuracy is paramount. We employ robust internal audit processes, stringent quality assurance reviews, and highly controlled claims and pension payment workflows. Our internal controls are the frontline defense against administrative errors and compliance failures.
Participant & Stakeholder Communication
Complex regulatory changes often lead to participant confusion. We translate legislative mandates and board decisions into clear, compliant, and supportive
Why the Webinar Series Matters and What's Next
The stakes for plan fiduciaries are high. Compliance failures can result in financial penalties, audit complications, and potential breaches of fiduciary duty. More importantly, operational missteps can erode the trust participants place in their benefit plans.
Education is a critical first step, and the reason Zenith created this webinar series. But education alone doesn't protect a plan. The true value of these sessions lies in reinforcing what your administrative partner should already be doing: monitoring regulatory changes, maintaining strong internal controls, coordinating across the fiduciary team, and keeping your plan operationally prepared.
As Insider Insights for Multiemployer Plans continues to evolve, Zenith will keep bringing trustees and plan professionals timely guidance with a direct connection to the day-to-day support that turns that guidance into meaningful action. Future sessions will continue to feature expert perspectives on emerging regulatory developments, governance best practices, and the operational issues that matter most to Taft-Hartley and multiemployer plan fiduciaries.
By partnering with Zenith, plan sponsors and trustees can ensure that strategic oversight is matched by rigorous operational execution. We bridge the gap between policy and practice, helping ensure that every claim paid, every pension calculated, and every participant communication reflects exceptional plan governance.
Next Session: The AI-Empowered Plan: Efficiency, Safeguards and the Human in the Loop
Date: Wednesday, September 30th at 3 PM ET
Time: 3:00 - 4:30 PM ET
Hosted by: The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP)
Artificial intelligence is already transforming how employee benefit plans and their service providers communicate with participants, process information, analyze data, identify potential errors and support plan operations. The opportunities are significant, and so are the challenges. Where can AI deliver meaningful value today? What risks should trustees and plan professionals be monitoring? And how can plans innovate while maintaining fiduciary oversight, data security, compliance and participant trust?
In this educational webcast sponsored by Zenith American Solutions, former assistant secretary of labor Lisa M. Gomez will lead a practical discussion of AI’s emerging role in employee benefit plan administration. The webcast will explore current and potential uses of AI; the questions plan fiduciaries and professionals should ask when evaluating AI-enabled tools; and the safeguards needed to address accuracy, bias, privacy, cybersecurity, vendor oversight and accountability. Participants will gain a practical framework for identifying appropriate AI applications, evaluating vendor claims, establishing effective governance and oversight, and determining when human judgment must remain central. Learn how plans can use AI to enhance—not replace—the experienced people who protect participants and deliver trusted service.
