Tom Brown, the assistant treasurer of the UFT, was reelected in May to serve his fourth three-year term as a trustee on the board of the Teachers’ Retirement System. Brown became chairman of the board in February after Debra Penny, the UFT treasurer, stepped down from the post.

As the TRS board chairman and a trustee, Brown helps oversee the policies, funding and responsibilities of the retirement system to ensure that the benefits for contributors and beneficiaries remain strong.

“Tom is intelligent, knowledgeable about all financial and pension-related matters and has always worked tirelessly on behalf of our members,” Penny said. “Our pensions are definitely safe in his capable hands.”

Brown began his career as an educator in 1978, teaching Spanish at IS 234 in Brooklyn. He has served as both a UFT delegate and a chapter leader.

Brown is a long-time advocate of pension rights. Beginning as a part-time pension consultant in 1997, he became a UFT special representative to the Pension Department in 2007. He has shared his knowledge of pension-related issues at school meetings citywide, conducted pension clinics and workshops, and led training programs for new pension consultants. He is a co-editor of the Secure Your Future column in the New York Teacher and participates in the Council on Public Employee Retirement Systems, the National Conference on Teacher Retirement and the board of the National Association of Securities Professionals.

Brown was first elected as a TRS trustee in 2014. He was elected the union’s assistant treasurer in September that same year.

Brown joins David Kazansky and Victoria Lee as the three teacher representatives on the seven-member TRS board. The city comptroller and the schools chancellor each have a seat, and the mayor appoints the two other members of the board.