Former pension boss sues New Mexico over pay discrimination

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The former head of New Mexico’s pension system for educators has accused Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and others of denying her equal pay.

Jan Goodwin filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday, saying she was forced to leave her position at the Educational Retirement Board earlier this year because of longstanding pay inequity issues. The lawsuit alleges that the Lujan Grisham administration denied equal pay to Goodwin in violation of the state’s Fair Pay for Women Act.

Goodwin, a 61-year-old white woman, claimed institutional and systemic gender, age and race discrimination. According to the complaint, she was paid about $100,000 less than her male counterpart at the New Mexico State Investment Council.

The governor’s office contends the claim is baseless and that Goodwin’s salary was set prior to Lujan Grisham taking office.

Goodwin spent almost 13 years as executive director of the Educational Retirement Board. She was earning just over $183,000 annually before she resigned this year and took a job leading the New Hampshire retirement system that pays her $235,000 per year.

The lawsuit claimed Goodwin was more qualified than State Investment Officer Steve Moise, who gets nearly $276,000 annually. It also claimed that Goodwin “consistently produced better results for the educational employees of the state of New Mexico than had Mr. Moise, under the scrutiny of any reasonable comparative analysis.”

The lawsuit alleged that the pay disparity went back more than a decade.

Upon Goodwin’s appointment as executive director, the lawsuit said, she made about $13,000 a year less than her male counterpart at the New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association — a disparity that was eventually addressed.

Moise’s hiring in April 2010 created what the lawsuit described as an “enormous, unconscionable and obviously illegal disparity” as Goodwin’s salary remained the same even though the two jobs required equal skill, effort and responsibility.

The lawsuit alleged that Moise did not have the professional experience required by state statute of at least five years of investment and executive experience to qualify for the job.

Moises, who was hired during Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson’s tenure, declined to comment.

Goodwin wrote in a statement that the decision to sue was not an easy one, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

“After years of trying to address the gender, age and racial disparities in salary among employees at NMERB and those in similar agencies with similar positions, I realized that I was being forced to quit and my only option was the one I’ve taken,” she wrote.

As executive director, Goodwin managed a $13.8 billion pension fund for 60,000 active members and 46,000 retirees, according to her resume. The fund distributes more than $1 billion a year in benefits to retirees.

The lawsuit stated that while Moise “only oversees the management of investment portfolios,” Goodwin oversaw the management of investment portfolios and performed retirement plan administration.

Moise manages a $30 billion endowment, including the Land Grant Permanent Fund, the Severance Tax Permanent Fund and investments for government agencies.

According to the council, the permanent funds will provide over $1 billion this fiscal year for the state budget and other beneficiaries.