Rhonda Cavagnaro is Special Counsel to Saxena White and a member of the firm’s Institutional Outreach group.  Ms. Cavagnaro brings extensive expertise in many areas of employee benefits and pension administration with nearly two decades of public fund experience.

Ms. Cavagnaro began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City, where she was instrumental in creating the office’s General Crimes Unit, covering major crimes.  While an ADA, Ms. Cavagnaro gained valuable trial experience and prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and felony crimes.

Ms. Cavagnaro began her career serving public pensions as Assistant General Counsel at the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS).  She then went on to become the first General Counsel to the New York City Police Pension Fund in February 2002, where she worked for over 11 years, providing advice to the Board of Trustees and to the 140 member staff with respect to benefits administration, fiduciary issues, employment issues, legislation and transactional matters.  Ms. Cavagnaro last served as the Assistant CEO for the Santa Barbara County Employee’s Retirement System (SBCERS), where under the general direction of the CEO and Board of Trustees, she oversaw the day to day operations of the System.

Ms. Cavagnaro is a frequent lecturer on fiduciary issues facing institutional investors, regularly speaking at industry conferences to further trustee education.  She is currently a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars and is admitted in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and is a current member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys (NAPPA).  She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Rochester, in Rochester, New York and earned her J.D. from the California Western School of Law in San Diego, California.