Boards and Governance

TCRS turns 50!

TCRS is celebrating 50 years of retirement security and financial stability for Tennessee

In 2022, TCRS celebrated 50 years as a consolidated retirement plan!

Formed July 1, 1972, when Governor Winfield Dunn signed the Consolidation Retirement Act, passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, to combine seven separate pension plans into the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System.

TCRS turns 50

The Consolidation Retirement Act of 1972 combined the administration and investments of seven systems into one. Previously the:

  • Teachers' Retirement System
  • State Retirement System
  • Judges' Retirement System
  • Attorneys' General Retirement System
  • County Paid Judges Retirement System
  • County Officials' Retirement System
  • Public Service Commissioners' Retirement System

TCRS is one of the strongest public pensions in the nation!

Tennessee has fully funded the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System each year!

Join the celebration!

As part of the celebration, we would like to recognize our active and retired members. Join us by submitting your photo and information through the form linked below. Watch this page for your member spotlight!

Submit your photo

TCRS Member Spotlight

Strong for our Members!

Active and retired members can take pride in their retirement program

History of the TCRS

As we celebrate 50 years of retirement security and financial stability the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System has provided Tennessee, we take a brief look back at the history of consolidation and the impact it has had over the past five decades.

Help Us Celebrate!

Help us celebrate 50 years of TCRS retirement security! If you're part of TCRS and would like to join in the celebration, download one of the banners below to post to your website and link it to TCRS50.org.

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TCRS Member Spotlight

Shaping TCRS

There are many moving parts that make up the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System.
In these videos, learn about stakeholder groups who have shaped TCRS into the program that it is today.

General Assembly

Board of Trustees

Treasury Staff

Improvements to TCRS: The Hybrid Plan

The Hybrid Plan, adopted in 2013 by the Tennessee General Assembly, is a combination of a defined benefit pension (TCRS) and a 401(k) deferred compensation plan under the umbrella of RetireReadyTN. Full-time state employees, certain higher education employees, and public school teachers hired after June 30, 2014, are members of the Hybrid Plan, funded by contributions from both the employer and the member. In this video, learn about the history of the Hybrid Plan and the changes that prompted its creation.

TCRS Local Government Impact

Over 600 local governments participate in the state’s retirement program. TCRS retiree benefit payments support local communities in Tennessee and have added a $775 million increase to all state and local tax revenues over the past three years. In this video, we examine how TCRS benefits local governments and their local economies.

Technological Advancement:
Becoming a 21st Century Retirement Program

TCRS has enjoyed many advances in its history. Moving from an all-paper-based retirement system that transitioned to microfilmed records, adopting computers, to now processing 96% of all retirement applications online. This video explores the evolution of major technological advancements over the past 50 years.

What economic impact does TCRS have on Tennessee?

Retirement benefits paid by TCRS ...

  • Increase gross output
  • Result in job creation
  • Increase state and local tax collections

Source: University of Tennessee 2022 study: "Economic Impact of the TCRS Defined Benefit Plan on Tennessee."

Click below to view the report.

View the Economic Impact Report

TCRS Member Spotlight

Many TCRS members have served their local communities and the State of Tennessee throughout the program’s 50-year history, and some since the early days of the State’s original retirement system. We are spotlighting some TCRS members with extraordinary years of service.

Dr. George K. Schweitzer

Dr. Schweitzer was a Chemistry Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he worked from 1948 to 2024. After 75 years of teaching and research, he went into partial retirement in May 2023. Dr. Schweitzer continued his work at U.T. until his passing in September 2024.

Harold Midas

Mr. Midas is a Transportation Technician at the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Region 1, in Knoxville. He has worked at TDOT since 1962, filling a variety of roles in his more than six decades of service to the State of Tennessee.

Herbert Malone

Mr. Malone, who works in Facilities Operations for the Tennessee General Assembly in the Cordell Hull Building, has been serving the State of Tennessee for more than 50 years.

Discover RetireReadyTN!

RetireReadyTN is the state’s retirement program, combining the strengths the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS), a 401(k) plan, and retirement readiness education.

Select your employment type below to view your customized plan information:

for Teachers
chalkboard with Tennessee state flag
for Higher Ed Employees
University of Tennessee building
for Local Gov't Employees
Tennessee local government building next to flagpole and greenery
for State Employees
Tennessee State Capitol building