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Meet the Team
Jason Roberts, Esq.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Jason is the founder and CEO of Pension Resource Institute, LLC (PRI). The firm helps banks, broker-dealers and registered investment advisers implement and maintain profitable strategies for serving retirement investors. PRI was founded on the idea that compliance with retirement regulations should be accessible and affordable.
In addition to his role as CEO of PRI, Jason is the founder and managing partner of Fiduciary Law Center (FLC), a firm serving plan sponsors, investment professionals and service providers in all aspects of retirement-related products and services. FLC’s network of leading ERISA, tax and securities lawyers is available to assist clients on a project, flat fee or hourly basis.
Prior to founding PRI and FLC, Jason was a partner and co-chair of the Financial Services Group at a leading ERISA law firm and the head of the Investment Fiduciary practice for a national securities law firm.
Jason has published numerous articles focusing on ERISA and securities compliance, fiduciary best practices and is a frequent speaker at retirement plan and financial industry conferences. He is a contributing author and faculty member for the Practicing Law Institute. Jason has been repeatedly recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential in Defined Contribution” by the 401(k) Wire and a “Rising Star” by SuperLawyers Magazine and was selected by InvestmentNews as one of the Top 40 Advisors and Associated Professionals under 40. The Wall Street Journal also tapped Jason for its Ask the Experts series answering readers’ questions relating to the DOL Fiduciary Regulation.
Jason received his B.S.B.A in Finance & Banking from the University of Missouri and his J.D. from UCLA Law School.
Outside of work, you can find Jason deep sea fishing, tending a wide range of fresh citrus in his grove, cooking, and spending time with his wife and their two children.
Annie Messer
President
Annie brings more than 14 years of experience to PRI, serving in a variety of roles, including planning, development and support of retirement plan technology solutions, fiduciary resources, regulatory and retirement education, and ERISA compliance. In addition to retirement plan experience, Annie provided wealth management advanced planning support for estate, trust, tax, retirement income, government benefits and education funding and has presented at numerous conferences and webinar events.
At PRI, Annie will focus on enhancing the PRI member experience through marketing, technical content development, rule monitoring, training and direct support for member firms.
Annie holds a B.A. degree from Western International University in Human Resources. She holds the Series 7, 24 and 66 FINRA licenses, Accredited Investment Fiduciary®(AIF®), Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor®(CPFA®), Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA), Registered Corporate CoachTM (RCCTM) designations and has completed the Cannon Trust Fundamentals and Cannon Financial Professional Course on Trusts.
Annie lives in Iowa with her husband and two daughters. In her free time, Annie can be found organizing and/or attending any of her daughters’ numerous extra-curricular activities and events, spending time with friends and family, enjoying all things outdoors, completing projects, gardening, and running with her two dogs.
Karen DiStasio
Senior Vice President, Member Relations
Karen has spent her entire career in the financial services industry and brings more than 20 years of retirement plan experience to PRI. She has worked for several different recordkeepers including Putnam, New York Life, and John Hancock; serving in a variety of roles, including business and product development, practice management, and marketing. Most recently, Karen was Head of Retirement Solutions at Commonwealth Financial where she led a team of retirement experts whose primary mission was to help advisors grow and service their retirement plan business with a focus on strong ERISA fiduciary compliance.
Karen holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts, School of Management, and is licensed with FINRA Series 6 and 63. She is deeply committed to industry excellence and has been actively involved in industry associations and volunteer initiatives, including serving as a member of the NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Advisory Council and the Women’s Leadership Network Board at Commonwealth Financial.
At PRI, Karen is poised to make significant contributions as the Senior Vice President of Member Relations. In this role, Karen will leverage her expertise to expand and maintain PRI's membership footprint, serving banks, broker-dealers, and registered investment advisers with retirement compliance, strategy, and practice management needs.
Karen lives in the Boston area and spends lots of time at her lake house in Maine with her family and long-haired German Shepard. She is a recovering, habitual DIYer. When she’s not building or rehabbing something she enjoys reading, boating, perennial gardening, and taking Diesel, her GSD for long walks.
Cherisha Chapman
Products Manager
Cherisha comes to PRI having worked in retirement plans for 16 years. Her time in the industry incudes both public and private sector plans and everything from participant services to underwriting to people leadership.
At PRI, Cherisha is responsible for creating an exceptional experience for our Member Firms. She does this by maintaining the PRI platform, facilitating member requests, and overseeing PRI initiatives among other things.
Cherisha has a B.S. in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University. She also holds an Associate, Secure Retirement Institute (ASRI) from LOMA.
Cherisha enjoys life with her husband, Tim, and their three children, Jacques, Lorenzo, and Parker. You will often find her cheering on her oldest at baseball games or shuttling the younger two to their various extracurricular events. The family loves traveling both around the US and abroad and have many destinations on their must-see list.
Erin Fager
Manager of Marketing and Communication
Erin Fager is the Manager of Marketing and Communications at Pension Resource Institute, LLC. With a diverse background spanning media planning, client engagement, graphic design, and communications strategy, she brings a well-rounded approach to elevating PRI’s brand, strengthening client relationships, and driving strategic visibility within the retirement industry.
Before joining PRI, Erin served as the Retirement Plan Communications Consultant at Prime Capital Financial, where she partnered closely with advisors to develop communication strategies and materials tailored to both plan sponsors and participants. She focused on providing customized content designed to address the unique needs of each audience, helping to enhance understanding and engagement. Erin also provided key departmental support, including the creation of quarterly client review materials and important enrollment information for new plan participants. She played a central role in shaping creative assets for a variety of webinars, Prime’s Annual Qualified Plan Fiduciary Summit, and supported various financial wellness initiatives.
Prior to entering the financial industry, Erin spent the first 10 years of her career in the advertising agency world, managing multi-million-dollar budgets and developing strategic media plans for a diverse range of clients.
Erin attended the University of Kansas where she earned her B.S. in journalism and her M.S.E. in sports administration. While at KU, she also competed on the women’s swimming and diving team. In her free time, Erin enjoys cooking, hitting the gym, volunteering as a foster family for Kansas City Pet Project, and watching her kids participate in a variety of extracurricular high school activities (baseball being her clear favorite).