Dallas Salisbury spotlights big picture of public policy - Employee Benefit Research Institute Pres. and CEO - Society for Human Resource Management: Award for Professional Excellence

HR Magazine, Sept, 1997 by Michelle Neely Martinez

As president and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), which he founded in 1978, Dallas Salisbury assists employers who help employees plan for their financial stability. The Washington, D.C.-based think tank also educates public policymakers about the issues of retirement, pensions, Social Security and health care.

"Employers started moving toward educating and assisting employees with saving money decades ago," Salisbury says. "It's just that the policymakers and the media didn't pay enough attention."

Mainly as a result of Salisbury's leadership, EBRI recently undertook a major project to evaluate proposals to privatize the Social Security system. Corporations have contributed almost $500,000 to fund this study. The model under development will assess the implications of reform alternatives for the 120 million workers paying Social Security taxes, as well as their employers.

The work of EBRI has also contributed greatly to the public debate on health care, Medicare and Medicaid. SHRM, the American Compensation Association, the Business Roundtable, the National Federation of Independent Business and the AFL-CIO are among the many organizations that rely on data and research from EBRI - and on Salisbury's insights.

To build public awareness about the need to save money and plan for retirement, Salisbury founded - and is chairman of - the American Savings Education Council, which is supported by two federal agencies and more than 200 private organizations. Within the past year, the council hosted two national teleconferences, which were broadcast in more than 600 communities, on saving and planning for retirement. The council also produced brochures distributed by the Department of Labor through a toll-free hotline providing pension and retirement planning information.

According to Salisbury, much of his recent work deals with helping employers maintain good employee relations when switching to managed health care; examining the effect of comprehensive tax reform on compensation, benefits, employee relations and corporate profits; and studying the impact of Social Security privatization proposals.

Salisbury helped create the National Academy of Human Resources and the American Compensation Journal. He serves on the board of the Health Project, on the evaluation panel for the annual Koop Award for Health Promotion, and on the board of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

When asked about the honor of receiving the SHRM Award for Professional Excellence, Salisbury says, "There are few things that are more satisfying than being recognized by peers. I'm happy to be recognized for my work in building EBRI because it implies that I have played an important and positive role in the work of the HR community."