Minnesota / Teachers Retirement Associate

Agency file

Teachers Retirement Associate

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Teachers Retirement Associate administers public education — funding, academic standards, and the operation of schools.

In 2025, this agency had 104 employees with median total compensation of $86,462; the highest distinct record was $194,630.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $9.1M
Employees: 104
Median total: $86,462
Highest record: $194,630

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$2,344$157,080+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 104 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($86,462) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $86,622 (99%)
Overtime — $128 (0%)
Other — $1,175 (1%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$43,298

$65,150

$86,462

$112,777

$139,759

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $139,759 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $43,298. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Information Technology Specialist 5

10 · $139,727

Retirement Services Specialist Senior

10 · $78,220

Retirement Services Specialist

10 · $57,925

Information Technology Specialist 3

7 · $104,276

Information Technology Specialist 4

6 · $125,829

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$8.3M —	96 —	$83,429 —
2025	$9.1M ▲ 10.5%	104 ▲ 8.3%	$86,462 ▲ 3.6%

Compare

Similar departments

Departments elsewhere with the most similar mix of roles — a proxy for the same kind of agency, matched by workforce composition rather than name. Pay is not cost-of-living adjusted.

Public Employees Retire Associate Minnesota91% match
Octo District of Columbia41% match

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Stephanie Tonihka

Financial Services Director/Teachers Retirement Associate

2025 total comp

$110,565

Sub-department: Administration
Base pay: $108,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $1,600
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $110,565
Hire date: 2014-03-10
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G69
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Other
Branch Code: Other
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Teachers Retirement Associate, Stephanie Tonihka serves as a Financial Services Director within Administration. Hired in 2014, they have about 11 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $110,565. They are represented by Manager.

Elissa Forster

Information Technology Specialist 3/Teachers Retirement Associate

2025 total comp

$108,494

Sub-department: Support Unit
Base pay: $108,494
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $108,494
Hire date: 2023-09-13
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: G69
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Other
Branch Code: Other
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Elissa Forster is a Information Technology Specialist 3 at Teachers Retirement Associate within Support Unit. Their tenure dates to 2023, about 2 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $108,494. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.