ACAS - November 2012
Candidate Information
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Business, Curtis L. Carlson School of Management (University of MN), 2004
Majors in Actuarial Science, Risk Management & Insurance; Minor in Mathematics
Current Employment:
Travelers Insurance
AVP, Actuarial and Analytics
Head of Enterprise Catastrophe Risk Management Actuarial
CAS Activities and Publications:
Volunteer Work:
- 2013 – 2017, Exam proctor
- 2013 – 2017, President of Casualty Actuaries of Europe
- 2017 – 2022, Chair of International Member’s Services Committee/Task Force
- 2019, Cofounder and Member of International University Engagement Task Force
- 2019, International Representative of Website Redesign Task Force
- 2019 – 2022, Member of International Leadership Group
- 2021 – 2022, Member of Marketing and Communications Group
- 2022, Member of Member Engagement Advisory Working Group
Other Activities:
Interviewed, Future Fellows, September 2021 Volume 27 No. 3:
“A Conversation with the Founders of the Network of Actuarial Women and Allies (NAWA)”
Interviewed, “CAS Celebrates Volunteers”
Featured, Actuarial Review, May – June 2021 Volume 48 No. 3:
“IMSC Continues Its Successful Outreach Program”
Panelist, CAS Spring Meeting 2021: Celebrating Diversity Reception
Profiled, CAS Fellows Profiled in Diversity in Action Magazine
Other Actuarial Organizations:
Panelist, American Academy of Actuaries annual meeting (Conversation on DE&I), Nov 2021
Employment History - Prior Employers:
2017 – Current: Travelers Insurance (Hartford, CT)
- 2019 – Current: Actuarial Lead, Enterprise Catastrophe Risk Management
- 2017 – 2019: Non-Cat Lead, Business Insurance Property Loss Analytics & Reserving
2013 – 2017: Travelers Syndicate Management (London, UK)
- 2013 – 2017: Business Unit Head Actuary, Lloyd’s of London Syndicate 5000
2005 – 2013: Travelers Insurance (St. Paul, MN & International)
- Various roles including International Actuarial (London and Dublin), Global Accounts, Bond & Financial Products, and Oil & Gas
2003 – 2004: Hays Companies (Minneapolis, MN)
- Actuarial and Analytics at Insurance Broker
Membership and Activities in Other Organizations:
Cofounder, President, and Board Member of Network of Actuarial Women and Allies (NAWA), 2021 - Current
Chair, NAWA Measurement and Reporting Impact Committee, 2021 – 2022
Chair, NAWA Program Strategy Impact Committee, 2021 - 2022
Presenter, NAWA Launch Event: Active Allyship - why it’s important for an inclusive workplace, https://www.nawaactuaries.org/the-nawa-narrative/launch-event-recap, Oct 2021
Guest Instructor, University of St. Thomas course on P&C Actuarial Reserving, 2014 - 2017
Member, We Are the City (London Women’s Business Network), 2014 – 2017
Member, London Market Actuarial Group (LMAG), 2013 – 2017
Cofounder and Vice Chair, Travelers’ European Women’s Diversity Network, 2013 – 2017
Member, Lloyd’s Claim Inflation Working Group, 2013 – 2014
Co-Chair, Professional Development Committee of Travelers’ Women in Actuarial and Analytics, 2009 - 2013
Other Publications:
Contributor, Lloyd’s Claim Inflation Discussion Document, November 2014,
https://assets.lloyds.com/assets/pdf-claims-inflation-discussion-document-mg-20141128/1/Claims-Inflation-Discussion-Document-MG-20141128.pdf
Awards and Recognitions:
Interviewed, Diversity In Action Magazine March/April 2022, “Financially Sound”,
https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=46265&i=739661&p=46&ver=html5
The CAS Strategic Plan envisions the future for our members to be, “Sought after globally for our insights and our ability to apply analytics to solve insurance and risk management problems.” It recognizes our intellectual curiosity and ability to excel in various roles. I call this out as I think it speaks to the heart of us. Wherever problem solvers are needed, we have value to add.
Our Strategic Plan lays out three pillars to address. Not only have I been actively working with others to make this a reality, but I believe we are headed in the right direction for the future of our field. Specifically, I am passionate about enhancing our global presence as well as our talent pipeline. On top of that, it is essential that our credentialing standards remain high, relevant, and we retain our prestigious reputation among employers, members, and candidates. My background and experience will be valuable as we work toward our vision.
As laid out in the third pillar of the Strategic Plan, there is a growing “global demand for the services and expertise of CAS members.” Yet, demand for insurance professionals outside of North America is outpacing our own growth. My extensive international background has given me perspective on how we can better serve and grow our presence. I spent half of my 18 years in international business, including six years overseas. While there, I was President of the Casualty Actuaries of Europe. Currently, I sit on the International Leadership Group and have been the Chair of the International Member’s Services Task Force for the past five years. In this role, I lead 40+ volunteers to help the CAS identify and address international-focused engagement, research, and other issues. I’d like to expand my leadership reach here and have a larger impact on the CAS in addressing our roadblocks.
As we look to expand membership to meet the growing demand, we need to target our efforts where we previously have not. The second pillar focuses on diversifying our pipeline. Diversity comes in many forms, such as: universities, majors, backgrounds, ethnicity, race, gender, nationality, and thought. As Cofounder and President of the Network of Actuarial Women and Allies and as a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion within my company, I understand the importance of making space for DE&I in our organization. We need to continue to build awareness, expand our recruiting, and be intentional about our mentoring with the aim to attract a diverse pool of candidates.
Foremost, we need to ensure our curriculum continues to be of the highest standard, as well as relevant and competitive. This is where the first pillar (building skills for the future) comes in. As we aim to evolve and enhance our credentialling process via the Admissions Transformation Plan (ATP), it is essential we do not diminish the value of our credentials. On top of that, we need to equip all members with the skillset to meet market demands and the confidence to venture into other areas.
That last point about high standards applies to all changes. It is of utmost importance. I want to bring my passion and subject matter expertise to the Board to ensure we maintain the value of the CAS.
As a Board member, addressing the issues laid out in the three key pillars in a way that does not diminish the value of our credentials is priority number one. We have a globally admired designation which we must maintain. However, we must evolve. I am prepared to lead us through that change.
Pillar #1 - Build Skills for the Future: To stay relevant and maintain our high-quality designation, we need to continue to evolve with the field. As the amount of data available to us increases, our members are discovering new problems every day. How can we prepare the future and current actuary for the change and ambiguity that is the reality of our field? Ensuring our members have the skillset to be industry leading problem solvers will be key in remaining relevant in our expanding field.
The Admissions Transformation Plan (ATP) intends to address the above for the pipeline. Regarding the changes the pathway has laid out, it is crucial we do not compromise our high standards of testing as we move toward having a curriculum that is better aligned with real world applications. However, this is not just an admissions issue. Continuing education offerings must find the right balance to preserve our relevance as our industry continues to evolve and expand into other areas such as data science and cat modeling (where I currently find myself in).
Pillar #2 - Diversify our Pipeline: Diverse and inclusive communities are more creative, engaged, and produce stronger business results. The diversity we are striving for can be achieved by reviewing our outreach and addressing other hurdles, such as awareness and affordability. For example, what are the demographics of the schools targeted for recruiting? Or within STEM and other majors? I believe we can have a real impact here. We need to start by laying out the framework for where problems are and proceed with how to address them, when appropriate. I have actively been involved in this conversation via my work leading NAWA (Network of Actuarial Women and Allies) and would like to continue helping to move this forward in a way that retains our prestige and increases our footprint of attracting high quality professionals around the world.
Pillar #3 - Expand Globally: Demand for insurance professionals outside of North America is growing faster than our membership. The efforts by the global volunteer community to address this and other issues have been vast. I am honored to have been a part of this great community for nearly 10 years. Our global efforts have been focused on raising awareness, serving our members, and accessibility to our exams and professional education. The good news is, in many countries and companies where there is awareness of the CAS, our credentials are often recognized for our high standards. However, other barriers remain, such as awareness and accessibility when compared to our competitors. We need to address this while not lowering the bar on our credentialing process. On top of that, we need to ensure we are at the cusp of globally relevant topics. The CAS should be looked to for research and perspective on topics that aren’t only relevant to the US, but to the world.
