Regional Affiliates
Similar to other professions, upon receiving ACAS and FCAS credentials, you are required to maintain a certain number of continuing education (CE) hours each year (a useful video on CE requirements can be found on the New Members page of the CAS website.)
For some, these requirements can be arduous, particularly when attempting to fulfill organized education hours. To assist members in their CE efforts, the CAS offers semiannual meetings and seminars. Many members, however, are not able to attend all of these offerings due to the time commitment of travel or the registration costs. Therefore, there are 18 CAS Regional Affiliates established throughout the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Europe and Asia, with the purpose of providing opportunities for organized CE hours close to home at a low cost and a small time commitment.
Most Regional Affiliates meet twice a year, providing their members with full days of pertinent and interesting presentations. Often, a session on Professionalism will be offered, which can be a pesky requirement to fulfill each year. A wide variety of topics are presented by folks from diverse backgrounds. For example, at the most recent Casualty Actuaries of New England (CANE) meeting, a presentation on wildfires was given by a fire expert, a doctor presented his research findings on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), two attorneys shared their insights on trends and changes in the insurance legal environment, and there were presentations on blockchain and the state of the reinsurance market. Not only will attending these meetings fulfill CE requirements, but the topics discussed are often directly related to your work.
In addition to providing CE, Regional Affiliates also provide fantastic networking opportunities. Hundreds of local professionals from different companies and lines of business gathered in one place is a wonderful venue to stretch your learning and increase your professional network. Jeff Courchene, a member of the Casualty Actuaries in Europe (CAE) remarked:
"When I moved to Europe in 2005, the CAE was an opportunity to engage with other CAS members. Sharing experiences and networking with CAS members in Europe was particularly valuable in that many of us faced similar cultural and professional challenges while sharing similar actuarial backgrounds."
Regional Affiliates also provide opportunities to volunteer. You can help organize and run the meetings by participating on their boards. Even better, you can volunteer to present! Through the Affiliate's University engagement program, there may be mentoring opportunities. Most Affiliates invite students to their semiannual meetings and often have strong connections with regional universities. Karen Queen, a member of the Casualty Actuaries of the Desert States (CADS) shared the following:
"CADS partners heavily with Arizona State University; ASU has a strong and growing actuarial science program and is a 2018 CAS University Award winner. CADS typically holds one meeting per year on campus, with significant student engagement including student presentations. Many of the local companies fill internship and entry-level positions through this partnership, and CADS members participate in the actuarial science program activities such as mock interviewing and case study competition judging."
A few Affiliates (e.g., SWAF, MAF, CASE, CAMAR) award scholarships to students. The Casualty Actuaries of the Mid-Atlantic Region (CAMAR) typically awards up to three eligible candidates $3,000 to $5,000 and smaller amounts to others, for a total of up to $20,000 per year!
The table provides basic available information regarding each Regional Affiliate. For further information or to contact your respective Regional Affiliate, please visit /membership/regional-international-affiliates.
Additional Regional Affiliates
- Casualty Actuaries of Greater New York (CAGNY) - NY, NJ, Eastern PA, Western CT
- Central States Actuarial Forum (CSAF) - CO, IA, KS, MO, NE, ND, SD
- Southern California Casualty Actuarial Club (SCCAC) - Southern CA
- Association des Actuaires IARD (AAIARD) - Québec
- Casualty Actuaries of Bermuda (CABER) - Island of Bermuda
- Casualty Actuaries of the Far East (CAFE) - People's Republic of China Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea
- Asia Region Casualty Actuaries (ARECA) - PRC Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, plus all of southeast Asia
