Academy Reinforces the Value of the Actuarial Profession With the Addition of Staff Actuary Roles  

WASHINGTON—The American Academy of Actuaries is bolstering its activities and longstanding commitment to advancing the U.S. actuarial profession’s value to the public, members of the profession, policymakers, and other stakeholders with the addition of four full-time staff actuaries. 

Implementation of the Academy’s planned strategic investment in staff actuaries began this month with the addition of Seong-min Eom, MAAA, FSA, PRM, who started as Senior Actuary, Life and Risk Management, on July 13, and Julia Lerche, MAAA, FSA, who started as Senior Actuary, Health, on July 27. The Academy will add two more staff actuaries, in the casualty and retirement practice areas, in 2026. 

“The Academy is reinforcing the value delivered by actuarial professionals as preeminent experts in risk and financial security with this addition of in-house, full-time staff actuary roles,” said Academy Executive Director and CEO Bill Michalisin, CAE. “Seong-min Eom and Julia Lerche bring deep benches of actuarial and regulatory expertise, diverse perspectives from the field, and prolific Academy volunteer experience and stakeholder engagement to our day-to-day operations. As the Academy expands and innovates its portfolio of resources to meet the needs of our members and stakeholders within an increasingly complex risk, technology, and public policy landscape, we are looking forward to the contributions staff actuaries will make to advancing our mission and the work of our dedicated volunteers and staff.” 

Eom has more than 25 years of diverse actuarial experience that spans regulatory, consulting, and corporate environments, and 15 years of experience as an Academy volunteer, including serving as the Academy’s vice president of risk management and financial reporting from 2021 to 2023. She also chaired the Climate Change Joint Committee, shepherding the Academy’s work in this priority public policy domain. Most recently, she served as chief actuary at the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, and as chairperson of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Longevity Risk (E/A) Subgroup and as a member of other NAIC task forces. 

Lerche’s actuarial background includes extensive public and private roles, as well as multiple Academy volunteer roles. She served in several key volunteer leadership roles for the Academy, including serving on the Board of Directors and as vice chairperson of the Health Practice Council before starting with the Academy staff. At the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, she was instrumental in designing and implementing the state’s Medicaid expansion as chief strategy officer and chief actuary, NC Medicaid. 

Learn more about the Academy at actuary.org. 

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The American Academy of Actuaries is a 21,000-member professional association whose mission is to serve the public and the U.S. actuarial profession. For 60+ years, the Academy has assisted public policymakers on all levels by providing leadership, objective expertise, and actuarial advice on risk and financial security issues. The Academy also sets qualification, practice, and professionalism standards for actuaries in the United States.