Candidate Information Shari Westerfield

Name:	Shari Westerfield
Practice Area:	Health
Employer Name:	Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Employer City/State:	Chicago, Ill.
Credentials:	MAAA, FSA

Academy Experience

Board of Directors, Regular Director, 2010-2012
Chairperson, State Health Principle-based Work Group, 2007-2012
Chairperson, Committee on State Health Issues 2007-2011; Member 2011-2012
Member, Health Practice Financial Reporting Committee, 2004-2012
Member, Health Practice Council, 2007-2012
Member, Medical Loss Ratio Work Group, 2010-2012
Member, Health Practice Council Communications Task Force, 2011-2012
Member, Health Practice Council Extreme Events Work Group, 2005-2011
Member, Regulatory Capital Requirements Task Force, 2010
Member, Tax Reform Work Group, 2006-2009
Member, Premium Deficiency Work Group, 2006-2007

Current/Recent Positions at SOA-CAS-CCA-ASPPA (ACOPA)

SOA, Member of the Health Section Council

Candidate Biographical Sketch

I am the Senior Actuary leading the Actuarial & Underwriting Services department at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in Chicago, where I focus on providing actuarial support to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield system. I have more than 20 years of experience in the health actuarial field, including various pricing and valuation roles in both insurance and consulting environments.

I graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in Actuarial Science and I am a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

A long-time member of the Academy’s Health Practice Council, I currently am completing a two-year term (as a result of a vacancy) as a regular director of the Academy’s board of directors. I continue to serve as a member of the Health Practice Council’s Financial Reporting Committee and Communications Committee. I recently completed a five-year term as the Chairperson of the Committee on State Health Issues.

Candidates for regular Director will normally have served the Academy or the actuarial profession by:

Serving on Academy committees or task forces;
Serving on the ABCD, or on the ASB or an ASB Committee;
Serving on the Boards or committees of other actuarial bodies;
Attainment of important stature in the insurance business, in actuarial consulting or in some other field of actuarial work, such as teaching.

How I meet the qualifications for the position of Regular Director on the Academy Board of Directors

Having first become active as a volunteer in 2004, I have steadily expanded my service in support of the Academy’s vital work in the health practice area. My active committee assignments have ranged from the Financial Reporting Committee to the Regulatory Capital Requirements Task Force to the Committee on State Health Issues, which I chaired for five years. Over the years, I have served on nearly a dozen health-related committees, task forces, and work groups. I became a member of the Health Practice Council in 2007 and in 2010 I was elected to the Academy Board of Directors to fill the final two years of an unexpired term.

Why I want to serve on the Academy Board of Directors

The vision of the American Academy of Actuaries is that financial security systems in the United States be sound and sustainable, and that actuaries be recognized as preeminent experts in risk and financial security. As the public policy arm of the profession, it is the Academy’s role to convey the actuarial perspective regarding these financial security systems in a manner that is easily understood, while demonstrating the complexities of the issues and the challenges of developing solutions.

I wish to serve on the Board of Directors to help guide the Academy in its service to the public and the profession both within and beyond the health practice. I would also like to encourage others in the profession to volunteer their time and skills to ensure a better future for all.

What I believe are the most important issues facing the American Academy of Actuaries

One of the primary issues facing the actuarial profession is the public’s understanding of who actuaries are and what we bring to the discussion. The challenge for us is to become recognized as comprehensive thinkers in order to have our voice heard. From my experience as an active volunteer within the Health Practice Council, I recognize that it is even more critical during this time of health care reform implementation.