Keeping you in the know—the latest news from the Academy
RECENT ACADEMY ACTIVITY | Sept 18–22, 2023
This Week … In a Minute
Have a minute? Catch up on the week’s top stories with the latest “This Week … In a Minute” video. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts as they are released.
New Member Benefit—Public Speaking & Presentation Resources
A new webpage provides key resources for public speaking and presentations, including coaching and tips on speaking and presenting for in-person or virtual events as well as information on how to work with Academy staff before speaking, and technical information in preparation for Academy events. Our resources and information are updated regularly—be sure to take advantage of this new member benefit and follow the easy steps each time you accept an invitation to speak from the Academy. And don’t forget to share feedback and insights following your speaking events as we want to hear from members and ensure the resources continue to respond to member needs. Visit the webpage.
Next Week—Pension: Academy Webinar to Look at Gender Data
Join the Academy for next week’s webinar, “Valuing Gender Expansive Data in Pension Plans,” which will examine the Pension Committee’s new issue brief covering areas pension actuaries may consider when performing an actuarial valuation using sex/gender expansive data—including data on sex/gender that is either missing or non-binary. Presenters and Pension Committee members Koren Holden and Maria Kirilenko are featured and discuss the issue brief in the latest Actuary Voices. The webinar is next Wednesday, Sept. 27, from noon to 1 p.m. EDT; USQS continuing education and JBEA continuing professional education credit are available. Register today.
Can’t Make It?—Slides and a recording will be available following the webinar as a complimentary member benefit.
Check Out Contingencies’ Inaugural Professionalism Issue
Have you perused the latest issue of Contingencies? The issue—which is chock-full of professionalism content—leads with “A Delicate Boon” by Senior Director of Professionalism Brian Jackson, which discusses the responsibilities each actuary has in maintaining the public’s trust. Also in the issue, “Everyone Plays a Part,” which discusses Precept 13 of the Code of Professional Conduct, which requires every actuary practicing in the U.S. to keep an eye on the behavior of other actuaries—and to hold them accountable if they fall short of their professional duties; and “Into New Frontiers,” a timely article that lays out some considerations for actuaries working in a developing area of practice.
Raise your hand—If you’ve always wanted to see your byline in the pages of Contingencies, drop an email to Editor-in-Chief Eric P. Harding. We’re looking to expand our pool of subject-matter experts and contributors, so don’t be shy.
Member-Selected Directors Process Concludes
Thank you to Academy members who took part in the member-selected directors process, which concluded Wednesday. The new member-selected directors, who will begin three-year terms in November, will be Lena Black, Donna Megregian, and Maambo Mujala. For more, visit the Board Selection Center.
PBR Bootcamp Webinar Examines Hedge Modeling
The latest edition of this year’s PBR Bootcamp series on principle-based reserving (PBR) issues covered hedge modeling and related issues. Slides and a recording are available as a complimentary member benefit.
Professionalism Outreach Continues with Academy-Supported Speaking Events
The Academy’s Speakers Bureau’s service to the profession continued with Tuesday’s virtual presentation by Committee on Education Chairperson Nancy Behrens to the Portland (Ore.) Actuarial Club. In “The Bountiful Actuarial Toolbox: Professionalism Resources for Everyday and Beyond,” Behrens discussed the many resources available to actuaries in their adherence to professional standards and as they encounter professionalism questions or dilemmas where there may be gray areas. She pointed attendees to professionalism discussion papers, Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline (ABCD) requests for guidance, Academy professionalism webinar recordings, and other professionalism resources, and engaged attendees with polling and case studies.
Need a Speaker? The Academy provides qualified speakers to actuarial clubs and organizations to help members fulfill their professionalism continuing education requirements. For more information and to request a speaker, visit the Academy website.
Recently Released
The Fall Life Perspectives covered Academy life presentations at last month’s NAIC Summer National Meeting in Seattle—and a follow-on presentation at the Society of Actuaries Life Meeting on New Orleans—along with coverage of recent Life Practice Council webinars, and legislative and regulatory activity.
Call for Volunteers—Thank You and Next Steps
Thank you to Academy volunteers for your continuous support in fulfilling the Academy’s mission to serve the U.S. actuarial profession and the public. We are also incredibly grateful to all the members who took the Annual Call for Volunteers survey this year. Over the next several months, Academy staff will work with volunteer leadership to review the responses and add new volunteers to committees and our pool of micro-volunteering opportunities, with the goal of the outreach being completed by the end of the year.
For members who did not take this year’s survey, a volunteer interest form is available on the Academy’s website in order to express your interest. For members who have questions about their survey placement process or have ideas and/or feedback to share about volunteering, please contact the Membership Department.
Bids Sought for Ohio Medicaid Opportunity
Ohio’s Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) is requesting bids for a vendor to provide actuarial services and related consulting services. Key actuarial staff must be a member of the Academy and have experience working with Medicaid programs (experience with Ohio’s Medicaid program is preferred). Proposals must be submitted electronically by Oct. 19 to JMOC Executive Director Jada Brady at Jada.Brady@jmoc.state.oh.us.
Academy Participates in White House Climate Roundtable
Casualty Policy Analyst Rob Fischer and Risk Management and Financial Reporting Policy Analyst Will Behnke participated in a White House Climate Risk Modeling roundtable, which brought together stakeholders from the Biden administration, academia, high-level government agency officials, and industry and climate scientists. They discussed climate risk, the changing climate, and actions on climate being undertaken.
Public Policy News in Brief
Social Security Committee released an issue brief, Assumptions Used to Evaluate Social Security’s Financial Condition. The issue brief describes the assumptions that must be made in any actuarial projection of the Social Security program’s finances and explains how variations in assumed values affect projections.
The Medicare Committee submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the draft part one guidance for the Maximum Monthly Cap on Cost-Sharing Payments Program.
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