2022 SOA Board Elections

[meep]

Official SOA Board nominations have been announced (that’s P-E and regular board seats)

2022 Candidates | SOA

2022 Endorsed Candidates

Announcing the endorsed candidates for the 2022 SOA Board of Directors Election.

Endorsed Candidates for Elected Board Member

(five to be elected)

Karen Burnett, FSA 2002, FCIA 2002

Ian Duncan, FSA 2002, FIA 1982, FCIA 1984, MAAA 1992, FCA 2015

Jiangang He, FSA 2007, FCIA 2013

Hsiang Kau, FSA 2005, MAAA 2002

Lisa Kuklinski, FSA 1995, MAAA 1996

Melody Prangley, FSA 2007, MAAA 2008, EA 2009, FCA 2021

Kelly Rabin, FSA 2006, MAAA 2006

Mark Shemtob, FSA 2016, MAAA 1982, EA 1984, MSPA 1987, FCA 2017

Zorast Wadia, FSA 2006, MAAA 2002, EA 2005, FCA 2010

Nathan Wilbanks, FSA 2012, MAAA 2011

Endorsed Candidates for President-Elect and Vice-Chair

(one to be elected)

Sharon Giffen, FSA 1984, FCIA 1984

Timothy Rozar, FSA 2004, MAAA 2001, CERA 2008

There is at least one petition candidate for P-E so far, and there is a separate thread for petition candidates:
https://community-new.goactuary.com/t/2022-soa-petition-candidates/5971

[Bro]

My 100 $GoA says that there won’t be any difference in P-E candidates. All their ‘platforms’ will be virtually the same:

“I want to give back to the actuarial community, I want to keep the value of the designation strong, I want to really listen to the membership.”

And since there’s a 99% chance I won’t be able to identify any substantive difference between candidates, there’s a corresponding 99% chance I won’t be voting for P-E.

[meep]

@Bro

And since there’s a 99% chance I won’t be able to identify any substantive difference between candidates, there’s a corresponding 99% chance I won’t be voting for P-E.

I wish somebody would say that SOA Hub was a stupid idea.

(they won’t)

[PatientZombie]

I don’t look at platform much. I like people who work for US companies and in similar Lines to my own.

I also like previous experience, someone who looks like they paid the dues

[meep]

I will start a separate Section Council thread, as that’s the one I pay attention to (and I have comments)

I want people who will do the work, as it were.

From my experience, there have people who run for Section Council who never show up for calls, never do a damn thing. They just want something for their resume.

I stopped running for any offices. I just show up and do stuff.

[SpaceLobster]

Yep, that’s the way I volunteer now too. Volunteer management level can be a catastrophe. Last time I did that I about got run.out of town on a rail.

[Cooke]

@meep

I will start a separate Section Council thread, as that’s the one I pay attention to (and I have comments)

I want people who will do the work, as it were.

From my experience, there have people who run for Section Council who never show up for calls, never do a damn thing. They just want something for their resume.

I hear you. My experience has been that 90% of the work is done by about half the members of any volunteer actuarial committee. It can be frustrating, especially if you’re the Chair trying to get stuff done.

The consolation in volunteering is some of the great friendships that do come out of doing it.

[meep]

In some of my volunteer experience, unfortunately, some of the volunteers are getting over-extended.

I am trying to get more people involved… many hands make for light work!

(btw, Section Election stuff isn’t posted until much later, so don’t hold your breath for that thread)

[PatientZombie]

if you want something done, ask a busy person.

[Bro]

SOA Hub was a stupid idea.

As was “SOA to the e-Power” or whatever that marketing campaign was.

Renaming the Annual Conference to “ImpACT” is a C-plus at best.

[Bro]

And having no Strategic Plan in place is a significant flaw that should be remedied toot-sweet.

https://www.soa.org/programs/strategic-planning/default/

[Cooke]

I am finding increasingly that it is the retirees on the boards I am involved in that are doing most of the work. I appreciate it is tough for an actuary with a full-time job to devote much time to volunteering. I don’t ask for as much of a time commitment from working folks as from my fellow retirees.

[Cooke]

That is true in the office but I have not found that to be the case in volunteering. Most busy people will view volunteering as a secondary activity and, not surprisingly, give their day job the top priority.

[PatientZombie]

I’ll disagree a bit as a working person and the president of a national organization (religiously affiliated). But, yes the busy non-working will have a better capacity to find time, as my job does take precedence.

As for the SOA, I was a bit surprised how much time coworkers devoted, possibly to the detriment of their work. A lot of my job is networking for insurance clients, so there is some benefit to appropriate volunteering when I am done with my personal responsibilities, yet still working

[Cooke]

One change I have noticed over the last 50 years is the diminished support that SOME employers give to employees who devote a good deal of time to actuarial volunteer activities.

My former employer some years ago would give a year off with pay if one of its employees became the President of a major actuarial body such as the SOA, CAS or the CIA. That employer now effectively discourages any volunteering as it is does not even take into consideration volunteering in annual reviews. When your 2,000 or so hours of annual activity are set at the beginning of the year, volunteering must be in addition to it. In addition no related travel expenses for volunteering are reimbursed. I think that sends the wrong message. However I know there are still many employers who are great supporters of actuarial volunteerism: it is only the ones who have diminished their support that I am calling out.

[meep]

Look, there are dumb marketing ideas, and those pass.

But then there is yet another failed social networking idea from the SOA. I told them why it wouldn’t work, but whatever. If you can’t get your most active members to get involved, and can’t get the people you’re trying to attract to get involved… well. MAYBE STOP TRYING THIS THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

[Bro]

you’re preaching to the choir, sister.

[meep]

Yes, I know.

But they’ve already shown they’re not going to listen to me. So I may as well do it somewhere else where I have some fun doing other things as well.

[1695814]

Final Ballot Announced

2022 SOA Board of Directors Elections

Dear 1695814,

Find out more about the final candidates for the 2022 Society of Actuaries’ (SOA) Board of Elections. Decide who will lead the SOA through excellence, strong leadership skills, and fostering an encouraging and inclusive environment to achieve common goals and support the actuarial profession. Get to know these candidates by visiting their web pages, questionnaires and video messages.

Never mind how sloppy and :exams:-y that “Decide who…” sentence is…let’s get on with the ballot…

Endorsed Candidates for Elected Board Member
(five to be elected)

pictures and links to bios, etc.

Karen Burnett

FSA 2002, FCIA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Ian Duncan

FSA 2002, FIA, FCIA, MAAA, FCA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Jiangang He

FSA 2007, FCIA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Hsiang Kau

FSA 2005, MAAA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Lisa Kuklinski

FSA 1995, MAAA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Melody Prangley

FSA 2007, MAAA, EA, FCA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Kelly Rabin

FSA 2006, MAAA, CFA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Mark Shemtob

FSA 2016, MAAA, EA, MSPA, FCA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Zorast Wadia

FSA 2006, MAAA, EA, FCA, CFA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Nathan Wilbanks

FSA 2012, MAAA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Candidates For President-Elect and Vice-Chair
(one to be elected)

pictures and links to bios, etc.

Sharon Giffen (endorsed)

FSA 1984, FCIA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Timothy Rozar (endorsed)

FSA 2004, MAAA, CERA

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Christine Hofbeck

(by petition)

FSA 2000

Candidate Page

Questionnaire

Video Message

Voting opens August 22 and closes September 9.

[Bro]

still waiting for anything like a substantive difference between any Presidential candidates, even petition candidates. They’re all the same: “I have a lot of experience, and I want to give back to the community.” yawn. Let me know when you have a proposed solution for, or are at least willing to entertain ideas around:

• increasing the voting percentage

• Increasing Society service percentage (via speaking, mentoring, exam grading, research, etc.)

• changing from “volunteer” to paid service for things like speaking, exam grading, etc.

• developing a mentoring program that is independent of individual employers

• improving the relevance of examination system and materially reducing travel time

• reducing the power of the CEO / Executive Director (don’t remember which that is, but they’re chosen by the board, not the membership) and returning it to the membership via the President role. (Currently the President is only President for 1 year, and very diluted in power because there are also a President-Elect, Past President, and Penultimate Past President handcuffing that person as well as trying to get their agendas through.

• smallifying the Board of Directors to something like 12-15, rather than 25-27; there’s too many on the Board who are only there just because it looks good on their resume. Didn’t we learn in one of the exams (corporate risk management, maybe?) that good boards have 12-15 members? Bad boards have way too many and nobody has enough power to actually do anything.

• finding ways to make the SOA serve the membership, not the other way around

• creating a real, accountable, member-led and member-endorsed Strategic Plan, not some marketing bullshit that is this “SOA to the ePower” or whatever.