By Joeff Williams
"Things do not change; we change.”
Henry David Thoreau
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
Winston Churchill
By the time you read this, my tenure as chair of the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section will be complete. It is fall and the quotes above remind us that just as the leaves change color the membership of the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section council will change as well as the various leadership roles on the council. The purpose of the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section will continue to be “to serve the business needs of actuaries and related professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit, helping them to thrive in their business, consulting firm or company by providing education, business resources and networking opportunities.” With new leadership, new ideas on how to accomplish that mission will be welcomed as the council continues to explore ways to enhance the membership value for all our members. I look forward to continuing to work with the council to realize this objective.
The Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section Council for 2014 will be:
Nick Ortner (chairperson), Nicole Fende (vice chairperson), Shasha Huang, Stephen James, Derek Kueker, Carlos Fuentes, Abednigo Sibanda, Thomas Totten and Joeff Williams.
I want to thank those who will be completing their final year on the council in 2013. Kevin Pledge served as both chairperson and secretary/treasurer during his time on the council. He was a valuable asset and we look forward to his continued involvement as a friend of the council. Pauline Reimer volunteered as the section’s business opportunities/networking coordinator. She worked to be sure the section had a variety of networking opportunities regionally and at national meetings. Shehreen Zaman volunteered to be the health meeting representative. She helped coordinate two sessions that were very well received.
The council continues to discuss how we can best serve a diverse membership. We are exploring ways to reach out to non-traditional, non-actuarial organizations that may have a connection with entrepreneurs that could value what the Entrepreneurial Section provides to its members. We will also continue to explore the latest forms of communication with our members, as well as the latest technology for entrepreneurs.
To meet these challenges, the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section is sponsoring a webinar on Nov. 6, 2013 titled, “Professionalism: Your Initials Are There – Whether They Are Or Not.” The focus of this webinar is for actuaries that are engaged in non-traditional roles. The challenges of using the term “qualified” and meeting the code of conduct will be explored for those working in a non-traditional role.
As the quotes remind us, change is inevitable. I encourage our members to get involved and help in any way possible. The council is always looking for speakers at sessions/webinars, ways to reach out to potential new members, or new networking opportunities. We are also interested in any new ideas of how we can enhance the value we provide to our members. Please feel free to reach out to any of our council members with questions or ideas.
I want to extend a big thank you to the SOA staff. It was a true pleasure to work with Meg Weber and Sue Martz. They certainly made my job much easier and provided invaluable assistance and encouragement in all our endeavors. Thank you both for everything you do!
Please visit our webpage for ongoing activities and information.
Joeff Williams, FSA, MAAA, is a consulting actuary with Actuarial Management Resources, Inc. in Winston-Salem, N.C. and current chair of the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section. He may be reached at jwilliams@actmanre.com.