By Nick Ortner
Building on Joeff Williams’ “From the EAS Chairperson” commentary and themes of service and change in the November 2013 issue of The Independent Consultant, I want to lend a bit more color to those themes by articulating goals and direction for the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section (EAS) in 2014:
- SERVICE: The EAS will continue to serve entrepreneurial-minded actuaries and related professionals by providing education, business resources and networking opportunities. The challenge we embrace is to connect with a membership that represents a much wider spectrum of practice areas and expertise than most Sections whose focus is subject matter-based.
- CHANGE: As Joeff described, EAS is exploring new ways to connect with our diverse membership—we’re not just looking to do the same things in different ways, but also looking to move into new and different environments with organizations (traditional or not, actuarial or not) that connect with entrepreneurs, bring entrepreneurs together, and value what EAS members contribute to the conversation. Furthermore, building on the concept of “change,” new Council roles and targeted activities for 2014 include the following:
- Nicole Fende and Shasha Huang will co-coordinate EAS’s Social Media development and presence.
- New meeting/session/webinar involvement includes the following:
- The International Congress of Actuaries (March 30 – April 4 in D.C.);
- Technology/Tools webinar, targeted to take place between April and June;
- Innovation for Entrepreneurs session to follow the Life & Annuity Symposium in May in Atlanta;
- Development, in conjunction with the SOA, of an “Online Virtual Meeting” for continuing education; and
- New Entrepreneurs’ Workshop (September 13 in Toronto).
As it did in 2013, the EAS will again work on the following projects:
- Life & Annuity (L&A) Symposium 2014 (May 19-20; Atlanta).
- 2014 Annual Meeting (October 26-29; Orlando).
- 2014 EAS Professionalism Webinar (targeting Nov. 5, 2014).
I also echo Joeff’s encouragement of deeper involvement as an author for the quarterly newsletter, as a speaker for EAS sessions/webinars, or as a Friend of the EAS Council to assist in networking and other endeavors. By becoming involved with the Section you can expand your network, enhance your own brand and credibility, and make new friends in a low-key environment.
We are always interested in ideas to increase the value we provide to our members. Please feel free to contact any EAS Council member with questions, ideas or availability, and visit our webpage to find out about activities and general information.
Nick Ortner, FSA, MAAA, is sales vice president for the Group Markets practice of National Guardian Life Insurance Company in Madison, Wis. and current chair of the EAS. He may be reached at 608.443.5280 or njortner@nglic.com.