Chairperson’s Corner

By Alicia Traviss

Retirement Section News, January 2024

I am very honored to be this year’s chair of the Retirement Section Council (RSC). I have over 20 years of experience as an actuarial consultant to private and public sector employers as well as multiemployer plans, with an emphasis on the valuation and analysis of qualified and non-qualified pension and retiree medical plans. Having experience on both the valuation and audit side of the table, along with working at both a large employer and a small firm, has given me a 360-degree viewpoint on the issues facing employees, employers, and retirees today.

The RSC recently welcomed two new members on the leadership team—Christopher Teh and Grant Martin. They both jumped in and took on the roles of treasurer (Christopher) and secretary (Grant). We are on the lookout for a third candidate (so if you are reading this and interested, reach out!). These new members bring fresh perspectives and renewed enthusiasm to our group. Unfortunately, this also means we are formally saying goodbye to three key members—Hal Tepfer, Lee Gold, and Robert Reiskytl. Hal, as outgoing chair, will be especially missed. We hope that they will each stay on as a Friend of the Council and continue to leverage their past RSC experience. Continuing members of the council are Jamie Sloat (vice chair), Greg Hawes, David Rosenblum, Jeff Passmore, and Jeff Williams. The RSC is thankful to have the guidance of the SOA’s very own Carla Eisenberg, engagement specialist, and Steven Siegel, staff actuary, both of whom keep us on track and abreast of SOA policies and other work.

The RSC had the opportunity in October to meet in Nashville to discuss roles within the RSC and plan for the year ahead. We have continued to brainstorm ideas and plan to select a few areas to focus on in 2024 at our next meeting. We are always open to hearing ideas and encourage you to reach out if you have any suggestions. In addition to our work within the RSC, our team liaises with many other SOA teams and committees—Defined Contribution, Aging and Retirement, Communications, and Education and Research. We also play key roles on Project Oversight Groups for multiple research topics and papers.

As you can tell, there are many moving parts. Consequently, we would welcome additional volunteers to help us tackle the variety of projects so please reach out to me or any other member of the leadership team if you are interested. Please be on the lookout for publications and webcasts from the RSC throughout 2024. More information can be found on the RSC website: Retirement Section | SOA.

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries, the newsletter editors, or the respective authors’ employers.

Alicia Traviss, FSA, EA, MAAA, FCA, is a managing partner at Athena Actuarial Consulting. She can be contacted at alicia@athenaactuarial.com.