American Academy of Actuaries Recognizes Volunteers’ Service to Public and Profession

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- The American Academy of Actuaries issued the following news release:

The American Academy of Actuaries recognized several of its most dedicated volunteers for their service to the public, the U.S. actuarial profession, and the Academy with awards presented at its Annual Meeting and Public Policy Forum on Nov. 14-15 in Washington, D.C. They include recipients of the Academy's two prestigious lifetime awards, the Jarvis Farley Service Award and the Robert J. Myers Public Service Award, and five recipients of the 2017 Outstanding Volunteerism Award.

"Service is at the heart of the Academy's mission," said Academy 2016-17 President Bob Beuerlein. "We are fortunate to benefit from the skill, dedication, and hard work of more than 1,200 Academy volunteers, as well as to recognize among our membership the contributions of actuaries working in public service. Our members produce substantial, noteworthy work that touches every practice area of our profession and many aspects beyond."

Kenneth A. Kent of McLean, Va., a longtime Academy volunteer who has made significant contributions in both the public policy and professionalism areas of the Academy's work, including serving as vice president of pension and vice president of professionalism, received the 2017 Jarvis Farley Service Award. The award honors an actuary whose volunteer efforts on behalf of the Academy have made significant contributions to the advancement of the profession. The Academy established the award in 1991 to honor one of its most dedicated volunteers, Jarvis Farley, a charter member of the Academy and an invaluable resource for the profession.

"This is a great and unexpected honor that I share with the many other dedicated actuaries with whom I have had the pleasure of volunteering over the years," said Kent. "My attraction to volunteering and participating has always been fueled by the incredible opportunity to meet and work collaboratively with other actuaries. It is so much more valuable to grow a career being exposed to the diverse views of actuaries from different disciplines, practices, and countries."

Larry Bruning of Kansas City, Mo., whose work at the Kansas Insurance Department and as chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Life Actuarial Task Force has been instrumental to the adoption and implementation of life principle-based reserving, received the 2017 Robert J. Myers Public Service Award. The Academy's Committee on Actuarial Public Service established the award in 1994. The award is named after Robert J. Myers to honor his lifelong commitment to public service.

"I am extremely honored to receive this award from the Academy," said Bruning. "I share this award with the many colleagues who assisted and supported me in my efforts to bring about the evolutionary change in the state regulation of life insurance that will better serve the public for years to come."

Five Academy volunteers--Mary Bahna-Nolan of Naperville, Ill., Keith Passwater of Brownsburg, Ind., Lenny Reback of Highland Park, N.J., Nancy Watkins of San Francisco, Calif., and Aaron Weindling of Philadelphia, Pa.--were recognized with the Academy's 2017 Outstanding Volunteerism Award. The award honors Academy volunteers who have made a single, noteworthy volunteerism contribution in the previous year.

"In their work on behalf of the Academy, our Outstanding Volunteerism Award recipients each demonstrated a commitment that won the admiration of the members and officers of the Academy," said Beuerlein.

This document was posted showing the date: Nov. 16, 2017.