CAS Profiles

Joana Neves, MIBA, is an actuarial manager and property and casualty (P&C) reserving specialist with over 12 years of experience in the insurance industry. Originally from Brazil, Joana built an actuarial career before moving to the United States in 2023 to pursue her long-time goal of working abroad. Before making the move, she held senior » READ MORE

Bella Thiel is an actuarial analyst at Allstate Insurance and an active member of the CAS. She graduated from UW-Madison in 2024 and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Where do you work and what is your position? I work as an actuarial analyst at Allstate Insurance, specifically on the National General team. We work on » READ MORE

Eduardo Esteva holds a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from ITAM University in Mexico. He began his career as an automobile analyst, followed by a position in the National Commission of Insurance and Surety, where he helped create the first regulation of IBNR in Latinoamerica. Since 1999, Eduardo has served in consulting roles, beginning at » READ MORE

I have been working as a property and casualty (P&C) actuary for the past five years, and I continue to explore the vast range of actuarial specialties. From working on modernizing the Rating Algorithm from prior legacy systems to rate segmentation and portfolio steering to working on core actuarial indications, I enjoy exploring the vast » READ MORE

Melissa began her career in health insurance before transitioning to property and casualty (P&C). Over the past six years, she has worked with a variety of product lines, ranging from long-term disability to travel insurance to snowmobiles. Melissa studied at McGill University in Montréal and has worked in both Canada-facing and U.S.-facing insurance roles. Where » READ MORE

I am currently an SVP & Actuary at Crum and Forster and CFO of the Commercial and Executive division. I started my career within the Travelers Actuarial Leadership Development Program and also spent time at The Hartford in a variety of roles, as well as overseeing their actuarial student program.   Where do you work » READ MORE

I am presently Chief Risk Officer — Commercial & Executive at Crum & Forster (C&F). The role has a dual focus: The first involves leading a small group of actuaries focused on predictive modeling for MLOps. The second involves working with business partners to ensure our division’s emerging risks are registered, and that reasonable controls » READ MORE

Marty Arnold, FCAS, CERA, is an insurance executive who started his career as an actuary before taking on challenges where he gained experience in Corporate Strategy, M&A, ERM, Reinsurance, Product Development, and Underwriting. Where do you work and what is your position? I am currently Amerisure’s Chief Underwriting Officer, where I lead underwriting strategy, Field » READ MORE

I’m an FCAS who has worked in insurance and consulting for over 30 years. I was a math major with an actuarial science concentration at the University of Michigan. Go Blue! Where do you work and what is your position? I am currently the Chief Risk Officer and Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management at » READ MORE

I have almost 20 years of experience as an actuary. Throughout my career, I have worked in three different countries and have had roles in pricing, reserving, and catastrophe modeling. I worked at two large insurance carriers, one ride-share company, and one autonomous vehicle technology company.   Where do you work and what is your » READ MORE

Michael Suess, FCAS, CPCU, ARe, is an Actuarial Research Director at COUNTRY Financial, where his current responsibilities include oversight of predictive models, rate indications, and rate verification for personal, commercial, and agricultural lines of business. Michael is a Fellow of the CAS, Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, and Associate in Reinsurance. He obtained a bachelor’s in » READ MORE

Jaime Szalewiski, FCAS, is a commercial lines pricing actuary driven by learning, collaboration, and mentorship. With prior roles as at super regional Midwest carriers as well as AmTrust, she has a strong base in building pricing tools, strengthening processes, and reviewing programs. Where do you work and what is your position? I am a Senior » READ MORE

Dan Watt, is a Fellow of the CAS and a dedicated volunteer, having begun his volunteer journey with the CAS in 2015. Over the years, he has contributed to various volunteer groups including the Syllabus and Examination Working Group, the Candidate Advocate Working Group, and the Casualty Actuaries of New England (CANE), among other volunteer » READ MORE

Kyle Bartee, FCAS, leads the Actuarial and Underwriting departments of Roamly. He has been an active volunteer with the CAS since 2014 and currently serves as the Volunteer Chair the CAS Case Competiton Volunteer Task Force. He received the CAS Above and Beyond Achievement Award in 2024. Where do you work and what is your » READ MORE

Jason Rutten is a Senior Actuarial Consultant at Travelers. After starting in an underwriting role at Travelers  Jason transitioned to actuarial work. Where do you work and what is your position? I work in St. Paul, MN, at Travelers as a Senior Actuarial Consultant supporting Small Commercial Auto. Where did you attend college? University of » READ MORE

Mindy Moss, FCAS, is a Manage Actuary at Allstate Insurance and an active member of the CAS. Currently, she serves on both the Candidate Advocate Working Group and the Admissions Governance Council. Where do you work and what is your position? I work as a Managing Actuary at Allstate Insurance. My team focuses heavily on » READ MORE

David Idoux, FCAS, is an active member of the CAS and an actuary at USAA. He has contributed to CAS publications, including   graduate of Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. Where do you work and what is your position? I am an Actuary Lead at USAA working in Pricing Modernization. Where did you attend college? » READ MORE

Jianyu Chen, FCAS, is a dynamic actuarial professional who began her career as a math teacher before transitioning into the insurance industry. Jianyu now applies her expertise in portfolio analytics as an actuary at Zurich North America. She attended college at New York University and earned her graduate degree at Columbia University. Where do you » READ MORE

Rachel Hunter is a Career Changer. In what field or actuarial concentration do you work in now? I most recently worked in pricing for small commercial lines. What job did you do or industry did you work in before becoming an actuary? During the late 90’s, I was part of the dot-com boom building websites » READ MORE

Where do you work and what is your position? I have been part of Travelers Insurance for 16 years. Currently I am an AVP in Corporate Actuarial where I lead our work on annual and quarterly financials related to reserves, catastrophe reporting and competitor analytics. Why did you decide to become an actuary? During my » READ MORE

Melissa Huenefeldt is a Career Changer. Where do you work and what is your position? Consulting Actuary, Milliman In what field or actuarial concentration do you work in now? Property & Casualty reserving for large deductible/self-insured organizations. What job did you do or industry did you work in before becoming an actuary? I double-majored in » READ MORE

Where do you work and what is your position? I work as a manager in the Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Services practice of EY. Why did you decide to become an actuary? When I was applying for college, I had no clue what I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted it to » READ MORE

Where do you work and what is your position? I currently work remotely out of Dallas, Texas as a Pricing Actuary for GuideOne Insurance. Why did you decide to become an actuary? My introduction to the profession began as a senior in high school spending an afternoon with a Chief Actuary working for a life » READ MORE

Where do you work and what is your position? I’m currently Group Chief Risk Officer at Everest, a global P&C insurance and reinsurance company headquartered in Warren, NJ. Why did you decide to become an actuary? I majored in actuarial sciences in college because I really enjoyed math and wanted to eventually be in the » READ MORE

CAS Profile – Allison Barnes Allison Barnes is a Career Changer. Where do you work and what is your position? Actuarial Analyst, CNA Insurance In what field or actuarial concentration do you work in now? Specialty Pricing, Financial Institutions What job did you do or industry did you work in before becoming an actuary? I » READ MORE

Where do you work and what is your position? I am President and Consulting Actuary at Liscord, Ward & Roy, Inc., a property/casualty actuarial consulting firm located in Manchester, NH. Why did you decide to become an actuary? A week before I finished college, a recruiter from Aetna Insurance was on campus talking to students » READ MORE

Where do you work and what is your position? I’m a pricing actuary with Ryan Specialty. Why did you decide to become an actuary? I went to a math and science high school (for NUS High we fight!), but I was definitely better at/more interested in math than sciences. I was looking for a math-related » READ MORE

Why did you decide to become an actuary? One of my neighbors is an actuary and introduced me to the field in high school. I was always good at math but wanted a career in business – and his job as an actuary sounded like a perfect fit! As I learned more about the profession » READ MORE

My name is Sebastian Czerwinski and I am a senior at Illinois State University. Currently I am an actuarial intern at COUNTRY Financial on their pricing team for commercial lines of business and I have accepted a full time position with them in the same position. An interesting fact about me is that I can » READ MORE

Name of university attended: The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Current employer/job title: Senior Actuary at New Energy Risk Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? Insurance is so dynamic and interesting!  I graduated from college in 2014, and while we were talking about “big data”, » READ MORE

My name is Jason Nikowitz.  I have an associate degree from Harper College, a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, and a master’s degree from North Central College.  I currently work at Zurich North America as an AVP Actuary and Team Lead.  Prior to transitioning to actuarial work, I taught high school mathematics for five years.  » READ MORE

University: The University of Iowa Current Employer/Title: Deloitte Consulting LLP – P&C Actuarial Senior Manager Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? Insurance is an industry with a lot of opportunities. Almost every individual and business in the US is required to have insurance. Insurance provides piece of » READ MORE

School: New York University  Current Employer/Title: Vice President Actuary, Head of US Reserving at Ascot Group  Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? The insurance industry is exciting because insurance products are always changing to keep up with the world.  For example, we get to see how cyber risks or » READ MORE

Name of college/university attended: Brigham Young University with a degree in Actuarial Science  Current employer/job title: Actuarial Analyst at the American Family Insurance Group  Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? Insurance is a great career for anyone interested in applying statistics you’ve learned in class or seen » READ MORE

Name of college/university attended: University of Notre Dame   Current employer/job title: Managing Director at Deloitte   Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? Working in the insurance industry is a way to be on the front lines of making a social impact. The industry is designed to » READ MORE

Name of college/university attended: University of Notre Dame Current employer/job title: CNA Insurance, Actuarial Consultant Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? The insurance industry has rewarding work. New graduates can immediately see their work helping clients recover after accidents or catastrophes. In addition, it has a great job » READ MORE

Name of college/university attended: Arizona State University  Current employer/job title: Allstate, Actuarial Analyst   Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? When I first started, one of the things that surprised me most was the strong sense of community present in the insurance industry. The amount of support and » READ MORE

My name is Chelsea Adler and I’m an FCAS passionate about changing the narrative around insurance. After graduating from Ohio State University with a major in Actuarial Science, I spent the first 5 years of my career pricing Homeowners insurance at State Farm. I then transitioned to my current role as Senior Manager, Pricing and » READ MORE

My name is Dan Post, and it is hard to believe that I have been an FCAS for 19 years!  I graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a degree in Actuarial Science (and a minor in music) and have held a variety of actuarial positions at several insurance companies.  I have spent the last 16 » READ MORE

Susana Gisele Zelaya, FCAS, FCIA, works as an Actuary at ICBC in the Product Pricing Team. She graduated from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) with a bachelor degree in actuarial sciences. Born in El Salvador, her parents moved to Canada where she grew up as French Canadian and recently moved to British Columbia. She » READ MORE

My name is Denise Olson. I currently work at Zurich North America as the Head of New Programs leading a cross functional due diligence team. I graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Go Big Red!) with a double major in Actuarial Science and Math. In my 30-year career, I’ve spent about 20 years » READ MORE

My name is Matthew Cairo and I work as an Actuarial Analyst at State Farm in the Homeowners Pricing Unit. I graduated from Florida State University (Go Noles!) with a double major in Actuarial Science and Risk Management & Insurance. I held the title of Vice-President of the Iota chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma while » READ MORE

Cory Ortiz works at State Farm as an Actuarial Analyst in the Homeowners Pricing Unit.  Cory graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Actuarial Science and a minor in Business Management.  He was born and raised in Central Illinois and is back in his hometown after graduating from BYU. Why would you recommend » READ MORE

Carlo Lahura works as an Actuarial Consultant with EY where he has advised a variety of national and international clients since 2017, and obtained his FCAS credential in 2019. Carlo graduated as Valedictorian from the University of Waterloo in 2017 with 7 actuarial exams, president of various clubs, and nearly 2 years of actuarial internships. » READ MORE

My name is Melissa Salazar and I am a Senior Actuarial Analyst at Nationwide Insurance where I work in Management Liability and Specialty Lines of insurance. I was raised in Florida where I went to school at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics as well as » READ MORE

Julianne Borgardt has been with Allstate Insurance Company since 2015 and currently works as an Actuarial Assistant on Allstate Business Insurance’s Commercial Property Lines. Julianne is a graduate of Concordia University of Wisconsin where she majored in Actuarial Science and minored in German Language. In addition to her normal actuarial work, Julianne has enjoyed speaking » READ MORE

Kelly Gates is a Pricing Actuary on the Commercial Auto team at Zurich North America. She is an Associate of the CAS and is currently working on her last exam for her Fellowship. She is a graduate of Lafayette College. Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? I » READ MORE

Robert Hark is an Actuarial Analyst at Applied Underwriters. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Montana Tech and a Master of Science from the University of California, Davis. Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? If you have strong mathematical and analytical skills, and you would like » READ MORE

Marla Strykowski, FCAS, MAAA, is an actuary at Plymouth Rock Assurance. She graduated from Bentley University with a double major in Mathematical Sciences and Liberal Studies, with a concentration in Actuarial Science. Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? Learning about the numerous aspects of the insurance industry » READ MORE

Allie Rexroat, ACAS, MAAA, works as an Actuarial Analyst at State Farm in the Specialty Lines Pricing Unit. She is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri. Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students? The insurance industry today is changing very quickly. There are so many new » READ MORE

Madison Bemis studies actuarial science and music at the University of St. Thomas. She previously held the title of Co-President of the Beta Pi chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma and currently serves as the concertmaster for her school’s string orchestra. Madison is also currently interning at Travelers, where she will be working full-time after graduation. » READ MORE

Matthew Edson studies actuarial science and finance and economics at the University of Connecticut. He is the CFO of the UConn chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma. Matthew will be pursing an internship this summer at Travelers in their Actuarial and Analytics Leadership Development Program (AALDP). Why are you interested in pursuing a career in the » READ MORE

Kristen Marshall studies actuarial science at Illinois State University. She is the vice president of membership for Toastmasters International Club on campus, the finance coordinator for Christian Business, and the current trip leader for the 2018 Honors Program Alternative Spring Break Trip to New Orleans, where she will partner with Junior Achievement to visit low-income » READ MORE

  Jake Akstins studies actuarial science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is president of the university’s actuarial science club, and was selected as a 2017 CAS Trust Scholarship Winner. Jake has spent the last two summers interning at CNA and will begin working there full time after graduation. Why are you interested » READ MORE