For Kendra Felisky, FCAS, growing the pipeline of actuaries includes looking beyond U.S. borders.

As the CAS VP-International, her primary responsibilities are to further Pillar Three of the CAS Strategic Plan, which is “Expanding Globally.”

“We are doing this by targeting growth in members through candidate support and student outreach as well as communicating with employers and regulators about the benefit of property and casualty actuaries,” Felisky said.

Felisky is also responsible for ensuring that the CAS meets the needs of its members who work outside North America. Currently, the organization has just over 5% of its members residing outside North America and around 7% to 8% of its candidates.

Her main goal has been to put in place a solid support structure for CAS volunteers and staff so that they can further the goal of expanding globally.

“It will take a number of years to see the effects of our efforts, so we are concentrating on increasing our interactions with university students, candidates, members, employers and regulators as much as possible,” Felisky said.

She is excited about the webinars the CAS has begun hosting that are aimed at an international audience and at appropriate times for people on the other side of the world. She is also delighted to see positive progress with new University Engagement programming designed to raise student awareness early on about the CAS.

“It will take a number of years to see the effects of our efforts, so we are concentrating on increasing our interactions … .” — Kendra Felisky

Felisky is most proud of putting in place a structure for evaluating the countries and areas in which the CAS can make the most difference. Instead of being reactive or trying to be everything to everybody, the CAS is purposeful in its approach. She is also proud of the work being done to create awareness that the CAS has members located outside of North America and connecting those members with each other locally.

“I’m always interested in doing what I can to promote the CAS internationally — it is the best education for producing the actuaries of the future,” she said. “It is also full of really nice people to work with.”

Felisky’s CAS volunteer history naturally led her to the VP-International position. “I’ve always volunteered in the international space, such as with the Regional Affiliate, Casualty Actuaries in Europe and the predecessor groups to the International Member Services Working Group,” Felisky said.

After graduating in applied math from UC-Berkeley, Felisky stumbled into the property-casualty field. “I’ve spent most of my career as a consultant, on both sides of the ‘pond,’ but I’ve also been a chief actuary and a chief risk officer. I am now an independent non-executive director for three insurance companies in London,” she said.

For those who want to make their way up to volunteer leadership roles, Felisky offers this advice: “Put your hand up! Don’t wait to be tapped on the shoulder. And network like crazy — you never know where it will lead.”