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Advancing Actuarial Education & Research in 2025: A Message from the New E&R Chair

By Fang Yang

Expanding Horizons, April 2025

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I am both honored and excited to step into the role of chair for the SOA Education and Research (E&R) Section. It’s a privilege to continue serving a community that is so dedicated to advancing actuarial knowledge and practice. My time as vice-chair has been incredibly rewarding, offering me opportunities to contribute to meaningful initiatives such as the SOA Outstanding Educator Award (thanks to Russell Hendel and Stefanos Orfanos); co-editing the Expanding Horizons newsletter (thanks to Tianyang Wang); organizing webcasts (thanks to Sungwon Ahn, Brian Hartman and In Kyung Pyo); and addressing the challenges faced by small actuarial programs (thanks to Sang Hoon Ahn and Russell Hendel). These experiences have deepened my appreciation for the creativity and commitment of our members, and I look forward to continuing our work together to make an even greater impact.

This year, our section is growing in exciting ways, with several new roles filled by dedicated members. Kaitlin Creighton serves as our webcasts/podcasts coordinator and as the Professional Development Committee (PDC) liaison. Diana Skrzydlo, Sang Hoon Ahn and Min Ji have come together to form the E&R LinkedIn Group Team and Web Page Update Team. Sang Hoon Ahn steps into his role as newsletter co-editor alongside veteran Tianyang Wang, while Lu Xiong serves as the Early Career Research Award Selection Committee liaison. I will serve as the Outstanding Educator Award Selection Committee liaison, and Vytaras Brazauskas represents the Section Research Committee. I am thrilled to collaborate with such a talented team as we continue driving innovation and impact within our community.

In our recent planning meetings, we discussed ways to engage the community more actively. One exciting proposal from Russell Hendel is to launch a “topic call” centered around “teaching tips.” This initiative would feature several presenters, each sharing a teaching tip in a short, 5- to 10-minute segment, followed by an open floor for audience contributions. The tips would then be summarized in an article for Expanding Horizons. We are currently working on the details of this initiative, and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition.

Looking ahead, our section’s success will rely on continued collaboration and thoughtful planning. Some of our key activities for the coming year include:

  • Overseeing the Actuarial Research Conference (ARC) to be held July 29–August 1 at York University in Toronto
  • Supporting the Award Selection Committees for both the Early Career Award and the Outstanding Educator Award
  • Engaging in community planning meetings starting in late spring and continuing through mid-year 2025

I encourage all members to share ideas for future activities, projects or initiatives that could help us further our mission. Together, we can ensure that the section continues to lead the way in promoting excellence in actuarial education and research.

Thank you for entrusting me with this opportunity to serve. I am excited to work with all of you to make 2025 a truly remarkable year for the SOA Education & Research Section!

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

Fang Yang, Ph.D., ASA, is a clinical associate professor and the director of the undergraduate Actuarial Science program at the Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Science at Georgia State University, as well as the 2025 chair for the SOA’s Education and Research Section. Fang can be reached at fyang10@gsu.edu.