In Memory of Cynthia J. Levering

May 11, 2023

The Society of Actuaries (SOA) received the sad news that Cynthia J. Levering, ASA, MAAA, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2023, after an 18-month battle with cancer. We feel a profound sense of loss at the SOA and extend our heartfelt sympathies to her friends and family. We wish to honor her remarkable accomplishments and the meaningful relationships she fostered through her dedicated service and volunteer work with the SOA.

Former senior vice president and consulting actuary at Aon Consulting, Levering regularly consulted with corporate and not-for-profit clients, before retiring a decade ago. She earned her ASA in 1977 and her MAAA in 1979. Levering volunteered with the SOA as chair of the Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program, Retirement Section Council and Retirement Section Research Committee. She was an active member of the SOA Research Executive Committee and a media spokesperson on research for the SOA, including on the SOA Post-Retirement Risk Research series.

Levering served a vital role in creating the SOA’s Retirement 20/20 Project—envisioning new retirement systems. She participated in the Retirement for the AGES initiative as a member of the Pension Practice Council’s Retirement System Assessment and Policy Committee, a committee of the American Academy of Actuaries. She was also a member of the Academy’s Lifetime Income Committee and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor to complete a three-year term on the ERISA Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans. She received the Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2013 for her extraordinary contributions to the SOA and the actuarial profession. Outside her professional duties, she was an active and valued member of her church, loving to sing in the choir even virtually during the pandemic. Her love of music also found its way as President of the Board of Trustees and office volunteer for the Handel Choir of Baltimore.

“Cindy’s contributions to the SOA and the profession touched so many of her colleagues and were of direct benefit to society,” said Anna Rappaport, Past President of the Society of Actuaries. “She worked hard to bring innovation to the SOA's retirement actuaries. Cindy’s hand was always among those first up for any opportunity—a real role model for SOA volunteers and all SOA staff. She will be truly missed.”