Valerie A. Paganelli, FSA 1994, EA, MAAA, BBA

Owner & President, Paganelli Consulting, Inc., Seattle, WA

Brief description of the type of work you currently do:

• Market outreach and consulting support for Watson Wyatt in the Pacific Northwest
• Pension administration consulting support for The Boeing Company
• Pension consulting support for Annuities West, Inc., an annuity brokerage firm
• Assess current employer profiles and facilitate change, as needed, to retirement benefits program(s) to align business needs of employers with financial goals of employees
• Public speaking engagements and authorships, primarily on topics related to "new age retirement" profiles and phased retirement arrangements from an employer perspective

Primary Area of Practice: Retirement Systems

Other Areas of Practice/Interests:

• Redefining Retirement for medium–to–large employer plan sponsors
• Workforce planning/management analytics, demographics and benefit/business culture adjustments to support business objectives
• Community advocacy on issues affecting Seattle neighborhoods; active outdoorsman and sportsman with a family of all boys

Professional Background:

• Over 25 years of actuarial consulting experience with both private and public sector employers. Have served as lead actuary to major organizations, developing strategies for the design, benchmarking, funding, investing, accounting, communication, administration, merger, divestiture, and spin–off of complex retirement programs. Clients have included The Boeing Company, Continental Airlines, The City and County of San Francisco, Washington Group International, Avista Corporation, Fluor Corporation, and The State of Washington.
• A national leader, award recipient, research designer and published author related to retirement, workforce demographics and phased retirement. Consulting research focuses actively on the topic of phased retirement; frequently quoted in the press and speaks regularly at various public forums, including testimony to both the IRS and the Special Senate Committee on Aging and national expert panelist for the Bureau of National Affairs, the Society of Actuaries and other leading benefits groups.
• Prior to spearheading Paganelli Consulting, Inc. in 2005, spent ten years with Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Seattle as the retirement practice leader and nationally recognized consultant, and eight years with Towers Perrin (San Francisco and Houston). Career started with Safeco Life Insurance in Seattle.

Volunteer Experience:

• Society of Actuaries–Risks and Process of Retirement Media Spokesperson (current), member of development and review team and discussant for call for papers for Re–Envisioning Retirement in the 20th Century (2005–2006), panelist for "Implications of Longer Life Spans" and "Emerging Definitions of Retirement" SOA 2008 International Symposium Living to 100 (representing employer perspective), member of Phased Retirement POG (2004), SOA webinar presenter on Phased Retirement (2007), Fellowship Admissions Course committee member (1990s)
• Western Pension & Benefits Conference–Seattle Chapter. Served on the Board (1998–2003) both as Treasurer and Director at Large
• Boy Scouts of America–Pack Committee Chair for Seattle Cub Scout Packs 70 & 72 (2008 to present) serving over 80 families
• Community Advocate–co–leader for Seattle Concerned Neighbors of Fire Station 20 (2005 to present) serving over 200 community members
• Pike Place Market Foundation–donate time to support fundraising for food bank, elder care, child care and medical services to the underprivileged population in the Pike Place Market community (2008 to present)
• Watson Wyatt Pension Plan Committee–member of committee for five years during tenure at Watson Wyatt

Vision Statement:

Being an actuary today is a conundrum. On one hand, the professional credential requires demonstrated ability to organize complex details, build strong analytical skills and hone the accuracy of a myriad of risk algorithms, measurements, projections and regulations. On the other hand, for the profession to maximize its potential, we must also deftly swing to the other end of the pendulum: to timely interpret our complex analyses, to translate output from our algorithms into everyday terminology, to lead ourselves and influence others to sound decisions, and to have a strong, trusted and ethical voice. Is it realistic to define success of the profession based on each and every actuary having such a broad set of skills? Will our profession only be relevant if each individual actuary reaches this pinnacle of perfection? Perhaps. But I would suggest it is as a community of actuaries working together with a collection of these varied skills that builds the greatest visibility. The diverse ways in which actuaries have applied their skills continues to grow. It is through the leveraging and networking of these skills that our profession will continue to have sustainability and flourish. I believe the SOA Board can use its credibility to heighten its endorsement of "hire an actuary" to "hire a team of actuaries". The Board can get more plugged into our membership to learn how each member is making a difference in their career "because they are part of a team of actuaries". Only together are we the perfect actuary!