Volunteering Sharpens Leadership Skills

When her company downsized in 1995, Regina Berens had a distinct advantage over other jobseekers. Prior to being downsized, Berens had been placed on the ballot for the CAS Board of Directors. That serendipitous timing helped her land her next job.

Name recognition and exposure are just a few of the many benefits of volunteering in the CAS. Berens, CAS Committee on Volunteer Resources (COVR) chair, joined Dale Porfilio, Daniel Roth, and outgoing COVR chair Roger Schultz in a panel discussion of CAS volunteer opportunities during the 2001 CAS Annual Meeting in Atlanta. The session familiarized attendees with the advantages of volunteering, the process, and COVR's role.

Benefits
For the panelists, volunteering gave them a better view of the actuarial profession and allowed them to get involved in areas that interested them. Roth spoke about his passion for getting people involved in actuarial science. He found his opportunity as a University Liaison to his alma mater, Northwestern. Roth's contact with the university has not only been a gratifying experience for him but has also aided his company's recruiting process.

COVR's Role
Responsible for the "care and feeding" of CAS volunteers, COVR operates with the goal of increasing volunteer involvement and improving volunteer satisfaction. COVR provides potential volunteers with information on logistics, such as types of interaction (conference calls as opposed to face-to-face meetings) and administrative tasks. COVR monitors how committees are staffed and gathers statistics on volunteers by using the Participation Survey. On the Participation Survey, potential volunteers can review various committee time obligations and expectations. COVR also promotes member involvement, encouraging committee leaders to choose new members instead of recruiting already active volunteers. To offer even more support to volunteers, COVR has organized a Volunteer Advisory Program that pairs new volunteers with seasoned volunteers who can answer questions and provide guidance.

Learning to Lead
Working on committees is an education in leadership, the panelists concluded. Schultz emphasized that learning leadership skills hones one's ability to influence people—a valuable personal and business skill.

For more information on how to get involved in the CAS, look for the 2002 Participation Survey, which will be distributed and posted on the CAS Web Site in June.