Diversity is a source of strength for Lincoln Financial Group and a critical component for our continued success. With a commitment to diversity in mind, Lincoln Financial has partnered with the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA), a professional and student member organization whose mission is to contribute to an increase in the number of black actuaries and to influence the successful career development, civic growth and achievement of black actuaries.

As part of that partnership, Lincoln Financial hosted an IABA Speaker Series event on Thursday, June 23, in the Hartford office. The event featured light refreshments and networking opportunities for the attendees, followed by a presentation by Stephen Turer, Vice President, Individual Annuity Pricing, on variable annuity dynamic lapse. More than a dozen people attended the event, including members of Lincoln Financial’s Actuarial Development Program, as well as employees from other Hartford-area insurance companies.

Jonathan Applewhite, an Actuarial Analyst based in Hartford, has been involved with the IABA for two years and helped organize the networking event. Jonathan said that the Speaker Series is only part of what the IABA does. “It’s a national organization that also reaches out to students to help educate them on the role of actuaries, and it also provides scholarships.”

In the fall, Lincoln Financial will participate in the IABA’s job shadowing program, in which 12 high school students will spend a half day shadowing members of Lincoln’s ADP program. In addition, Lincoln Financial is sponsoring the career networking lunch on the first day of the IABA’s 18^th Annual Meeting, which takes place August 5 and 6 in Boston, Mass. Stephen Turer will again be a featured speaker at the event.

Several Lincoln Financial employees are involved in the IABA partnership, including Brian Kroll, Head of Annuity Solutions, who sits on the IABA’s Corporate Partner Council advisory board. Paul Spurr, Vice President, IS Financial Management, and Becky Chapman, Senior HR Business Consultant, also serve as diversity co-champions to manage the relationship with the IABA.