Leadership & Board

Gloria Gilliam currently serves as President of IABA. She brings years of actuarial expertise and a deep commitment to advancing diversity in the actuarial profession.

Gloria is VP & Reserving Actuary at Chubb. Prior to her current role, she held multiple positions at PwC and Deloitte, specializing in financial reporting, M&A, and risk advisory for P&C insurers and self-insured clients. Her work has spanned traditional reserving as well as emerging areas like ESG risk analysis.

Gloria holds a Master of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Delaware. She is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Brandon Wright has over 20 years of experience in the life insurance industry, having worked at both insurance carriers and as an actuarial consultant. His work has spanned many areas of the life insurance actuarial value chain. Most recently, he led the Inforce management a team at a large insurance carrier and previously served as a liaison between the Life Insurance business unit CFO and a shared actuarial services group.

Brandon is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He was instrumental in establishing IABA’s Houston Affiliate and is actively involved with the Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries.

Nicole is an Actuarial Director at Progressive Insurance in Cleveland, OH. She began her analytical career at Progressive in 2007 and has held various roles in Personal and Commercial Lines Pricing, Product, and Reserving. Her current responsibilities include developing a team of several analysts and managing loss reserves across the country for both Auto and Homeowners.

Prior to starting with Progressive, Nicole graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Hampton University. Nicole became involved with IABA in 2005 and, over the years, has volunteered with the Membership, Scholarship, and Annual Meeting Planning Committees; most recently, she has led the Annual Meeting Planning Committee. Additionally, she has volunteered with the CAS as a committee member for the Casualty Loss Reserving Seminar (CLRS). Nicole is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS) and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

Nikaya is a Senior Associate Actuary at PwC, specializing in healthcare analytics, risk adjustment, and pricing strategy. She advises leading health plans on cost containment, payment integrity, and medical policy, and has experience in reserve evaluations and Medicare Advantage performance analysis. Previously at The Cigna Group, she led enhancements to forecasting models and claims analysis tools for Medicare and ACA markets.

Nikaya holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from UNC Chapel Hill, where she graduated with distinction and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She currently serves as Marketing & Communications Co-Lead for the International Association of Black Actuaries and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area.

Stephen is a Senior Vice President, Key Account Manager within Swiss Re’s US L&H division. In this role, Stephen is responsible for building business relationships, driving strategy and delivering results in partnership with US based L&H insurance carriers and serves as the primary point of contact for reinsurance pricing, treaty negotiations, and mortality consulting work. Stephen started his career with PwC’s Ghana office, within their audit and assurance line of practice, where he focused on audit across banking, insurance, and mining companies across the West African sub region.

Stephen holds a doctorate degree in Applied Economics, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He currently serves as the Vice President of the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA) and joined its Board of Directors in 2017. He is also a contributing editor of the Society of Actuaries ‘The Actuary’ magazine.

Dwayne is a Senior Manager in EY’s Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Services practice. He is based in the firm’s New York Office. Dwayne has over 10 years of experience with EY serving insurance, reinsurance, and financial services clients. His skill set includes risk management, forecasting & stress testing, financial reporting, ALM, and Actuarial Transformation and merger & acquisitions. Dwayne is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). and member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

In 2020, Dwayne was elected to the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA) Executive Board as President. He has been involved with IABA since 2014, previously serving as Vice President from 2018-2020 and assisting in efforts to develop an Actuarial Ambassador Program (AAP) to promote the actuarial profession and foster the development of black actuarial students on college campuses. In 2015, Dwayne helped establish and institute an AAP program at Florida State University, organizing case studies as well as professional development events for students focused on career development, mentoring, personal branding, soft-skills, etc. Dwayne is a native of Toronto, ON and has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, majoring in Actuarial Science from the University of Waterloo.

Valérie works for Mercer as a Global Client Manager. Based in Montreal, she has over 15 years of experience as a pension and benefits actuary in both the US and Canada. In her current role, she effectively manages relationships with multinational corporations, maintaining a strong global connection while fostering close relationships with local corporate contacts.

She is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries. She holds a B.A. in Economics with a Minor in Business Studies from Concordia University (2003). She also earned a B.Sc. in Mathematics, Specialization in Actuarial Science from Université de Montréal (2007). She also completed a Microprogram in Innovation Management from HEC Montréal (2020).

Jon is a Vice President & Actuary at Lincoln Financial and is based out of Philadelphia. He serves on the Core Life Product team, focusing on product development and strategic reinsurance initiatives. With over 15 years of experience, Jon has held various roles in pricing, modeling, and valuation at Amplify Life Insurance, Prudential Financial, and EY.

Jon is a graduate of Temple University, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Throughout his professional career, Jon has been a strong advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and an active member of IABA. Since joining in 2010, he has served in multiple leadership roles and committees, including the Hartford Affiliate co-leader, serving as the organization’s Treasurer, helping establish the Actuarial Ambassador Program, serving on the Friends of the Board, and most recently, serving on the Exam Prep Program Committee.

Dalesa Bady, Founder & CEO of Pursue What Matters, is an Executive Coach & Strategist solving a $50B leadership gap in the insurance industry. She helps high-performing professionals secure Director and VP roles, equipping them to lead with influence and drive strategic impact across the industry. Over nearly 4 years, she has supported clients in executive positions at large-scale organizations such as Chubb, ScotiaBank, UpBound Group, Lemonade and AmTrust Financial Services.

Through coaching, speaking, and workshop facilitation, Dalesa has taught and worked with hundreds of insurance professionals. She has partnered with organizations like Genworth, BlackWomen of the Insurance Industry, and The Institutes CPCU Society and remains an active volunteer with the Casualty Actuarial Society. Her work blends a rare mix of industry expertise, personal experiences, and practical teachings to transform professionals into influential business leaders.

Prior to launching her own company, Dalesa spent 15 years in the property and casualty insurance space as a credentialed actuary. She has led world-class actuarial and data analytic efforts for multi-million dollar portfolios across USAA, Pinnacle Actuarial Resources and GuideOne Insurance. Currently, Dalesa serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Black Actuaries.

Dalesa lives in the Dallas, Texas area and is a proud alumna of The University of Texas at Austin. She is a dedicated cat-mom, daughter, sister, and friend.

Maambo is a Corporate Vice President & Actuary at New York Life Insurance Company. In her current role, she is responsible for providing actuarial regulatory support, covering various aspects across state, federal and international developments. Prior to this role, she has held various actuarial roles in Financial Reporting, Life and Annuity Pricing and Pricing Oversight.

Maambo began her career at Cigna insurance company where she worked on pricing Dental and Vision products for the individual and group market. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Actuarial Mathematics at University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Maambo is a previous IABA scholarship recipient and has volunteered in numerous roles within IABA including NY/NJ Affiliate lead, Scholarship Committee, Friends of the Board and most recently as a Board member. Additionally, she currently volunteers at the SOA and AAA on various committees.

Anthony Weatherspoon has over fifteen years of actuarial experience with leading insurance companies, integrated care delivery systems and consulting firms, specifically in the areas of pricing, mental health parity, value-based care, capital adequacy, and actuarial modernization. Since joining IABA in 2012, Anthony has coordinated the Professional Development Sessions for the IABA Annual Meeting, served as Friend of the Board, and has led the Impact and Member Committee. He has also served as Chair of the Young Professional’s Advisory Council for the Society of Actuaries. Anthony has been a passionate supporter of Diversity and Inclusion initiatives at several organizations throughout his career. He continues this work to this day and seeks more opportunities to impact change for organizations and people alike.