Staff Leaders
Gregory W. Heidrich
Executive Director
Greg Heidrich has served as executive director of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) since July 2007. He provides management oversight and direction to the full range of the Society’s activities.
Before joining the SOA, he served as senior vice president, Policy Development and Research, for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). At PCI, he worked with member insurers to develop public policy positions and research on issues facing the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry. He began his career with the Alliance of American Insurers, serving as staff economist and director of Research before serving in a variety of other management roles.
Heidrich is a member of the board of trustees of Portico Benefit Services, a non-profit organization providing employee benefits for employees nationwide of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He began a two-year term as chairman of the board and of its executive committee in October 2015. He is also a member of the Key Professional Associations and Key Global Associations Committees of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and has been active in a number of programs for the Association Forum of Chicagoland.
Heidrich earned his master's degree in economics from the University of Chicago and his bachelor's degree in economics (highest honors) from the University of Oklahoma.
Stacy D. R. Lin
Deputy Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer
Stacy Lin, CPA, MBA, CGMA, CAE, is the deputy executive director and chief financial officer of the Society of Actuaries (SOA), a position she has held since July 2007. She is responsible for the Strategic Management, Market Research, Finance, Customer Service and Information Technologies Departments.
Before joining the SOA in 1999, she served as the chief financial officer of a pneumatic tool distributor where she managed all financial aspects of the business and was a member of the executive team. Prior to that position, Lin was an audit and consulting manager in public accounting firms where she was responsible for financial audits, due diligence reports for acquisitions, financial budgets and forecasts, cost analysis, financial analysis and operational reviews for clients including nonprofit organizations.
Lin is a certified public accountant, a certified association executive and a chartered global management accountant. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, Association Forum of Chicagoland, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Illinois CPA Society, and the National Association of Corporate Directors. She served on the board of Georgia State University’s CRO Risk Index, powered by Bloomberg and the SOA from 2010 to 2014 and on the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Care Investment Subcommittee from 2012 to 2014.
Lin earned her master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Executive Program and her bachelor's degree in business administration (accounting emphasis) from the University of Iowa.
Sheree Baker
Senior Director, Governance
Sheree Baker is senior director of Governance of the Society of Actuaries (SOA). She is responsible for SOA governance, bylaws and elections. She coordinates the board meetings and agenda development, committee structure/review, and leadership sessions. She has also worked in the communications, publications, academic relations and research areas during her tenure at the SOA.
Before joining the SOA in 1988, Baker worked with a nonprofit board of directors at a local mental health center and the U.S. Department of Defense.
She holds the following certificates: Harvard Kennedy School, Executive Education (Mobilizing Your Nonprofit Board); Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management (Critical Issues in Board Governance); and BoardSource (Nonprofit Board Education).
Mike Boot
Managing Director of Sections & Practice Advancement
Mike Boot, FSA, MAAA, is a managing director of the Sections and Practice Advancement Department at the Society of Actuaries (SOA). His responsibilities include supporting sections, and advising on continuing education and research. He supports the Opportunities for Actuaries and Membership Engagement initiatives at the SOA, and is also a staff member on the Risk Committee and the Professional Development Committee.
Boot joined the SOA in 2006 with more than 25 years of experience in life insurance/long-term care/pensions. Before joining the SOA, he worked at Allstate Financial and Allstate International. His actuarial experience includes working with a major multiline insurer in a variety of product development and management roles.
Boot's professional actuarial designations include fellow of the SOA and member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He also holds Series 6, 26 and 63 NASD licenses. In addition, he has volunteered in the past, serving on various LOMA committees.
Boot holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Calvin College.
Patrick J. Gould
Managing Director of Marketing & Communications
Patrick J. Gould is managing director of Marketing & Communications for the Society of Actuaries (SOA). In this role, he oversees the Society’s member and candidate communications, its professional development marketing, marketing of the SOA’s credentials, as well as its external public relations and public affairs activities.
Before joining the SOA in 2009, Gould was a vice president with Golin, an international public relations agency, where he led the agency’s work for the SOA. While there, he also worked on assignments for an international insurance broker, a major food industry trade association and a leading property-casualty insurance company. He began his career at Kemper Insurance, serving in a variety of communications, public affairs and government relations positions of increasing responsibility over a 13-year period.
Gould is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the American Marketing Association, the Association Forum of Chicagoland, American Society of Association Executives, and Business Marketing Association.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a minor in French, from St. Norbert College.
Ken Guthrie
Managing Director of Education
Ken Guthrie is managing director of Education at the Society of Actuaries (SOA). In this role, he oversees the management of prequalification education, which includes the examinations and e-Learning and professionalism courses that candidates must complete to obtain a SOA credential. He also oversees the management of the professional development program and the Centers of Actuarial Excellence (CAE) and university outreach programs.
Guthrie joined the SOA in January 2007 from the Institute of Actuaries of Australia where he was director, professional education. At the Institute, he was responsible for the management of professional education, which included the university accreditation program as well as examinations, courses and tutorials developed and delivered directly by the Institute. In addition, he was responsible for the Institute’s publications and website. He acted as chief executive officer of the Institute for five months in 2006.
Guthrie is a member of the Institute of Credentialing Excellence, the Association Forum of Chicagoland and the American Society of Association Executives.
He has a master's degree in business administration from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Australia and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
R. Dale Hall
Managing Director of Research
R. Dale Hall, FSA, CERA, CFA, MAAA, is managing director of Research for the Society of Actuaries (SOA), a position he has held since December 2013. In his role, Hall coordinates the SOA’s strategic research partnerships, oversees SOA experience studies, coordinates research across the SOA’s wide variety of actuarial practice areas, and directs the SOA’s data-driven in-house research initiatives. He is a frequent speaker at insurance and retirement industry meetings to highlight SOA research, including presentations to the actuarial task forces of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures on pension plan mortality rates.
Prior to joining the SOA, Hall spent more than 20 years in the U.S. insurance industry, primarily as chief actuary for the Life/Health companies of COUNTRY Financial. While at COUNTRY, he was active in industry as a member of the American Council of Life Insurers' Actuarial Committee, and was an adjunct professor in the actuarial science program at Illinois State University.
Hall is a fellow of the SOA, a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, a CFA charterholder, and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Hall earned his master's degree in business administration from Capital University and his bachelor's degree in mathematics from John Carroll University.
Carol Kozlowski
Senior Director, Human Resources
Carol Kozlowski is the senior human resources director for the Society of Actuaries (SOA). In her role, Kozlowski is responsible for developing and executing human resources strategy in all areas of organizational development, recruiting, benefits, compensation, performance management, employee relations and compliance.
Prior to joining the SOA in 2011, she spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector, serving as human resources director for the National Safety Council and Healthcare Financial Management Association. In addition to her nonprofit experience, Kozlowski also worked in the human resources field for R.R. Donnelley and Montgomery Ward Corporate.
She is certified as a senior professional in human resources (SPHR) and as a SHRM senior certified professional (SHRM-SCP). Kozlowski is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management, the Northwest Human Resources Council and the Management Association of Illinois (MAI). In addition, she serves on the MAI HR Executive Roundtable.
Kozlowski earned her master's degree in human resources/industrial relations from Loyola University and her bachelor's degree in business from Elmhurst College.
Andrew J. Peterson
Senior Director, International
Andrew Peterson is the Senior Director, International at the Society of Actuaries (SOA) working to implement the SOA’s mission of advancing actuaries as leaders in measuring and managing risk on a global basis. In that capacity he oversees the SOA’s activities outside of North America in advancing the actuarial profession through education and research. Andy works with the Board to establish the SOA’s international strategy and oversees the work of members and staff around the world in implementing that strategy. Additionally, he directs the SOA’s relationships and activities with various international organizations, including the International Actuarial Association.
Prior to taking on this role in mid-2018, Andy served as the Senior Staff Fellow for Retirement where he worked with SOA members to develop and support better retirement systems. He worked with several SOA sections directing activities related to retirement topics and also served as a liaison between the SOA and other organizations in the retirement arena, working to facilitate the intellectual capital development of retirement actuaries. He also provided leadership on various SOA initiatives such as how the SOA is adapting its education process for international markets, improving the SOA’s focus on longevity-related issues and more.
Andy joined the SOA in 2008, having previously spent 16 years working as a retirement consultant with Watson Wyatt (now Willis Towers Watson), an HR consulting firm. He was based in Chicago for the majority of his time at Watson Wyatt, but also spent three years in their Zurich, Switzerland office, from 1999 to 2002.
Andy received a BS degree in mathematics from Taylor University in 1992. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, an Enrolled Actuary, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries. He is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
Richard Veys
General Counsel
Rich Veys is general counsel for the Society of Actuaries (SOA). He was hired as the SOA’s first in-house lawyer in June 2009. Veys manages the legal function and is responsible for all legal advice and support provided to the organization. The SOA’s director of Regulatory Affairs reports to Veys as well.
Veys has been an in-house lawyer for more than 25 years. Before joining the SOA, he was general counsel for Powermate Corporation, a privately-held consumer products company. He has held senior in-house positions with several other companies in his career, including global management consultancy A.T. Kearney, Inc.; StorageTek DSD (a subsidiary of Storage Technology Corporation); and NCR Corporation. He began his legal career with the Chicago-based law firm of Ross & Hardies (now McGuire Woods).
Veys is active in the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), a global professional association for in-house attorneys. He is on the board of directors and a past president of ACC’s Chicago Chapter and is a past chair of one of ACC’s national practice committees. He is also a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and has been a speaker at meetings of the Association Forum of Chicago.
Veys earned his law degree from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) College of Law and has been a member of the Illinois bar since 1981. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Nebraska.