Well-Deserved Accolades

Every year, the current president of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) recognizes outstanding individuals during that president’s term. In 2021, Foundation Emeritus Trustee and SOA President Roy Goldman, Ph.D., FSA, MAAA, CERA, honored Emeritus Trustee Barry Jacobson, FSA, founder of the Foundation’s Math Motivators tutoring program, and Josh Neubert, CEO of the Institute of Competition Sciences, the Foundation’s partner for the Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC) high school math competition, with SOA Presidential Awards.

During the SOA Presidential Luncheon on Oct. 26, Roy shared how he was impressed by the fact that Barry single-handedly worked with the University of Connecticut’s actuarial program to start a high school math tutoring program, which later turned into the Foundation’s Math Motivators program that has provided free math tutoring for thousands of students across the country over the past four years. “I want to recognize his tireless devotion to this program, which is not only a panacea for these students, but also helps promote the actuarial profession in communities that may never have heard about us,” Roy said.

As a Founding Sponsor of the MTFC, Roy also works closely with Josh in developing and promoting the MTFC competition every year. “I led the committee that conceived the program, but we never could have carried it off or grown the program without Josh’s contacts and know-how,” Roy explained. “Josh [helps us] not only explain the competition, but to educate [high school teachers and students] as to what actuaries do and the skills that we have.”

Congratulations, Barry and Josh! The recognition is well-deserved.