Meet the team

Gena Long

• Manager of Stakeholder Relations

• Hometown:
  Jerseyville, IL
  
• Educational background:
  Eastern Illinois University, Bachelor of Arts – Music, 1984
• The last book I read was:
  Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
• My favorite movie is:
  Recently, The King’s Speech
• My iTunes library includes:
  Quite a variety. Rock, pop, folk, R&B, musical theatre etc. Some favorites this week are Snow Patrol, Coldplay, The Fray and The Swell Season.
• If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be:
  Shrimp Lo Mein
• Number of years working with the SOA:
  15
• My role at the SOA involves:
  Development and implementation of new education related programs and initiatives, supervision of communications for the SOA’s Education area and management of the SOA’s Academic programs as well as the VEE requirement.
• One thing I wish that students and candidates knew about the SOA is:
  We’re on their side. We really do work every day with the best interests of candidates and members in mind.
• The best thing about being on the SOA campus visit team is:
  Having an opportunity to visit with students and faculty members in person. There is so much more that can be gained through face to face communication. We try to share a lot of information, but we learn a great deal from the students and faculty about their challenges and concerns.
• The question I get most often from students is:
  Many candidates ask about the new CERA credential. What are the requirements? Is it a good idea to spend the time working toward it? I tell them that the requirements are available on the SOA website at SOA.org/education/. I believe that the knowledge gained when completing the CERA credential is extremely valuable for actuaries in every practice area. In today’s environment, a solid understanding of enterprise risk management is something that every actuary will want to maintain.
• I consider a visit successful if:
  Of course it’s good to have a well attended session, but I consider a visit successful if the students are engaged and asking a lot of questions. Many times they will hang around after the session to ask individual questions. That’s great!
• One tip I'd give candidates currently taking exams is:
  Really put in the study time. Most of the FSAs I talk to are in agreement about this. And don’t forget to development your general business and communication skills.
• One thing that every candidate should know about the profession is:
  Your options are pretty much unlimited. Once you have some actuarial work experience behind you, there are any number of career paths you can take to create a career to suit your skills, talents and personality.
• Anything else you’d like to tell candidates?
  Congratulations on choosing a highly regarded career that is likely to provide many years of professional success.