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ASPPA Honors Judy Miller, Others with 2016 Industry Awards

The American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries honored Judy A. Miller, MSPA, with the prestigious Harry T. Eidson Founders Award during the Oct. 23 opening session of the 2016 ASPPA Annual Conference in National Harbor, Md.

Miller, ASPPA’s (and subsequently the American Retirement Association’s) former Director of Retirement Policy, retired in August. In that role, she headed the organization’s government affairs function since 2003. She joined ASPPA in 2007 after serving as Senior Benefits Advisor on the staff of the Senate Finance Committee. Miller has provided consulting and actuarial services to employer-sponsored retirement programs for nearly 30 years. Miller continues to serve as the Executive Director of the ASPPA College of Pension Actuaries (ACOPA). 

ASPPA established the Eidson Award in 1995 to honor the memory of its founder, Harry T. Eidson. His belief in the importance of the employer-sponsored retirement system in the United States and in having an organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing such a system was the inspiration for the formation of ASPPA in 1966. Each year, ASPPA honors one or two individuals for their contributions to the industry. Recipients can be members of ASPPA or from outside the association’s membership. 

Edward E. Burrows Distinguished Achievement Award

The Eidson Award marked the second major award honoring Miller this year. At the annual ACOPA Actuarial Symposium in August, she was presented with the 2016 Edward E. Burrows Distinguished Achievement Award. The Burrows Award is presented annually to a pension actuary who has, by his or her actions, set an example for other pension actuaries. This is an actuary who has gone above and beyond in forwarding ethics, education, beneficial legislation or regulations (or such other actions as the selection committee deems appropriate) that enhance the private pension system or the professionalism of enrolled actuaries within the private pension system. Burrows was a beacon in this regard, and ACOPA honors him by presenting an award that recognizes those who follow in his path.

The other industry awards presented Oct. 23 included the following. 

Martin Rosenberg Academic Achievement Awards

ASPPA honored four industry professionals with the 2016 Martin Rosenberg Academic Achievement Award:

• Kapri Byrne, a Senior Manager at Employee Benefit Resources, Inc., for her outstanding performance on the 2016 Spring DC-3 examination;
• Kayla Price, QKA, a Relationship Manager with Prudential, for receiving a perfect score on the 2015 Fall DC-2 examination;
• William Reinhardt, QKA, a Senior Sales Analyst with The Vanguard Group, for receiving a perfect score on the 2015 Fall DC-2 examination; and
• Julie Sharkey, Pension Administrator with McCloud & Associates, Inc., for receiving a perfect score on the 2015 Fall DC-1 examination.

The Martin Rosenberg Academic Achievement Awards are presented in honor of the late Martin Rosenberg, a Fellow of ASPPA, and are designed to recognize top performing examination candidates based upon their total score as well as their overall exam performance. ASPPA established the award in 1990. 

PenChecks Trust/ASPPA QKA Scholarship Endowment

Four PenChecks Trust/ASPPA QKA Scholarships were awarded to individuals interested in pursuing ASPPA’s Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) credential. The scholarships will cover the QKA exam registration fees, related exam publications and the awardee’s first year of membership dues. The 2016 scholarship recipients are:

• Chad Carleton, a Compliance Specialist with the Newport Group;
• Chad Curtis, a Pension Administrator with CrossPlans;
• Michael Hagan, a Third-Party Administrator with Beacon Benefits; Inc.; and
• Emily Halbach, a Retirement Plan Specialist with Martin, Martin, Randall and Associates.