Our History

How We Got Started

Late in 2004, a group of pension actuaries concluded that as practitioners serving plans of all sizes they had needs that were not being met by any of the existing professional societies. So, the group discussed its concerns with representatives of the existing actuarial societies. The hope was that arrangements could be made with an existing society to accommodate the needs the group felt were not being met.

The group was acutely aware that the profession would be better off if it were represented by fewer, not more, professional organizations. However, for various reasons, it became apparent that none of the existing societies was an appropriate source for the additional services the group felt it needed.

Virtually all members of the group were already members of one or more of these existing societies. They are likely to continue their membership. However, they were seeking an additional source that would meet the needs they felt were not being met. Thus was born the College of Pension Actuaries (COPA). The group envisioned COPA as a method of complementing, not replacing, the other societies in which they had membership.

COPA’s membership has grown steadily since 2004. The original group quickly discovered that there was a much larger group seeking the types of services that COPA had set out to provide. COPA was formally incorporated in September 2005.

Organizationally, 2005 has been a big year for COPA. We established by-laws and elected our first slate of officers and directors. We began serious planning for our first actuarial conference to be held in August 2006. We began what promises to be a long history of submitting written comments on regulatory proposals, with follow-up testimony at hearings. Throughout all of this, the degree of enthusiasm shown by COPA’s leaders and members has been remarkable. It has surprised us all.

We invite you to visit other portions of our web site to get a better idea of what we’re doing and who’s doing it. If you’re not already a member but are eligible to become one, please join us. Remember that COPA is the only organization devoted exclusively to the needs of pension actuaries.

Historical Timeline