Cynthia Edwalds

Academic Degrees

• BS and MS, Mathematics, University of Illinois at Chicago

Biography

Cynthia Edwalds is a clinical professor and the executive director of the Fred Arditti Center for Risk Management at DePaul. She came to DePaul in 2014 with 36 years of diverse and substantive experience in the insurance industry. She previously held the position of assistant vice president for Biometric Research for Munich Re. Prior to joining Munich Re in 2001, Cynthia spent seven years as the senior research actuary for the Society of Actuaries. Previous positions include actuarial valuation manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and actuarial software developer for PolySystems. She began her career at CNA where she gained experience with commercial liability, workers comp and private passenger auto insurance.

Edwalds is a recognized leader in the actuarial profession, currently serving on Society of Actuaries committees including the Diversity in Leadership Working Group, the Committee on Life Insurance Research, the Committee on Living to 100 Research Symposia, the 2015 Valuation Basic Table Development Team, the Reinsurance Section Research Team, and the Research Communications Oversight Group. She currently chairs the Taxation Section Council and the Committee on Knowledge Extension Research. She is also the president of the Chicago Actuarial Association.

In 2011, Edwalds was recognized for a decade of leadership in Society of Actuaries research initiatives with an Outstanding Volunteer Award. Edwald's research interests and expertise include mortality risk, longevity risk​ and extreme event risk. She is transgender, and much of her research was published under her former name, Tom. She holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.​