Rich Lauria

Rich Lauria accepted an appointment effective August 1, 2019 to join the full-time faculty of Columbia University, teaching in the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program of the School for Professional Studies. Mr. Lauria brings significant program knowledge and teaching experience, having previously developed and taught the “Insurance Risk Management,” “External Stakeholder Perspectives”, and “Capstone” courses currently offered.

Previously, Rich enjoyed a long and successful actuarial and risk management career at Assurant, Inc., a Fortune 300 specialty niche insurer, rising to the level of Senior Vice President with regular interactions with the company’s C-suite. Since 2007, Rich has been a significant contributor to the evolution of ERM at Assurant. He has been the thought leader of the Company’s enterprise risk modeling approach. His most recent role included the oversight of Assurant’s Global Insurance Purchasing program used to mitigate material operational risks for the company. He was also providing balance sheet risk input as a member of Assurant’s Capital Management Committee. He previously chaired the company’s ERM, Insurance Risk, and Asset-Liability Management Oversight Committees and has played key roles in several risk management initiatives, including risk reviews of major acquisitions.

Treasury & Risk Management named Rich to its 2011 list of "100 Most Influential People in Finance". Prior to joining Assurant in 1997, Rich held actuarial positions with Swiss Re Life and Health and Metropolitan Life. A graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Rich previously served on the Society of Actuaries' Risk Committee and on the board of the Actuarial Society of Greater New York for many years. He is currently a regular contributor to The Stepping Stone, a management and personal development newsletter of the Society of Actuaries, penning an ongoing series of articles titled “Zen Actuary” which explore the application of Buddhist philosophy to the working world of the actuary.