Annual Meeting of Owners

Irma Becerra took office as the seventh President of Marymount University on July 1, 2018. In her five-plus years as President, she has launched the University’s new Strategic Plan, earned national recognition in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings as well as America’s Top Colleges by Forbes, added market-driven academic programs, overseen the transition to a new academic structure, acquired a luxury apartment building that is now a mixed-use property that combines student housing with an extended stay hotel, improved the University’s IT infrastructure, navigated the school community through the COVID-19 pandemic, and led efforts at the state and federal levels to advocate for legislative solutions to the DACA program that will protect Dreamer students.   

She is a nationally recognized educator known for innovation, entrepreneurship, and transformational education. Prior to Marymount, she served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at St. Thomas University, and also spent three decades at Florida International University (FIU) in a variety of positions that include Vice President, Vice Provost, Entrepreneurship Center Director, and tenured professor. She became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at FIU. 

Brontè Burleigh-Jones is CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer at American University. She is a frequent presenter on a variety of topics including finance, accreditation, communication, leadership, and diversity at NACUBO, American Council of Education (ACE), and AGB conferences.

She often is called upon to be a presenter for the NACUBO Fellows Program, as well as a contributing author for their Business Officer magazine. In 2017, she received NACUBO’s Professional Development Award for her extensive volunteer service to the association’s professional development activities and publications programs.

Brontè has more than 30 years of experience in financial and facilities management in higher education. She previously served as the Vice President for Finance and Administration at Dickinson College, where she oversaw all areas of finance and campus operations. Before joining Dickinson in 2013, she served as Treasurer of St. John’s College and Vice President for Administration and Finance and Dean of Enrollment Management at Huston-Tillotson University. Prior to her roles in higher education, she served as Senior Project Manager at the Texas State Auditor’s Office and Assistant Controller at the National Headquarters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Brontè is the immediate past Board Chair and former Treasurer for the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Institute for Women in Higher Education. She is also a member of the Appeals Board of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, where she previously served as a commissioner and member of the Finance Committee.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and an MBA from American University, and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas. She is a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Higher Education and the HERS Institute at Wellesley College.

Bill Poutsiaka was elected to the UE board in 2021 and currently sits on the Audit and Investment committees. He is a former senior executive with considerable experience and accomplishments, including successful strategic and operational transformation, as CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and board member for global insurance and asset management businesses. He is consulting, doing board work, conducting data science research, advising fintech firms (finals judge) and startups, doing career coaching, publishing, and speaking at conferences/universities.

Bill has served as an active director on boards of public, mutual, private, and nonprofit organizations. These organizations have included global, domestic, large, small, multiline, and highly specialized insurance and investment entities. His executive roles have included Chief Investment Officer & SVP of AIG Property Casualty following the financial crisis; CEO of quantitative firm PanAgora Asset Management; and CEO Arkwright Mutual Ins. Co., which he merged to form FM Global. He began his career in the investment department of the Liberty Mutual Ins. Co. Bill received a B.A. from Muhlenberg and an M.B.A. from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, where he was later the first recipient, and commencement speaker, of the Distinguished Achievement Award for managerial excellence and community service.

Al Beer joined UE’s board in 2007. He is Chair of the Audit Committee and sits on the Investment and Compensation committees. He holds the position as the Michael Kevaney/XL Professor of Insurance and Actuarial Science in the School of Risk Management at St. John’s University.

In 2006, Al retired as President of American Re-Insurance Company’s (now Munich Re America’s) strategic business units, where he was responsible for the underwriting and marketing functions of American Re’s risk bearing entities, including Direct Treaty, Direct Facultative, American Re Credit and Surety, American Re Broker Market, and Munich-American Risk Partners. He also served as Executive Vice President of American Re Corporation; as Chairman, President, and CEO of American Alternative Insurance Company; and as Chairman, President, and CEO of the Princeton Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Company.

Prior to joining American Re in 1992, Al was Chief Actuary and Director of Alternative Risk for the Skandia America Group, where he established a reputation as an internationally recognized expert in the development of the alternative market.

From 1984 to 1989, Al was a partner with the consulting firm Tillinghast — a division of Towers, Perrin — and held management positions in the Actuarial and Risk Management practice areas. Between 1976 and 1984, he was Professor of Actuarial Science at The College of Insurance, where he was voted Professor of the Year three times.

Al is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Manhattan College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. He also received a master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Colorado.

He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and has served as the society’s President. He also has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Casualty Actuarial Society and the American Academy of Actuaries.

From 2007 to 2013, he served as a member of the Actuarial Standards Board, the entity responsible for promulgating standards of practice for the actuarial profession in the United States. He was Chair from 2010 to 2011. In 2021, he was appointed Vice Chair of the Actuarial Board of Counseling and Discipline, the body established in the bylaws of the American Academy of Actuaries to strengthen the adherence of members of the five U.S.-based actuarial organizations to the recognized standards of ethical and professional conduct. Also, in 2021, he was elected to the Executive Committee of the International Actuarial Association.

He serves as a Trustee Emeritus of the board of The Actuarial Foundation, a philanthropic organization sponsoring research, education, and communication initiatives designed to use actuarial talent to address societal issues. In addition, Al serves on the boards of two other insurance companies: Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited and Aspen Bermuda Limited (Audit Committee Chair).

Megan Cluver is a Principal with Deloitte Consulting’s Higher Education practice and has over 15 years of experience working with higher education systems and institutions, helping higher education leaders to design and implement transformational change. Foundational to the success of Megan’s work have been strong client partnerships and a change management focus. 

Megan has worked across the spectrum of institutions to identify new market opportunities, examine the future of work in higher education, and redesign the institutional operating model.  Megan brings an understanding of how to work across the composite parts of the institution to find the opportunities for collaboration and standardization that enable universities to comprehensively deliver on the mission and vision of the institution.    

Megan also serves as Vice Chair of the Board for the Vermont State College System (VSCS). In her leadership role on the Board, she is helping to evolve the Board toward data-driven decision-making and accountability as the Chancellor leads the VSCS to a consolidated, centralized approach to supporting the state’s needs.

Megan received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame in 2007 and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Saint Michael’s College in 1999. She lives in Hinesburg, Vt., with her husband and four young children, where they enjoy spending time outdoors skiing, hiking, and enjoying nature.

Courtney Davis Curtis is Assistant Vice President for Risk Management and Resilience Planning at the University of Chicago, where she provides leadership and direction to senior managers, working to identify, evaluate, and plan strategies for the enterprise-wide insurance programs. Her focus is on maximizing protection of assets at the most economical rates and minimizing the effects of fortuitous loss. She develops and directs risk management strategies and policies that identify, assess, and mitigate the impact of risks originating from or impacting the enterprise's portfolio of activities/interests. She also leads resilience planning across the university to anticipate potential threats, to cope effectively with adverse events, and to adapt to changing conditions. 

The enterprise consists of the University of Chicago, UChicago Medicine and its clinically integrated network, UChicago Ingalls Memorial, the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, UChicago Charter Schools, and several global centers and institutes.

Previously, she was an Account Executive at Arthur J. Gallagher and Vice President of Educational Placement Specialist at Marsh. Courtney is a Past President for the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA) and a member of the Board of Directors for the Trulen Insurance SPC Limited captive.

She holds a B.S. in Marketing from Northern Illinois University and earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management, and Associate in Risk Management-ERM designations. She is an Executive MBA candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with graduation anticipated in May 2024. Courtney is a recipient of the UChicago John W. Rogers, Jr. Business Diversity Impact Award; RIMS Risk Management of the Year 2022; 2020 Business Insurance Women to Watch; 2017 Business Insurance Break Out; and 2015 Risk & Insurance Power Broker awards.

Greg Curtis joined UE’s Board of Directors in 2009 and is Vice Chair of the board and Chair of the Investment Committee. He is Chairman Emeritus and Founder of Greycourt & Co. Inc., a wealth advisory firm serving ultra-high-net-worth families on a global basis. Prior to founding Greycourt, he served for many years as president of a family office for the Mellon family and as President of the Laurel Foundation.

Greg is the author of 10 books, including A Few Short Poems (2022), Ten Interesting People (2021), and Advising the Ultra-Wealthy (2020), and more than 50 journal articles and white papers on a variety of investment topics. His weekly blog has appeared more than 500 times, mostly in Pittsburgh Quarterly magazine.

Greg serves as the Independent Director of the United States Steel and Carnegie Pension Fund and as the Investment Director of The Oversight Company, a private family office. Recently he chaired the Board of Directors of The Pittsburgh Foundation (the community foundation for the Pittsburgh region), chaired the Board of Trustees of St. John’s College, and chaired the board of The Investment Fund for Foundations, which he co-founded.

Greg holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and is a graduate of The Endowment Institute at Harvard Business School. He also holds an honorary bachelor’s degree from St. John’s College.

Jim Gault was elected to UE’s board in 2022 and sits on the Investment Committee. Jim spent much of his career as a leader at Gallagher Global Brokerage. Prior to retiring in March 2021, he served more than four years as Chairman of Gallagher Global Brokerage and reported directly to Pat Gallagher, Chairman.

Jim started as a Gallagher intern in the summers of 1972 and 1973 while attending Washington University, St. Louis. He graduated in the spring of 1974 from the Olin School of Business with a BSBA degree and began his sales career producing and servicing commercial Property and Casualty accounts.

Within a few years, Jim was a top-10 producer specializing in risk management and self-insurance. In 1981, he was promoted to his first sales management position and was named Area Vice President of the Chicago Branch. In 1984, he moved to the Risk Management Division as a Production Manager and Vice President. In 1986, he relocated to White Plains, N.Y., and became Area President, Arthur J. Gallagher-New York.

Jim returned to the corporate office in 1990 when he was promoted to President of National Risk Management Sales. In 1992, he was named an officer of the company and Regional Manager of Gallagher’s Chicagoland operations.

In July 2001, Jim became Executive Vice President, Brokerage Service Division, Gallagher’s largest operating unit. One year later, he became President and Chief Operating Officer of the Brokerage Services Division. During Jim’s tenure as the leader of retail P&C broking (2002-17), the Brokerage Services Division grew from $545 million revenues/3,000 employees to $2.4 billion revenues and 10,000 employees.

Jim is a graduate of Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind. Culver has been a longtime UE subscriber. Jim has served as a trustee of Culver Academies for more than 10 years and has chaired the trustees’ Advancement Committee and currently chairs the Development Committee.

Deborah Gero is a seasoned professional in investment management, risk management, and insurance company management. She serves as an independent director on the boards of Oaktree Capital Specialty Lending Corp., Newport Re, LTD, Resolution Re LTD, and serves as a member of UE’s Subscribers Advisory Board and a trustee for the Oaktree Strategic Credit Fund. She also serves as a director of the not-for-profit, Friends of the Brentwood Art Center and on the Investment Committee for Los Angeles United Way.

Other professional experience includes serving as Senior Managing Director and Deputy Chief Investment Officer of AIG Asset Management where she was responsible for oversight of investment strategy for $300 billion of life and property casualty insurance portfolios worldwide.

Previous positions at AIG included Chief Risk Officer for the Life and Retirement division. Her other experience in the industry includes those of a portfolio manager for a $3 billion collateralized debt portfolio, head of asset/liability modeling and management for insurance companies, director on life insurance and asset management company boards, and a key member of insurance company merger and acquisition analysis and deal teams at SunAmerica, Inc. and Conseco, Inc.

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from University of Notre Dame. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Kimberly Goff-Crews is the Secretary and Vice President for University Life at Yale University. In this role she leads the university’s vision and strategy to advance and support a university environment in which students, faculty, staff, and alumni experience a sense of connection, well-being, and belonging in their pursuit of excellence and in service to the university’s mission.

She oversees the university chaplaincy and the conduct of official university traditions, including Commencement, a portion of the Secretary’s portfolio that dates to the founding of Yale. She is responsible for the strategy for equity and accessibility, Title IX, mental and spiritual health, wellness, and university life and is convening the new Jewish Life and MENA and Muslim Life advisory committees.

Kimberly also co-leads Belonging at Yale with Vice Provost Dr. Gary Désir. Belonging at Yale encompasses the university’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts. She collaborates closely with school deans and other university leaders, committees, students, faculty, and staff, and is leading the development of Belonging at Yale’s Cultivating Conversation initiative, designed to bolster free expression, support alternative dispute resolution, and promote skills and models for productive public discourse.

Kimberly is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School. After several years in private law practice, she became an Assistant Dean in Yale College and Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center.

Before returning to Yale, Kimberly was Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students at the University of Chicago. She also served as Dean of Students at Wellesley College and as Chief of Staff to the President and Director of Planning at Lesley University.

Kimberly represents Yale interests nationally and internationally through building and strengthening relationships with peer institutions and serving on higher education-associated boards.

In addition to being a member of the board of UE, she is the chair of the Audit committee for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. She was a commissioner for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and was a member of the 2020 NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Annual Conference Leadership Committee and chairs the Vice Presidents of Student Affairs Initiatives. Her external presence positions Yale as a leader and resource on student and university life, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Heather Hoerle took the helm of the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) in 2011 and has led the organization to restore its purpose and to actively serve those in the independent school enrollment leadership community. Heather is passionate about the work of enrollment management and is proud to advocate for those who make possible transformational education.

Since joining EMA, Heather has led efforts to modernize the association’s technical and testing infrastructure, update EMA’s signature assessments, upgrade association services, and enhance core products. Additionally, during her tenure, EMA has launched new services for schools and families, including the online Character Skills Snapshot; EMA’s Practice Portal; the SSAT At Home; EMA’s online communities and data dashboards; and groundbreaking national research and special reports for EMA’s 1,200 member schools and organizations.

Heather’s career began in independent schools as an administrator, student advisor, and teacher at George School (Pennsylvania) and her alma mater Westtown School (Pennsylvania). She then embarked on a successful 23-year tenure in leadership roles with two national independent school associations: The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), leading to a vice presidency leading member relations work at the end of her NAIS years.

Heather holds a B.A. in Art History from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Harvard University. She has been a board member for over a dozen independent schools/organizations and currently serves on the boards of UE, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, Viewpoint School (CA), and Sandy Spring Friends School (MD).

Morgan Olsen has served on UE’s board since 2007. Since 2015, he has chaired the board and sits on every committee. He is Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and CFO at Arizona State University (ASU) and also holds an appointment as professor of practice at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Morgan’s responsibilities at ASU include overseeing the treasury and financial management functions, capital projects, real estate, facilities planning and management, human resources, police, audit, environmental health and safety, and business and auxiliary services at the university’s four campuses. He is the President of ASU Research Park, Inc. and chair of the ASU Athletic Facilities District board. He also serves as a member of the board of ASU Enterprise Partners, the ASU Foundation, and the Arizona Golf Community Foundation.

In 2018, Morgan received the NACUBO Distinguished Business Officer Award. He is a former Chair of the NACUBO Board of Directors and a past President of the Central Association of College and University Business Officers (CACUBO). Morgan serves on the board of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), is the secretary/treasurer of the Grand Hope Park Board of Directors and is on the Thunderbird School of Global Management Board of Trustees. The Arizona chapter of Financial Executives International awarded him its CFO of the Year award for nonprofits in 2017.

Morgan joined ASU in November 2008 after serving as Executive Vice President and Treasurer of Purdue University. He previously served as Vice President for Business and Finance at Southern Methodist University, as Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer and Associate Professor in the College Student Personnel program at Eastern Illinois University, and as Vice President for Fiscal Affairs at Emporia State University in Kansas.

Morgan earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Kansas. He served as acting executive budget analyst for the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget before entering university administration in 1985.

Sharon Reich Paulsen was elected to UE’s board in 2020 and serves on the Audit and Governance committees. She is Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University.

From 2016 until August 2022, Sharon served as Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Senior Advisor to the President at the University of Vermont. She was a member of the university’s senior leadership team, oversaw and directed all the university’s legal affairs, and advised the President on the full range of challenges the university faced. Prior to joining the University of Vermont, Sharon held leadership positions at the University of Minnesota, including Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief of Staff to the Provost, and Associate Dean at the University of Minnesota Law School.

While Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Sharon helped oversee the academic side of a transformative university-wide strategic planning effort — from its inception through to implementation.

As Associate Dean of the university’s law school, she co-authored three textbooks; taught classes including Conflict of Laws, Trial Practice, Depositions, and Appellate Advocacy; advised the Dean on strategic initiatives; created a civil litigation concentration and a Master of Science in Patent Law program; supervised administrative operations; and taught law in China and Sweden.

Sharon’s law practice experience includes business and employment litigation at Faegre & Benson (now Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath) in Minneapolis, constitutional litigation at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and work as a law clerk for Federal Court of Appeals Judge Harlington Wood, Jr., in Chicago. Board memberships have included the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, Minnesota Loan Repayment Assistance Program, and the MacPhail Center for Music. In the past seven years, she has engaged in substantial rule of law work in and for the country of Uzbekistan.

Sharon is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the American Bar Foundation, and she received the President’s Award from the Minnesota State Bar Association for work on the Task Force on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. She graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received the William M. Massee Award for her senior thesis. Sharon has a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she received the Board of Editor’s Award for her contributions to the Stanford Law Review.