Equity and Justice Symposium 

Sherry Chan is an award-winning actuary with 20+ years of outstanding leadership in strategic policy, operations, relationship management, and communications, currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer of Atidot, a $20+ million funded insurtech startup that provides state-of-the-art predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to life insurance companies.

Previously, Ms. Chan was chosen unanimously by New York City elected officials and union presidents to serve as the City’s 5th Chief Actuary in its 100+ year history, becoming one of the highest ranked Asian-American officials in the City’s administration. In this prior role, Ms. Chan provided technical expertise to the City’s five retirement systems and pension funds with approximately 800,000 active and retired members and over $250 billion of assets. Ms. Chan certified the $10 billion annual required pension contributions for these retirement systems and pension funds, ensuring accuracy, and oversaw a City agency with a professional staff who has decades of experience in and out of City service. Ms. Chan also previously served as the Chief Actuarial Officer for the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and as Chief Actuary for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, the two largest state pension systems in Ohio with assets of approximately $100 billion and $80 billion, respectively.

A Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, an Enrolled Actuary with the Joint Board, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a conferee of an Executive MBA and Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and actuarial science from The Ohio State University, Ms. Chan regularly gives presentations at colleges, conferences, and on webinars. Ms. Chan is on the Boards of the American Academy of Actuaries, The Ohio State University’s College of Arts & Sciences, and Abacus Actuaries. Ms. Chan established the University’s first actuarial endowment in its 150+ history, the Sherry S. Chan Actuarial Endowment. She is also the original co-founder of Abacus Actuaries, an international non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Asians to achieve success in the actuarial profession. 

Pieces written by and interviews of Ms. Chan have been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Crain’s New York Business, the New York Daily News, the Chief Leader, and TEXPERS Pension Observer. Ms. Chan also produced a documentary on the history of New York City’s pensions and role of the New York City Chief Actuary which aired on New York City cable stations. From local recognitions to international recognitions, Ms. Chan was honored by the Ascend Foundation with its Trailblazer Award in 2021, selected for the City & State NY Power of Diversity: Asian 100 list both in 2020 and 2021, and was named both a 2019 Crain’s New York 40 under 40 and a 2017 City & State 40 under 40 Rising Star of New York City. In 2018, Ms. Chan received both the Community Hero Award from Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and the Geoffrey Heywood Award from the International Association of Consulting Actuaries (IACA) at the International Actuaries Congress in Berlin, Germany. The Geoffrey Heywood Award, named after the founding Chairman of IACA, is given every two years to one young consulting actuary from across the globe who has provided significant services to the public and the actuarial profession.

Marquis Miller has joined the Obama Foundation as Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this role, Marquis will be the principal advisor to the Executive Leadership Team on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. He will also provide strategic and programmatic leadership for all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for all staff, including the creation of a framework for tracking, reporting, and communicating diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics and progress. 

A veteran leader of business, civic and community organizations, Marquis has a demonstrated record of success in the field of organizational change management, strategic planning and institutional advancement. Marquis joins the Foundation from the City of Chicago where he served as the City’s first Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). As CDO, Marquis was responsible for executive-level strategy and the development and implementation of the City’s policies and strategies for recruiting and maintaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of Chicago’s population. His role included cultivating a work environment that welcomed and supported that diversity. In January 2020, Marquis joined the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice on, where his skill set and knowledge supported the Department of Human Resources’ strategic human capital initiatives, the Department of Procurement Services’ important diverse vendor initiatives, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and undergirded the work of the Chief Equity Officer in policy and systems development. 

With his deep organizational development experience in multiple industries and markets throughout Chicagoland, the Midwest and the U.S., Marquis’s domain expertise in inclusiveness and diversity, served his principal role as Chief Tessara of The Business Mosaic LLC, a consulting practice focused on organizational management in the business services and mission-based sectors. Prior to The Business Mosaic LLC, he was vice president of field operations for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), where his servant leadership and strategic agility helped him lead the organization’s field operations team and a regional board governance organizational structure of 36 affiliates through a restructuring and re-visioning of the NMSDC mission and service delivery.

His focus on leading change and transition led the organization and the Board of Directors through a strategic service delivery review, and his bias for action led to changes in the affiliate operating model that resulted in 24 realigned regional affiliates and a revised certification program for minority businesses that generated $14 million dollars in member dues and fee revenue for the field.

Prior to NMSDC, he was vice president of business development for SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance and S. USA Life, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company. In this leadership role Marquis was responsible for group sales and marketing of life and disability products in the company’s new markets.  His servant leadership of 16 directors and managers with emphasis on developing members of his team allowed S.USA Life to grow its sales to targeted women’s markets, Hispanic markets and African American markets, respectively. His focus on leading change and transition led the company and its Board of Directors through an expansion of service offerings in California, Texas and Missouri resulting in new and retained premium of over $13 million dollars.

Marquis also served as interim vice president of institutional advancement at Chicago State University (CSU) and executive director of the CSU Foundation where he planned and directed all resource development activities, including alumni programs, public and media relations and special events for the University, along with administering the Chicagoland Regional College Program, a $14 million work and career readiness program servicing 5 community colleges and CSU. He increased annual giving and major gifts by $3,000,000 with a staff of 10 directors and managers and secured a $2 million pledge to launch the Bold Steps comprehensive campaign, with a $10 million goal, the first in the school’s history. Under his coaching of faculty leaders and his leadership of key volunteers, including the Board of Trustees, the campaign secured a corporate gift of $1 million for a new College of Pharmacy; a foundation gift of $500,000 for student scholarships and a $500,000 bequest for general support.

Prior to CSU, Marquis served as vice president of external affairs for the Chicago Urban League (CUL). He directed development, communications and marketing efforts, as well as, branding and messaging functions during period of renewal and expansion for four program areas and related activities.

By articulating the CUL mission, Marquis successfully identified C-suite corporate, foundation and civic leadership for the $2,750,000 revenue goal for the general fund. With a staff of 5 directors and managers, he initiated and completed re-launch of a membership campaign that had been dormant for nearly seven years. Marquis also upgraded advancement technology for development and program management use to increase access to prospect information and lower costs of donor acquisition while raising new dollars by 25%. 

Marquis also spent several years as vice president of field operations for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Midwest office in Chicago, in addition to serving as vice president of the Corporate Scholars Program of the UNCF. He led a team of 7 directors and 28 staff which added $20 million in annual campaign revenue and $65 million in gifts overall. In leading the Corporate Scholars Program, Marquis was responsible for managing and administering the national scholarship/internship diversity solution for corporate donors and supporters of the UNCF mission.

Before joining the UNCF, Marquis was Assistant Vice President of Development for The Ohio State University. He managed a team responsible for an increase of corporate and foundation giving from $50 million to $65 million, while driving the overall university-wide corporate and foundation solicitation process. One of four assistant vice presidents, Marquis’ assigned duties included: leadership gift prospect and volunteer management; coordinating activities with college constituency directors and central development staff and corporate and foundation prospect identification and coordination and management across academic units.

As a thought leader in the fields of strategic leadership, diversity and durability, Marquis is a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP), as recognized by the National Diversity Council, and is a board member or advisor to several community and civic organizations, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Reading Between The Lines, Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network (UCAN), Founders of Color and Trinity United Church of Christ. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (BS) from The Ohio State University, and completed the National Urban Fellows America’s Leaders of Change executive leadership development program at the University of Kansas (KU) Public Management Center.

Erwin Raphael is an accomplished and charismatic international business executive with an impressive career spanning diverse industries, from automotive to logistics. With a deep understanding of the interconnectivity of human needs, data, science, and technology, he has consistently delivered award-winning results by building winning cultures within businesses. His technical and people leadership skills have been the driving force behind his success. Over the years, Mr. Raphael has held several leadership roles in global companies such as Toyota, Stellantis, Hyundai, and Genesis Motor America, LLC, covering automotive engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and sales. Currently, he serves on the senior leadership team of Amazon Transportation Services North American Sort Centers. In addition to his executive roles, Mr. Raphael previously served as a Board Advisor to UCLA Health Systems and Westport Fuel Systems (NasdaqGS: WPRT) and a member of the Board of Directors of Dignifi Holdings and Connected Television Group. He currently chairs the Ohio State University, College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Advisory Council and the Lantern Network, a 501C3 he co-founded to inspire, guide, and propel the next generation of black leaders into successful careers.

Diane Straub, MD, MPH, is a physician professor and fanatic Ohio State alum.  She graduated from The Ohio State University in 1991 with a dual major in biology (College of Arts and Sciences) and biochemical nutrition (College of Agriculture). She went on to medical school and residency at Johns Hopkins University, and received a MPH from Harvard University. Currently she serves as a Department Chair for Children’s Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado. Her specialties are pediatrics and adolescent medicine, and her research and clinical interests focus on HIV prevention, contraception, and STIs. She is honored to currently serve as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council.