UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Candace Woods, senior vice president and chief actuary at Prudential Financial Inc., recently accepted an invitation from Dean Charles H. Whiteman to join the Smeal Board of Visitors.
Members of the Board of Visitors offer advice to the dean and other Smeal administrators based on their professional experience and knowledge of the latest issues and trends facing the business community.
Candace Woods Credit: Photo provided. All Rights Reserved.
Woods is a 1982 graduate of the Penn State Eberly College of Science with a degree in mathematics. She joined Prudential in 1982 as part of its Actuarial Leadership Development Program. She attained her Fellow of the Society of Actuaries designation in 1988. She is also a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
She led Prudential’s Actuarial Financial Reporting unit in Individual Life before she was named vice president and actuary in Corporate Actuarial at Prudential in 2010. From 2013-2017, she was vice president and chief actuary of Prudential’s International Insurance.
In 2017, she was named to her current position, where she oversees all actuarial functions across the company and reports to the vice chairman.
Dean Charles H. Whiteman said that he is looking forward to having Woods join the Board of Visitors.
“Having come from modest means herself, Candace is passionate about creating opportunities for today’s college students. Throughout her nearly 40-year professional career, she has been a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusiveness, which will only strengthen Smeal’s efforts to welcome, celebrate and promote diversity across the college,” he said.
Woods said that she is looking forward to being a part of a team that is committed to helping the college prepare students for the future.
“The world is changing rapidly, and the skills you need now are different than the skills you will need five years from now,” she said. “I think it’s important that we help students develop the resilience they’ll need to evolve and change and learn as the world does.”
The Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors is a nearly 40-member advisory board composed of global business and industry leaders who are Smeal alumni and friends. The complete list of Smeal’s Board of Visitors membership can be found online.
Smeal Media Relations