Meet Our Team

Joan joined Cowden in 2009, bringing a wealth of experience in supporting executives and managing business operations, with extensive work as a defined contribution specialist for a retirement benefits services company. Joan currently assists Cowden’s retirement and actuarial practice for both corporate and Act 205 public sector clients.

Joan’s dedicated attention to detail has enabled her to identify that a client was eligible for the small employer cap, which reduced their PBGC variable rate premium by about 24%. She successfully assisted another client with the completion of their delinquent reporting forms to avoid additional arrears and penalties.

Additionally, on one particularly complex project, she caught administration errors and omissions before government forms were submitted, resulting in zero follow-up requests from the governmental agency, which eliminated additional time billed and frustration for the client.

Joan completed the PA-1 exam of the Pension Administrator course, and has completed several courses through Robert Morris University towards earning her CEBS designation.  She holds an associate’s degree from the Community College of Allegheny County as well as being a trained medical assistant.

Amy joined Cowden in January 2019 as the company’s newest administrative assistant. She provides administrative, marketing, and communications support to Cowden and its team members to help the organization achieve its goals and objectives.

With over 20 years of professional experience, Amy has developed a diverse skill set in marketing and communications having worked in various capacities in both corporate and agency environments. She has helped to develop successful campaigns, promotions, and events for various industries.

Amy is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising. She also spent a semester studying mass communications in Manchester, England.  

Frank joined the company in 1995 and is involved in all aspects of pension and postretirement medical valuations, providing actuarial and consulting for many of Cowden’s municipal clients as well as some actuarial support work for corporate and Taft-Hartley clients.

As part of a Cowden team that designed and maintained a collection of benefit calculation and administration spreadsheets, Frank assisted six defined benefit plans through complicated pension processes. Two of those clients were large employers facing complicated benefits shutdowns and processing almost 700 participants within a 24-month timetable. On another Cowden project, he provided detailed demographic and financial projections of members for a multi-state religious order, through its formation, mission, and disability funds.

Frank served on an international team that provided actuarial projections and other support to a large task force working in the West African nation of Ghana to design and set up a national retirement system similar to U.S. Social Security.

Frank is an Enrolled Actuary (EA) and is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in  mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Peter joined Cowden in June 2018 as an analyst for the health and benefits practice. His primary responsibilities include analyzing client financial data, researching benefits compliance issues, and developing effective employee communications.

Proficient with using the latest technology to project future claim and administrative expenses based on trends, claims experience, and mathematical models, Peter created an Excel model as part of a Cowden health and benefits team tasked with facilitating claims measurement, on the spot delivery of relevant summaries, and ready calculation of costs at renewal. His model enables Cowden consultants to efficiently provide clients with the impact of multiple scenarios and multiple options, supporting informed, timely plan evaluation and decisions.

Peter graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. He holds a Pennsylvania Life Accident and Health license as well as earning his Pennsylvania Resident Producer License. Peter has passed two of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) actuarial exams, the Probability and Financial Mathematics exams, and is continuing his pursuit of becoming an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA).

Kathy is manager of marketing and communications at Cowden. She joined the company in 2002, bringing a lengthy and broad range of valuable experience in the employee benefits environment.

Corporate marketing and communications thrive under Kathy’s insightful and creative hand at Cowden. She directs Cowden’s branding, communications, and public relations. Her utilization of deep industry knowledge helps to keep Cowden relevant and well recognized in the actuarial, compensation, and health and benefits arenas.

Working directly with Cowden’s CEO, Kathy manages public relations for the firm through drafting, reviewing, and editing articles. Additionally, she ensures timely delivery of media and social media inquiries and has streamlined social media and website posting processes. She also guides proposal development and ongoing research and outreach to organizations that would benefit from Cowden’s expertise, coordinating new business development processes.

Kathy achieved her Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation through IFEBP and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned the Certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional accreditation from the National Association of Health Underwriters. She also holds a Pennsylvania Life, Accident and Health license.

Bob joined Cowden in 2006, having been involved in the employee benefits consulting business since 1983. Today, as a senior vice president with Cowden, Bob’s primary responsibility is to provide senior-level retirement consulting services to a wide range of clients as well as manage those client relationships.

As a conscientious risk management professional, Bob helps clients meet the financial, regulatory, and accounting demands of their defined benefit, defined contribution, and retiree healthcare plans. He aided several healthcare institutions through bankruptcy proceedings with their retirement plans, resulting in no one losing any pension benefits. In addition, Bob develops financial models for what if scenarios, which measure risk versus opportunity. His analytics includes multi-level calculations and options that evaluate differences in cash flow, expense, and cost.

Bob’s passion to help people extends beyond his professional life. Over the past 15 years, he has helped to raise over $2M for the St. Barnabas Free Care Fund as a board member of the Wooldands at St. Barnabas and as a committee member of their charitable golf tournaments.

Bob graduated magna cum laude with a degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. He is an Enrolled Actuary (EA), a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (FCA), and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

Amy is a consultant and actuary in the retirement practice at Cowden, where she began her career as a data analyst in June 2009. Over her tenure, she has advanced through the ranks to her current role as consultant and actuary, with stellar performance on the job and in certification testing.

As a consultant for 21 clients, Amy consults on 45 plans (pension, non-qualified, and postretirement medical) and enjoys collaborating with clients to understand their overall objectives and strategically help them to achieve their goals. Amy utilizes her experience and expertise to partner with clients through providing meaningful plan management options and opportunities as well as de-risking choices for an array of clients, including single employer, Taft-Hartley, and public plans.

In 2018, Amy received the Acrisure Client Service Award for developing and maintaining client relationships while identifying clients’ business needs and providing solutions. She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where she earned Bachelor of Science in actuarial science, with a minor in statistics and economics.

Dan joined Cowden in August 2019 as a consultant in the health and benefits practice. Dan is primarily responsible for advising Cowden’s Taft-Hartley clients on all aspects of their health and welfare plans, including development and implementation of a comprehensive, compliant benefits strategy that is tied to overall business and health and welfare objectives. He provides funding and reserve analyses as well as develops benefit, contribution, and member communication strategies.

Dan brings over seven years of experience in the benefits industry, including new business development, financial consulting, and has an underwriting background focused on public sector, education, and collectively bargained contracts. His experience with Taft-Hartley and other joint labor-management trusts includes VEBA’s and retiree medical trusts.

Dan earned his Master of Science in financial analysis from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Science in economics from San Diego State University. Dan holds Pennsylvania and California Life and Health Licenses and a Group Benefits Associate (GBA) certification from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Aletha joined Cowden in July 2016 as an administrative assistant and receptionist. In addition to greeting clients and performing administrative tasks, she provides writing and editing support to the Cowden staff.

Aletha is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, having earned a bachelor’s of creative nonfiction writing with a minor in history and religious studies. She received a teaching fellowship to pursue her Master of Fine Arts in writing, which she completed in April 2015.

Aletha also brings over 10 years of customer service, marketing and sales, and office organizational experience. While raising her family, she worked in a variety of fields, including telemarketing, customer service, quality control, and credit union member sales and service. Aletha enjoys the challenge of taking something good and turning it into something outstanding-a Cowden tradition.

Erin joined Cowden in November 2018 as a senior analyst in the health and benefits practice. She provides support to the health and benefits team in advising clients on the intricacies of their benefits and health and welfare plans with a focus on plan funding strategies, compliance issues, and overall plan management initiatives.

Erin offers 10 years of health and benefits administration and consulting experience from her career with a large, national benefits consulting firm. She has assisted in the successful implementation of a new HDHP for a 50,000-plus employee client as well as participated in the creation of effective communication materials for clients’ open enrollment seasons. Her strong knowledge base in health and benefits concepts, strategies, and compliance as well as her focused approach to project and people management compliment Cowden’s mission to assist our clients in achieving their business objectives.

Erin is a graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. In addition to her ERISA Certification, Erin holds a Yellow Belt in Lean Six Sigma Certification, a customer satisfaction, cost reduction, quality increase, and process effectiveness and efficiency discipline. She is a licensed Pennsylvania Life Accident and Health agent and is working to attain a Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation in the near future.

Sean is an analyst for Cowden’s compensation practice and had joined the company in 2018. He provides in-depth research and analytics for Cowden’s diverse compensation clients. Since starting with Cowden, Sean has completed numerous salary assessment studies for multiple clients in both non-profit and for-profit industries.

In addition to Sean’s analytics expertise, he brings solid knowledge of the intricacies of health and benefits compliance as well as project and people management from 10 years of experience in health and benefits administration. He holds a Yellow Belt in Lean Six Sigma Certification, a customer satisfaction, cost reduction, quality increase, and process effectiveness and efficiency discipline.

Sean earned his master's degree in political science from the American University and is a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania with a dual bachelor’s degrees in history and political science. Sean is currently working on his Compensation Professional Certification.

Bob joined Cowden in 2011. He is a senior consultant and actuary in Cowden’s retirement practice with 40-plus years of retirement consulting experience. Bob has maintained long-term relationships as a retirement consultant with many Pittsburgh-area organizations, including sponsors of ERISA-covered plans, church plans, and governmental plans. His expertise spans a wide range of actuarial areas, such as pension funding and accounting valuations, including FASB and the latest GASB standards, forecasts, union negotiation cost studies and consulting assistance, actuarial experience studies, and plan design analysis. He assists clients with plan terminations, merger and acquisition due diligence work, and individual and mass benefit certifications. One of Bob’s many attributes is his attention to detail, enabling him to educate plan administrators and assisting with plan interpretation.

Bob has a strong reputation for his ability to provide testimony for labor contract fact-finding and arbitration hearings. He has actively participated in nine successful labor negotiations for a major Pittsburgh public sector entity and is looking forward to the next round.

According to Bob, there is a strong connection between mathematics and music. In his spare time, Bob plays the trumpet and piano with several community bands; he also has sung with barbershop quartets.

Bob is an Enrolled Actuary (EA), a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (FCA), and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). He earned his a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Case Western Reserve University.

Nate is a senior analyst at Cowden in the retirement practice, having joined the company in May 2015. He contributes to a variety of actuarial projects at Cowden for both corporate and municipal clients, including many union plans. He provides data analysis, completes actuarial valuations, government forms, benefit calculations, assists with plan design and termination analysis, and the strategic planning that is signature to Cowden. He enjoys partnering with clients to help them achieve the best outcomes, which starts with taking the initiative to understand their overall objectives.

As part of a Cowden team working with a client during labor negotiations, Nate was responsible for constructing a predictive analytics model that determined the expected baseline cost of compensation, benefits, and retirement packages to be negotiated and then to communicate the features and output of the dynamic model, which fluidly adjusted for a variety of scenarios. This tool facilitated finding the right balance of competitive and cost effective wage packages for the client.

In the wake of recent market volatility conditions, pension plans that were not overfunded experienced significant cash contribution increase requirements. Understanding corporate pressures for cash flow, Nate assisted with analyzing and implementing an asset smoothing technique, which reduced required contributions by 25%. The method also reduces the volatility of future contributions, supporting better predictability.

Nate graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in actuarial mathematics as well as economics. He is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) and is continuing his pursuit of becoming an Enrolled Actuary (EA) and a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries (FSA). As an active player in the Pittsburgh Forge Rugby Club, Nate also serves on its finance committee.

Ed joined the retirement and actuarial practice of Cowden as an analyst in July 2019. In his role, he provides support for a wide range of Cowden’s retirement services clients. Ed brings a strong ability to understand clients’ specific needs and a commitment to helping his clients fulfill their goals.

Six years of project management have given Ed valuable experience with developing and implementing strategies that enhance operational efficiencies as well as in collaborating with vendors to resolve variances, refine forecasts, and identify opportunities for process improvement. In his career, he has successfully undertaken multiple $300K-plus, under-billed projects to improve profitability and achieve contracted schedule goals.

Ed holds a Master of Business Administration from The Pennsylvania State University, where he also earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematics. In his pursuit of becoming an enrolled actuary he has earned certificates in project management and scheduling; Ed has also passed three of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) actuarial exams.

Todd is a senior analyst in the retirement practice at Cowden. When he joined Cowden in 2016, Todd brought with him nine years of solid experience as an actuarial analyst in the defined benefit field. He enjoys partnering with clients to understand their overall business objectives and help them achieve their goals.

While Todd has assisted in implementing de-risking initiatives for multiple clients, either through lump sum windows or retiree annuity purchases, as a key player on a particularly complex client, he helped them to understand the risks and benefits of undertaking each program. Todd’s contribution to these efforts includes designing multiple ways to implement the programs to best fit the unique needs of the client, such as cash flow restrictions and financial statement accounting sensitivity. He has also been effective in illustrating to multiple clients the potential benefits of plan mergers and assisted them through the process of executing the mergers.

In working on postretirement medical plans that are in need of eliminating liability, Todd analyzes the pertinent data and advises his clients on the most cost effective approach to a buyout, while staying under the client’s budget and within the structure chosen by the client.

Todd graduated cum laude from Robert Morris University with a Bachelor of Science in actuarial science. He is currently working toward an Enrolled Actuary designation.

Margaret, who joined Cowden in 2008, is a senior consultant and actuary in the retirement practice. She has more than 25 years of pension actuarial skills and retirement benefits experience. Her expertise extends beyond annual valuations, funding calculations, financial accounting and government reporting, benefit calculations, and related consulting to management of plans through the process of plan termination and risk reduction through annuity purchase. She meticulously prepares both corporate and non-profit retiree medical plan valuations, as well as issuing GASB 75 reports for governmental retiree medical plans.

Margaret has been involved in numerous projects including implementation of an asset method change that reduced minimum funding requirements by 25%, while reducing future volatility. Another project structured an annuity purchase to reduce the inactive participant count, thereby eliminating the need for a plan audit, decreasing PBGC flat rate premiums by 35%, and accelerating application of the variable rate cap. After the settlement, the annuity purchase also improved funding status by 23%. She also identified frozen pension and OPEB clients with declining active populations that could change their amortization method for accounting expense-the implementation of her recommendations reduced net periodic benefit cost for the employers by between 80% and 200%.

Margaret also has a unique background in special projects involving demographic projections and analyses of retirement income and subsistence expenses for religious communities. This was an enjoyable challenge, as it required her to understand a specialized population and use actuarial techniques not usually applied in her routine work.

Since 2017, Margaret has supervised and proctored specialty group health and pension Fellowship exams for the Society of Actuaries. Margaret also conducts technical seminars to strengthen the skills and knowledge base among Cowden’s team of analysts.

Margaret is an Enrolled Actuary (EA) under ERISA, a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries (FSA), a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (FCA), and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics, summa cum laude, and is a member of the honors society, Phi Beta Kappa.

Chris joined Cowden in April 2019 as a consultant in the health and benefits practice. In his role, Chris advises clients on all aspects of their health and welfare plans as well as assists with underwriting and financial analysis for the various plans they offer. His primary responsibilities include analyzing client financial data, assisting with the creation of client plan management initiatives, focusing on strategic plan design, funding analysis, and vendor strategies.

Chris’s 15-plus years of experience includes a variety of roles and diverse experience in the insurance industry. He has managed an international student insurance product to an impressive 50% loss ratio for five years and provided annual financial consulting and underwriting expertise to a 20-client book of business. Chris has experience in both domestic and international markets.

Chris maintains a Pennsylvania Life and Accident License and is a graduate of Miami University with a Bachelor of Science in economics.

Jeanne joined Cowden in 2007 with a solid business administration background. In her current role as a compensation consultant, she focuses on ensuring the competitive marketplace is accounted for and that the mechanics of a compensation program are practical and realistic, designing and assisting with new plan implementation. To date, she has served over forty Cowden clients, including executive compensation analysis for a wide variety of corporate and not-for-profit organizations. Also, as manager of administration and human resources at Cowden, Jeanne is always learning new aspects of the business and is never afraid to tackle a new challenge.

As secretary for the North American Actuarial and Consulting Services (NORACS) organization, in which Cowden maintains an active membership, she is up-to-date on best practices and important trends in the actuarial and consulting world, knowledge that benefits both Cowden and clients.

Jeanne is a graduate of Taylor Business Institute. She has also broadened her knowledge base via learning opportunities provided through the American Society of Pension Actuaries Program. Jeanne is a member of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists (ISCEBS), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Pittsburgh Total Rewards Association, and WorldatWork.

Chelsea is an experienced consultant in Cowden’s compensation practice. She brings extensive consulting expertise to Cowden, with a focus on delivering sustainable HR solutions that address complex business problems across mid-market, regional, and large national clients. Chelsea has successfully helped clients to implement cost-effective HR solutions, define budgets, improve business processes, and enhance employee engagement.

Chelsea specializes in helping clients maximize executive and corporate compensation strategies, and partners with clients to develop a total compensation philosophy across their organizations. Chelsea has been influential in providing expert litigation support for corporate and executive compensation cases. With her industry knowledge and commitment to client service, Chelsea has the ability to listen and work effectively with clients to execute the changes necessary to solve problems and strategically plan for the future.

Recently, Chelsea was responsible for a comprehensive financial analysis that identified $3.5M excess bonus payouts to certain executives in support of a client’s pre-litigation efforts. Through this analysis, Chelsea and the Cowden team identified additional pay practices that did not follow industry standards.

Chelsea graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Master of Science in health policy and holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Bucknell University. She gained prior experience as a management consultant at two global consulting firms.

Brad joined Cowden in 2010 and, in 2012, became a shareholder of the firm. He is now vice president of retirement and actuarial services.

While Brad has been serving retirement plans of all types throughout his career, his primary focus involves Taft-Hartley funds and certain large government entities, providing them with valuation and consulting services. As an actuary, he is not just adept in providing accurate results, but also in the strategic, individualized consulting that helps clients to understand the situations surrounding their benefit programs; this focus has repeatedly resulted in the achievement of desired outcomes.

Brad builds strong relationships that support understanding and lead to achievement of client goals. He develops appropriate strategies and studies to address the complex issues his clients face. To facilitate better communication of current and potential future situations, he has developed proprietary projection tools, including ZoneCast for multiemployer pension plans, to project funding situations under various plan design, contribution, and economic assumptions and PenCast for single-employer pension plans, to project contribution and accounting results under changing economic and demographic assumptions, as well as plan terminations situations.

For one client in particular, Brad used his expertise to help restructure the design of their pension plan with an outlook on significant levels of work so that the Union membership would be both incentivized and rewarded for large amounts of overtime.

Brad has spoken at American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB) conferences and been a panelist in the Annual Public Pension Summit hosted by Allegheny County. At the request of Union clients, Brad has spoken on several occasions to large groups regarding current and projected pension funding. He has also led continuing education sessions on pension plans for several accounting firms and investment advisory groups.

Brad is an Enrolled Actuary (EA), an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA), and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). Brad is a graduate of Grove City College.

Christian began working with Cowden in November 2018 as an analyst for the retirement practice. He brings solid experience working with defined benefit and OPEB retirement plans to his analyst work at Cowden. His attention to detail and ability to problem solve help support the retirement practice for approximately 20 clients including municipal, single employer, multiemployer, and OPEB.

Christian graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a minor in computer science. He is well on his way in his pursuit of becoming an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA), having passed five of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) actuarial exams.

Lesa, who joined Cowden in 2013, is vice president of health and benefits. Her 25-plus years of experience in the employee benefits consulting field is valuable to her clients as she advises them on the intricacies of their health and welfare plan funding, compliance, and operational processes. Lesa focuses on the development of strategic plan designs that position her clients to achieve their goals of providing benefits in a shifting insurance marketplace.

Attentiveness to detail of plan financial and data analytics as well as astute vendor management and negotiations undergird Lesa’s recommendations to clients. She is dedicated to working with her clients to develop and implement solid business plans to construct and manage health and welfare plan offerings that contribute to overall employee health and satisfaction, while enhancing business profitability.

Lesa earned her Bachelor of Science with a concentration on health policy and administration from The Pennsylvania State University. In addition, she holds a Pennsylvania Life, Accident and Health License, a Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefits (IFEBP), and is currently working towards the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation. Lesa earned the Certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional accreditation from the National Association of Health Underwriters. She is also a member of Pittsburgh Human Resources Association (PHRA), the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (PBGH), and the Society of Human Resources (SHRM).

The depth and breadth of Lesa’s knowledge in the health benefits and welfare fields has positioned her to speak on various health and welfare topics at the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association, the Healthcare Council of Western PA, the Institute of Entrepreneurial Excellence, and the University Conference.

Dave is chief actuary in Cowden’s retirement and actuarial practice. Over his 11-year tenure at Cowden, he has worked closely with clients to develop effective retiree benefits plan strategies that align with their organizational goals. In addition to serving clients, Dave is responsible for all of Cowden's actuarial policies and programs, including compliance with actuarial standards and reporting and the delivery of consistent work products.

Dave advised a single-employer, private sector client regarding post-Medicare medical and prescription drug coverage changes. Implementation of the recommended plan design simplified benefit offerings and reduced plan liabilities and annual cash requirements by 40%, without any reduction in benefits or cost increases for retirees. For a client whose defined benefit plan had become a complex hybrid due to change in ownership, Dave also proved well up to the task of managing and coordinating their large-plan termination. A small manufacturing company that Dave advised, managed, and completed a plan termination for resulted in the elimination of future cash flow risk; his strategy provided finality to an unappreciated, frozen plan and created a predictable debt repayment schedule.

A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, Dave holds a bachelor’s in mathematics with an actuarial option as well as a bachelor’s in insurance. He is an Enrolled Actuary (EA), a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries (FSA), and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

Denise joined Cowden in December 2019 as a financial analyst. In her role, Denise is responsible for day-to-day business transactions and reconciliations. She prepares weekly and monthly financial reports and provides monitoring of internal systems including tracking receivables.

With over 15 years of professional experience in both corporate and agency environments, she has successfully managed over 500 accounts involving accounting disciplines including deposits, receivables, and processing financial statements. For the past 10 years, she has been in a support role with various financial organizations while she raised her two children and she continues to be active with a yoga teacher certification.

Denise is a graduate of Robert Morris University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration and economics.