Employee Spotlight: Mark Stukowski

Before springboarding his career, Mark Stukowski, FSA, MAAA, Vice President and Principal at Lewis & Ellis, found himself in the early stages of completing an engineering major at a large university. Soon thereafter, he realized that others studying the same discipline spent most of their time in the library.

Hungry for change during his freshman year, Mark began browsing through the university's catalog of majors, where he stumbled across Actuarial Science. "My impression was that a person with decent math aptitude who wanted a broad business background could be successful in this field," he said — and that piqued his interest.

That pivot from engineering to actuarial science soon proved fruitful. After completing his major, Mark has worked both in industry and consulting, spending most of his time with the latter because "I like doing the work," he said. It's that simple!

A Day in the Life (and Past Life)

While working at another consulting firm, Mark met his future boss who, after some time working together, moved to Lewis & Ellis and recruited Mark for his team — a true testament to his work ethic and talent. Once Mark arrived at his new firm, he immediately liked what he saw. "After meeting with L&E folks, I got a great vibe about the people, culture and work-life balance," he said.

What started as a nearly 100% hands-on-keyboard role completing billing hours has evolved into a valuable leadership position where Mark acts as a mentor for many colleagues. He takes pride in his ability to uphold a positive work environment while continuing to deliver exceptional service to clients.

Now long settled at Lewis & Ellis, Mark still does billing hours but also spearheads ad hoc client meetings to complete technical work, networking initiatives to build strong professional relationships and lucrative business development opportunities — a balancing act that he's mastered.

Future and Friends

In his line of work, Mark is excited about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can make his and others' jobs more efficient — particularly data science and predictive modeling.

Yes, AI's allure is promising for business, but enhancing efficiency also means that Mark may get to spend more time doing what he loves outside of the office: Listening to live music, spending time with his neighborhood crew, cooking, skiing, hiking, biking and, of course, "let's not forget traveling!"