Nicola Barrett is a Panther twice over. After graduating high school in her native Jamaica, Barrett moved to metro Atlanta to attend Georgia State's Robinson College of Business, where she graduated with a B.B.A. in decision sciences in 1988. Barrett returned to Robinson two years later to earn a Master of Actuarial Science (MAS), graduating in 1995.
Barrett attended school while working part-time as a project manager for BellSouth & NBC News. She already possessed relevant skills she built and honed throughout graduate school.
“I took one class per quarter on my lunch hour for five years,” Barrett said. “I did well at my job, ran to school, ran back to work, went home, rewrote all my class notes, studied for several hours, ate, slept, went to work, and went to school on repeat. I understood a few years would go by in a blink and didn't want to wake up one day wishing I’d finished the program.”
She credits Robert W. Batten, who directed Robinson’s actuarial science program for 30 years prior to his 1997 retirement, as her favorite professor.
“We are still good friends, and I visit him on my annual trips to Atlanta. Mr. Batten was scarily smart and extremely well-prepared, and he knew the material like the back of his hand,” Barrett said. “He was challenging and had high expectations, yet at the same time, he was always open and accessible, allowing students to call him at home in the evenings for questions and help with homework.”
Batten’s approach instilled in Barrett the crucial skills of focus, discipline, and perseverance under pressure, which she has used throughout her career.
Currently, Barrett works remotely in Plainfield, New Jersey, as head of forecast model development for MassMutual. She has transitioned from actuarial science to finance, and works with models throughout the entire enterprise as opposed to solely actuarial models. Her internal clients, business partners, and stakeholders hail from the investment management, treasury, capital management, financial planning, and analysis sectors.
Barrett is passionate about creating opportunities for people of color within the actuarial profession. She actively engages in mentorship, scholarship provision, and advocacy to promote diversity and inclusion in the field. She also has recruited Robinson students in her current and prior roles.
Barrett is president-elect of the Caribbean Actuarial Association (CAA). She is pictured here, in orange pants, at the CAA Conference in Trinidad in December 2023.
In addition to her professional commitments, Barrett is involved in philanthropy. She contributes to the Fullerton-Long Caribbean Scholarship Fund administered by the IFoA Foundation, a UK-based professional body dedicated to educating, developing, and regulating actuaries across the world. The Fullerton-Long scholarship supports Commonwealth Caribbean students studying actuarial science at the University of the West Indies.
“I believe the world distributes talent evenly, but the world does not distribute opportunity evenly. My passion is creating opportunities through mentorship, scholarship, and employment,” she said. “Donating to the scholarship creates those very opportunities for my fellow West Indians.”
Barret is proud of her career as an actuary, but she considers her role as a mother her greatest achievement. Her son Colin is a 19-year-old sophomore at Rutgers University in New Jersey, her husband’s alma mater.
“Colin is great in math—surprise, surprise!” Barrett said. “He's happy, healthy, and loved.”