TAMARA SHELTON
Posted On: Jul. 29, 2007 12:00 AM CST
Managing Director-Retirement
Buck Consultants L.L.C.
Dallas
Age: 47
Tamara Shelton joined Buck Consultants 25 years ago immediately after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. From the beginning, Ms. Shelton has worked with some of the nation’s largest corporations in helping them design their pension programs. She has quickly moved up the ranks at Buck. At the age of 29, she was named a principal, the youngest person at Buck to be promoted to that level. She also has been Buck’s Dallas office manager and currently is managing director of Buck’s retirement practice, its biggest revenue-producing division. She also serves as only one of two women representatives on Buck’s Leadership Council. Ms. Shelton is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and an enrolled actuary.
Advice to young women: "You have to know a lot of detail. You need to learn the law. You need to always put your clients first. Finally, you need to maintain a lot of self-discipline to balance what you need to do at work and still have some kind of home life."
Professional role model: "My role model was Ron Haneberg, my supervisor during my first six or seven years at Buck. He was brilliant as a consultant. He had great attention to detail. His attitude was that the client always comes first and that you do whatever you had to do to meet the client’s needs."
Best professional advice: "Early in my career, while taking the actuarial exams, someone told me that 10 years from now, no one will remember how much overtime you worked. But they will remember whether or not you are an FSA."