naifa Leadership

Naifa Chapter Profile

NAIFA-Massachusetts

NAIFA’s history runs squarely through Massachusetts, with the national association being founded in Boston in 1890. Today, the Massachusetts chapter is among NAIFA’s most vibrant, with more than 420 members benefitting from the chapter’s strong state advocacy and membership programming.

Advocacy, in particular, sprung to the forefront last year. A proposed regulation imposing a fiduciary duty on insurance and financial advisors threatened to seriously harm the relationships financial professionals have with their clients and impede many NAIFA members from serving consumers effectively.

NAIFA-MA members and its lobbying team went to work, urging changes to the original proposal. After many letters and conversations with regulators and with NAIFA members and their clients providing testimony at state hearings, the Secretary of State issued a regulation that exempts insurance agents, allows the continued use of titles commonly used in the industry, does not impose an ongoing fiduciary duty after a recommendation and includes other changes that make the rule more workable.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAIFA-MA moved all of its professional development programming to virtual settings. This included well-attended “Quick Bytes” seminars offered in conjunction with NAIFA chapters in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The chapter also offered members an online presentation by Dr. Jerry Teplitz, a specialist in helping professionals cope with stressful situations.

NAIFA-MA celebrated up-andcoming members James DesRocher, LUTCF; Heidi Quigley; Michael Heberlein, CFP, CLU, ChSNC and Bill Spencer, CFP, AIF, CLTC with state Four Under 40 awards. Like the award at the national level, the NAIFA-MA Four Under 40 recognizes the professional achievement and community involvement of good NAIFA citizens under 40 years of age.

NAIFA-MA provides a shining example of how NAIFA’s state chapters are fulfilling our membership promise of Advocate, Educate, Differentiate.

NAIFA’s Advisor Today

Kevin Mayeux, CAE NAIFA CEO kmayeux@naifa.org

703-770-8101

Michael Gerber

COO & General Counsel mgerber@naifa.org

703-770-8190

Diane Boyle

SVP, Government Relations dboyle@naifa.org

703-770-8252

John Boyle, CAE

VP, Professional Credentials jboyle@naifa.org

703-770-8267

Suzanne Carawan VP, Marketing & Communications scarawan@naifa.org

703-770-8402

Judi Carsrud

AVP, Government Relations jcarsrud@naifa.org

703-770-8155

Jennifer Cassidy VP, Finance jcassidy@naifa.org

703-770-8125

Alaina Faiello

VP, Professional Development afaiello@naifa.org

703-770-8225

Corey Mathews, CAE VP, Member & Chapter Services cmathews@naifa.org

703-770-8404

Phu Ngo VP, Technology pngo@naifa.org

703-770-8130

Brian Steiner

VP, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships bsteiner@naifa.org

703-770-8220

President Thomas O. Michel, LACP Michel Financial Group tmichel@michelfinancial.com

President-Elect Lawrence Holzberg, LUTCF, LACP Fortis Lux Financial lholzberg@fortislux.com

Secretary Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP Bryon Holz & Associates bryon@bryonholz.com

Treasurer Brock Jolly, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, CASL, RICP Veritas Financial LLC bjolly@vfwealth.com

Immediate Past President Cammie Scott, LUTCF, REBC, RHU, CLTC, ChHC, MSIE, SHRM-SCP, SPHR CK Harp & Associates cammiescott@ckharp.com

NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE kmayeux@naifa.org

Trustees

Mark Acre, LUTCF mark.acre@onesourcegroup.net

Wes Booker, LUTCF wes.booker@horacemann.com

Dennis Cuccinelli, LACP dennis@dcuccinelli.com

Christopher Gandy, LACP cgandy@midwestlegacyllc.com

Aprilyn Chavez Geissler, LACP aprilyngeissler@gmail.com

Evelyn Gellar, LUTCF, RICP, CDFA, CLTC egellarwifs@gmail.com

Connie Golleher, CLTC, LUTCF connie@gollehergroup.com

Win Havir, CPCU, CLF, LUTCF, FSS, AIC, LACP Winona.havir@horacemann.com

Doug Massey, CLU, ChFC, FSS doug@dougmassey.com

Steven Saladino, LUTCF, LACP saladino@verizon.net

John Wheeler, Jr., CFP, CLU, ChFC, CRPC, LUTCF, LACP jwwcfp@aol.com

Brian Wilson brian.wilson@mutualofomaha.com

NAIFA SERVICE CORPORATION

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

President Kevin Mayeux, CAE

Secretary Thomas O. Michel, LACP Michel Financial Group

Treasurer Brock Jolly, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, CASL, RICP Veritas Financial LLC

Directors

David Beaty, IAR, ChFC, CLU, LUTCF, LACP Heartland Financial Services, Ltd.

Susan Wier, CFP, ChFC, RCP First American Trust

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Laurie A. Adams, CFP, CLU, LACP, LUTCF Country Insurance & Financial Services

Brian Ashe, CLU

Brian Ashe and Associates, Ltd.

Frank Bearden, Ph.D., CLU, ChFC

Frank C. Bearden, Ph.D., Consulting

Lisa Horowitz, CLU, ChFC

LifeCycles

Ike Trotter, CLU, CASL, ChFC Ike Trotter Agency, LLC

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Published April 2021/NAI-T0121/2459

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NAIFA’s Advisor Today (ISSN 1529-823X) is published triannually by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Service Corporation, 2901 Telestar Court, Falls Church, VA 220421205. Telephone: 703-770-8100. ©2021 National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Service Corporation. All rights reserved.

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PRESIDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES

From the Past President

By Cammie Scott, MSIE, ChHC, CLTC, LUTCF, REBC, RHU, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

Unquestionably, COVID-19 required NAIFA to re-engineer the way that we operated. It required NAIFA to rethink how we hold membership meetings, distribute information and work. Gone were the days of meeting in-person, coming to the office or going to conferences; NAIFA had to adopt video conferencing to drive meetings and rely on digital marketing for communication. The biggest impact was to speed up the pace of the entire association. This new way of working as a nimble, agile organization will remain long after we return to faceto-face meetings and events. NAIFA will remain an active, high-velocity association that continuously produces products and programs to best equip our members to work in a fast-paced world.

From the President

By Thomas O. Michel. LACP

Togetherness! NAIFA’s adoption of our One NAIFA structure – a home office and 50 state and 35 large metropolitan chapters –progressed slowly. Chapters and members felt their way without continuity or unified purpose. COVID-19 changed everything! Necessity forced us to unify as an association and find ways for members to come together simultaneously, regardless of geographic boundaries. NAIFA’s first virtual Town Hall was March 23, 2020, just 10 days after our country shut down. Additional Town Halls, NAIFA Nation: Impact Week and other events unleashed incredible energy within NAIFA’s membership. More than 30,000 people attended NAIFA virtual programs in 2020, and the positivity and sheer enthusiasm for NAIFA Nation continues to grow. 2020 proved that together we really can take on anything.