NAIFA Focuses on Developing the Next Generation of Advisors

NAIFA participated in The American College of Financial Services’ sixteenth annual Conference of African American Financial Professionals. The event was held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., in early September and brought together close to 1,000 advisors for education and networking.

This year, NAIFA provided a scholarship to Mitrick “TJ” Johnson, a rising senior at Alabama A&M University. The HBCU institution is a traditional 1890 land grant university established the same year as NAIFA and greatly expanded the efforts of its 1879 founder, Dr. William Hooper Councill, to create a sustainable institution focused on teaching, research, and public service.

Chris Gandy, NAIFA Trustee and CEO/Founder of Midwest Legacy Group, was also in attendance at the event along with his sponsor company and NAIFA partner, OneAmerica. Gandy and Johnson were able to meet at the event and connect with several additional NAIFA members.

NAIFA’s 2025 Strategic Plan includes both a focus on DEI initiatives, as well as an emphasis to support programs that develop the next generation of financial security professionals. Supporting the CAAFP Student Scholarship

Benefactor program offered a win-winwin situation for NAIFA, The American College of Financial Services, and a college student who will soon enter the workforce.

Other NAIFA members who were in attendance include former Trustee Delvin Joyce and current WIFS

President Darlene Flagg. We are now busy connecting TJ Johnson to more NAIFA members in his state chapter, as one of the benefits of his scholarship included a student membership to NAIFA. In addition to inviting TJ’s soonto-be alma mater of Alabama A&M to participate in the upcoming Future Leaders program, NAIFA has also furthered its commitment to developing the next generation of advisors through its recent sponsorship of the Gamma Iota Sigma annual conference that was held in late September in Charlotte, NC.

4th Future Leaders Begins in October

Thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers, NAIFA will once again run its Future Leaders virtual program to introduce students to careers in financial services. The program is free, runs four consecutive weeks for 30-minute segments and covers key topics. It includes an industry overview, “a day in the life,” and skills needed to make it in the business. Thank you to NAIFA members Cheryl Canzanella, Mimie Yoon-Lee, Delvin Joyce, Evelyn Gellar, Derek Scheetz, John D. Richardson, and Chris Gandy for leading sessions and inspiring students. To learn more, go to security.naifa.org/futureleaders.