Myra Palmer, President of the Palmer Agency, (shown at left) has officially begun her one-year term as Chairman of the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA), the industry trade association representing over 300 independent brokers and brokerage general agencies in the insurance and financial services marketplace.
NAILBA, on Jan. 8, formally introduced its 2019 executive leadership and Board of Directors for both the Association and the NAILBA Charitable Foundation.
Joining Palmer on the NAILBA Executive Committee, Chad Milner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Milner Group, steps into the Association’s chair-elect position, and Jason Lea, President of Brokers’ Services Marketing Group moves into the Secretary/Treasurer role.
NAILBA’s 2019 officers are:
- Myra Palmer, The Palmer Agency, Atlanta, GA (2019 Chair)
- Chad Milner, The Milner Group, Lawrenceville, GA (Chair-Elect)
- Jason Lea, Brokers’ Service Marketing Group, Providence, RI (Secretary/Treasurer)
- Jeff Mooers, H.D. Mooers and Company, Lafayette, CA (Immediate Past Chair-2018)
New Directors elected to the NAILBA Board of Directors are:
- Debbie Hannam, Brokers Clearing House, West Des Moines, IA
- Luke Ramsey, The ASA Group, Little Rock, AR
- James Wong, Partners Advantage, Riverside, CA
NAILBA Board Members continuing their service into 2019 include:
- John Gilbert, The National Benefit Group, West Des Moines, IA
- Victoria Van Dusen-Roos, Diversified Brokerage Services, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
- Dan LaBert, NAILBA, Fairfax, VA (Ex-officio)
“I’m excited to formally announce our 2019 leadership and Board of Directors to our membership, carrier and industry partners, media, and friends beyond our industry,” said NAILBA CEO Dan LaBert. “Going into 2019, NAILBA members, the industry, and its partners will continue to experience the transformation and commitment our leadership and staff have made to be the voice of independent brokerage distribution.”
As the host of the official convention for America’s independent brokers and brokerage agencies in the insurance and financial services industry, NAILBA’s 2018 Annual Meeting (NAILBA 37) brought together more than 800 independent brokers, brokerage agencies principals and leadership, insurance and financial services carrier C-suite executives, and trade professionals, and industry supporting businesses. In preparation for the 2019 Annual Meeting – NAILBA 38 – Association leadership and staff have put forth an aggressive agenda for the new year, building up to the official convention for executives and professionals across the independent brokerage distribution industry.
NAILBA’s 2019 agenda includes new digital engagement via NAILBA.org with exclusive industry content, expansion of membership throughout independent brokerage, revised and increased professional development opportunities, industry diversity and inclusion initiatives, amplified outreach to federal and state legislative branches and regulatory agencies on proposals and policies impacting NAILBA members and the industry.
“I am honored to serve as NAILBA’s 2019 Chair,” said Myra Palmer. “NAILBA was founded nearly four decades ago by a group of innovative, energetic, industry mavericks who wanted to band together to strengthen the BGA wholesale distribution model. Our industry, and all of us here have benefited from the energy and success they brought to NAILBA. Their energy and success are alive in NAILBA today. Their foresight and achievements are the foundation of our Association, and it’s what we stand on as we prepare to navigate the changes coming quickly at our industry.”
NAILBA is a vital link across our industry to carriers, agencies, businesses and service providers. NAILBA, and our Annual Meeting, provides a barometer on the environment and conditions ahead for wholesale brokerage distribution. I look forward to working with our Members and industry partners as we continue to build NAILBA’s legacy and strengthen our industry for future generations.”
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
NAILBA’s Charitable Foundation elected new officers and board members to begin their two-year terms. The newly elected Foundation officers are:
- Robin Landers, CLU, Landers-Stein & Associates, Inc., Miami, FL (Foundation President)
- Kathy Carlson, United Underwriters, Inc. (UUI), Exeter, NH (Foundation Vice President)
- Barbara Crowley, Brokers Clearing House, Ltd. West Des Moines, IA (Foundation Secretary/Treasurer)
- Jason Lea, CFP, (NAILBA Secretary/Treasurer & Foundation Grants Review Committee Chair)
- Myra Palmer, The Palmer Agency, Atlanta, GA (2019 NAILBA Chair and Past Foundation President)
- Alan Protzel, The Marketing Alliance, St. Louis, MO (Immediate Past President: 2017-2018)
Foundation Board Members continuing their service in 2019 include:
- Patrick Bowen, Legal & General America, Frederick, MD
- Allen Bress, AIM Marketing and Insurance Services, Fountain Hills, AZ
- Danny Brooks, Southern Insurance Group, Cookeville, TN
- Melanie Carter, ExamOne, Denver, CO
- Pete Chrisos, Protective Life Insurance Company, Hoffman Estates, IL
- Sam Corey III, The Brokerage Resource, Durham, NC
- Michelle DeClerck, CMP, Conference Event Management, West Des Moines, IA
- Hope Howard, Broker World Magazine, Overland Park, KS
- Craig Klenk, American National Insurance Company (ANICO), Houston, TX
- Dan LaBert, NAILBA, Fairfax, VA (Ex-officio)
- Scott Weilage, Weilage Advisory Group, Mankato, MN
“We truly appreciate the continued support from the NAILBA membership and our valued corporate partners that empowers the NAILBA Charitable Foundation to help make a difference in the communities our members serve,” said Robin Landers, President of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation.
During the 2018 fiscal year, NAILBA members and its industry partners raised more than $230,000, all of which was donated to over 15 community organizations nationwide. Some of the Foundation initiatives and goals for 2019 include encouraging volunteerism among NAILBA members and providing grant funds to worthy charitable organizations that serve to enhance the quality of life for those less fortunate, with a special emphasis on children. Every charitable organization applying for grant funding must be sponsored by a NAILBA member agency, exhibitor, sponsor, or advertiser.
NAILBA’s philanthropic arm continues its more than 15-year run of providing financial grants to community organizations across the country. With a keen interest in organizations and charities assisting children, the Foundation has raised and distributed more than $3 million in donations distributed to more than 200 community organizations nationwide.
For additional information on NAILBA, please visit www.NAILBA.org.
For more information on the NAILBA Charitable Foundation, please visit www.NAILBACharitableFoundation.org.
About NAILBA, the NAILBA Charitable Foundation, and NAILBA 38: The National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA) is the trade association promoting financial security and consumer choice in the insurance and financial services marketplace through America’s independent wholesale brokerage distribution channels. NAILBA advocates for America’s life, health, annuity, and supplemental insurance distributors, and its membership includes more than 300 independent brokerage general agencies who produce over $20 billion in annualized premiums.
Since 2002, the NAILBA Charitable Foundation has raised and contributed more than $3 million to over 200 community non-profit organizations nationwide.
NAILBA’s next Annual Meeting – NAILBA 38 – will be held in early November 2019 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center near Dallas.
