Brian Barnes, Vice President of Partnerships, SCOR



Brian Barnes is Vice President of Partnership Development at SCOR, where he cultivates strategic relationships that drive innovation and distribution expansion across the life insurance value chain. As President of LIDMA, he leads initiatives that advance digital transformation and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of direct-to-consumer life insurance distribution. With more than 15 years of experience spanning InsurTech, sales strategy, and growth leadership, Brian brings a pragmatic, results driven approach to modernizing how protection products reach consumers. He resides in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife April and their three children.  

Marc Bernstein, CEO & Founder, Balto



Marc Bernstein is the Founder, CEO of Balto, the real-time guidance category leader, with over 400 million contact center conversations analyzed and optimized in real-time and the highest-rated solution on G2 with 4.8 stars. Balto’s artificial intelligence understands phone conversations to be as effective as possible in every customer conversation. Marc was named CCW Next Generation Leader to St. Louis’s Titan 100 list of executives making an impact on the region. Marc earned a B.S. in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, & Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Brian Bland, Senior Vice President, LifeQuotes.com



Brian Bland is Executive Vice President at LifeQuotes.com, a leading direct-to-consumer life insurance distributor with over 450,000 customers. He oversees all day-to-day operations, including marketing, sales, finance, and strategic partnerships. Brian holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Dallas and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. LifeQuotes.com was acquired by Keystone Agency Partners in January 2024.

Jessica Caracofe, Director, Underwriting Innovations, MIB



Jessica Caracofe is the Director of Underwriting Innovation for MIB, Inc. Prior to joining MIB in 2021, she spent over 15 years underwriting in life insurance distribution. Specializing in impaired risk medical underwriting, Jessica also supported multiple business initiatives, including marketing, management, education, strategy, and industry representation. Her deep industry knowledge is key in supporting MIB’s business initiatives. Formerly a member of the AHOU Program and Education Committees, Jessica went on to serve as AVP Program of Development and the VP of Marketing and Membership on AHOU's Executive Council. She is currently marketing co-chair for SEHOUA.

Denis Clifford, Chief Growth Officer, Afficiency



As Chief Growth Officer at Afficiency, Denis is responsible for Sales, Marketing and Business Development initiatives. A highly regarded member of the life insurance community, Denis has over 20 years of hands-on distribution experience serving the industry as a manager, leader, consultant, and advisor within distribution and life carriers. Denis was the 2022 recipient of the Life Insurance Direct Marketing Association’s “Vision Award.” 

Thomas Constantin | Principal Product Manager, Microsoft



Thomas studied computer science at the University of Waterloo in Canada before working on the Outlook email team at Microsoft for the past 9 years. He focuses on integrating artificial intelligence into Microsoft's products and services to improve user efficiency and experience. For the past two years, his work has centered on practical applications of large language models - such as ChatGPT - through the integration of Microsoft Copilot into features such as email drafting, summarization, and business chat.

Shervin Eftekhari, President, Zander Insurance Group



Shervin Eftekhari is the President of Zander Insurance and a 25-year veteran of the insurance industry. He co-founded ReliaQuote, one of the first online life insurance agencies, and has led Zander’s growth into a national multi-line agency for over 12 years.

Martin Haile, Chief Marketing Officer, Advantage Insurance Network

Martin serves as AIN’s Chief Marketing Officer and is responsible for AIN’s overall business operations as well as wholesaling, recruiting, insurance company and distributor relationship management. Martin serves on the senior leadership team at AIN and has been with the organization for 17 years. During that time, Martin has played an integral role in AIN’s tremendous growth. Since Martin joined AIN in 2007, AIN’s Member Firm relationships and overall life insurance production have increased by a factor of five.

Martin is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of the University of Redlands where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree. Martin lives and works in Westlake Village, California. Martin and his wife Megan have two sons, Noah (13) and Owen (11), and a daughter, Riley (5). In his free time, Martin enjoys coaching little league, travelling, snowboarding, cooking and spending time with his family.

Mark Holweger, President and CEO, Banner Life Insurance Company



Mark Holweger is President and CEO of Banner Life Insurance Company. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business, ensuring service excellence, continued distribution expansion and achievement of the digital transformation strategy. Mark is an economics graduate and Chartered Insurer. He and his wife Rachel live in Bethesda, MD.

Rebecca Jobe, Vice President of Relationship Management, Zander Insurance Group



As Vice President of Relationship Management at Zander, Rebecca leads efforts to deepen strategic partnerships and deliver an exceptional client experience. Known for her focus on service, trust, and long-term growth, she spearheads initiatives that strengthen relationships, drive retention, and fuel the company’s continued success.

Tim Klusas, President and CEO, The Marketing Alliance

As Chief Executive Officer of The Marketing Alliance, Tim Klusas is responsible for all facets and operations of the business. Tim was appointed as President in March 2005 and elected to its Board of Directors in 2011. 

Tim is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Business Economics and played football under legendary coach Lou Holtz for three seasons. Tim holds an MBA from Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he was a Park Leadership Fellow and the winner of the Kiplinger Prize for Distinction in the Study of Business Administration. Tim and his wife, Beth (Wadlow), live in the St. Louis area and are proud parents to three daughters. 

Chris Lalonde, Senior Vice President, Life Division and Emerging Solutions, Symetra

Chris Lalonde is Senior Vice President of Symetra’s Individual Life Division and Emerging Solutions. He is responsible for product, strategic growth, and finance for the life insurance business, and leads enterprise innovation initiatives through Emerging Solutions. He also serves as President of Symetra Bermuda Re and is a member of its Board of Directors.

Since joining Symetra in 2012, Mr. Lalonde has held a series of leadership roles across Actuarial, Finance, Data Analytics, and Strategy. He was named Vice President of Data Analytics in 2018 and played a key role in building Symetra’s enterprise data and transformation capabilities. In 2021, he joined the company’s Strategy and Transformation Office, where he led several major initiatives before stepping into his current role.

Mr. Lalonde is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Jamie Lane, Vice President Head of Distribution Experience & Enterprise Shared Services, Protective Life



Jamie Lane is Vice President, Head of Distribution Experience and Enterprise Shared Services at Protective Life Insurance Company. With 15 years at Protective, she leads new business operations, compliance, vendor and relationship management, and shared services. Jamie is passionate about operational excellence, developing talent, and delivering exceptional experiences for customers and distribution partners.

Ian Levinsky, CEO and Founder, Pathwork



Ian is the CEO & Co-Founder of Pathwork. Pathwork is the AI platform purpose-built for the distribution side of life & health insurance—transforming how policies are underwritten, placed, and retained for brokers and carriers. Since launching in 2024, Pathwork has analyzed >10,000 cases and helped retain millions in commissions payments. Prior to Pathwork, Ian built the digital insurance agency at EverQuote (NASDAQ: EVER) which profitably scaled to 300+ agents at its peak. Ian lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter nearby Pathwork’s HQ in the Presidio (come visit!).

Carolyn McAvinn, Director, Underwriting Innovations, MIB



Carolyn McAvinn is the Director, Underwriting Innovations for MIB Group, Inc. Her role crosses all product related activity at MIB with a concentration within the Medical Data Solutions platform. Prior to joining MIB in 2019, she has held various underwriting roles within the life and disability field supporting multiple member carriers, products lines and distribution platforms. Prior roles consisted of underwriting management, direct line production underwriting in the life, disability and long-term care markets and assisting with the development of underwriting engine automation and accelerated underwriting programs. Carolyn is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts- Amherst and currently serves as a board member of the MUD (Metropolitan Underwriting Discussion) Group in NYC and lives in Massachusetts.

Professor Lucas Miller, cognitive neuroscientist and MBA faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business 

Lucas Miller is a cognitive scientist / human performance researcher, author, and the youngest faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Lucas teaches one of the most popular MBA classes at Berkeley called "Becoming Superhuman: The Science of Productivity and Performance" and has been featured in Wired and The Wall Street Journal. Along with his wife Dr. Sahar Yousef, he also runs the Becoming Superhuman Lab, a training and consulting firm which teaches busy professionals who think for a living how to get their most important done, in less time, with less stress.

He has given over 600 keynotes to knowledge workers in 50+ countries, has advised executive teams at JP Morgan, Google, and Visa, and has even been invited to speak to the U.S. Congress.

Nichole Myers, Chief Underwriter, Ethos



Nichole Myers is the Chief Underwriter at Ethos. With more than 15 years of experience in the life insurance industry, she hold a Master’s degree in Behavioral Economics and maintains several industry designations, including FALU, FLMI, AIRC, ARA, and ACS. Her work sits at the intersection of underwriting innovation, risk management, and operational efficiency and she is passionate about using technology to make life insurance more accessible, equitable, and intelligent.

R. Jan Pinney, CEO, Pinney Insurance Agency

R. Jan Pinney is Founder of Pinney Insurance Center, Inc. and ISU Francis-Pinney Insurance Services, Inc., a Property & Casualty agency, both of which he sold to Inszone in 2024. He continues as President of Pinney Insurance. Mr. Pinney has a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Utah, and the CLU, ChFC and CPCU professional designations. 

A 50 year life and qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), Mr. Pinney also is a 22 year member of MDRT's Top of the Table and a member of Finseca and NAILBA. He is a Past-President of the Sacramento Association of Life Underwriters and of NAIFA California, and is on the Board of NAIFA nationally. He is also a past president of LIDMA and served on the Board of Life Happens before it merged with NAIFA.

Prior to entering the insurance industry, Mr. Pinney served in the United States Army where he rose from a draftee Private to the rank of Captain.

He is married to Nancy, has 8 children, 25 grandchildren, soon to be 10 great-grandchildren, and resides in Granite Bay, CA.

Pat Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Digital Solutions, Munich RE Life



Mr. Sullivan drives strategy for big data and predictive analytics. His team of data scientists and engineers apply predictive analytics and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions for life and disability insurance carriers throughout North America.

Prior to joining Munich Re, Mr. Sullivan was the global head of Integrated Analytics at AIG. He began his career developing and implementing predictive models for risk management in Citigroup's U.S. credit card division. Mr. Sullivan is a graduate of Stanford University with a Master of Operations Research and received a Bachelor of Operations Research & Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.

Pat Wedeking, Director of Digital Markets and Institutional Accounts



Pat Wedeking is a Co-Founder of LIDMA and a seasoned veteran in the life insurance industry, deeply influenced by his father's belief in the profession's nobility. His journey began in traditional sales and evolved into the brokerage business driven by online lead generation and one of the industry's first comprehensive "drop ticket" platforms for financial institutions. Following the acquisition of their business by Crump in 2016, Pat continued to drive growth in digital and direct channels, contributing to Crump's offerings and its IMO subsidiary, Tellus. Currently, Pat is the Director of Digital Markets and Institutional Accounts at Mutual of Omaha, where he continues to shape the future of insurance distribution. When not advancing the industry, Pat, who is based in the Denver, CO area, enjoys time with his family and time on a golf course. 

Hanna Wu, CEO & Founder, Amplify Life

Hanna Wu is the CEO and co-founder of Amplify Life, a company transforming the $1.1T life insurance industry through technology and transparency. Inspired by her parents—life insurance agents who spent 30 years helping families secure their futures—Hanna began her career building a financial planning agency for high-net-worth clients and businesses. Along the way, she saw how outdated, manual processes made life insurance confusing and inaccessible for millions.

With Amplify Life, she’s changing that—bringing a seamless, digital experience to life insurance and retirement products so more people can build wealth, protect their futures, and leave lasting legacies.

Dr. Sahar Yousef,cognitive neuroscientist and MBA faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business 

Dr. Sahar Yousef is a cognitive neuroscientist and faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She is considered one of the world’s leading experts on cognitive training and the science of productivity.

Dr. Sahar runs the Becoming Superhuman Lab and her work has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNBC, and The New York Times. She also teaches one of Berkeley’s most popular MBA classes which trains busy professionals who think for a living how to get their most important work done, in less time, and with less stress. 



Sahar has given over 750 keynotes to knowledge workers and execs in over 50 countries, including speaking to the U.S. Congress, and was recently selected by Thinkers50 as one of the top 30 management thinkers to watch in 2024.