Speakers 

Chris Baker
Chris Baker is Managing Partner of TexIns Solutions, LTD., a Houston, Texas based distributor service organization, serving agents and planners to high net worth and high income individuals, as well as, small to mid-sized businesses nationally. Chris formed TexIns in 2004 after spending nearly 20 years working for 2 Fortune 500 companies in both regional and national sales management roles within the insurance and financial service industry...read his full biography.

Michael J. Brosnan
Mike has over 25 years experience in advising insurance and reinsurance companies on complex issues. Mike is a member of Ernst &Young’s New York Financial Services Transaction Support Practice, specializing in the Insurance industry and is the transaction representative to the E&Y Global Insurance Center. In addition to his diligence responsibilities, Mike consults with insurance companies and financial institutions regarding mergers and acquisitions, involving insurance targets, financial instruments and structured transactions, and insurance and reinsurance arrangements. Mike assists third parties design ...read his full biography.

Ron Bucchi, CFP
Ron Bucchi is a Certified Financial Planner and principal of Flores & Bucchi Financial Services, based in San Antonio, Texas. F&BFS is a life insurance and financial planning agency with clients in six states ranging from high income and/or net worth individuals, retirees, small business owners and professionals. Ron concentrates his practice in the areas of retirement, asset protection and estate planning. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1981 and earned his MBA in 1983. In practice together with his wife, Carol, of 26 years Ron is also a Registered Representative of IMS Securities, Inc. of Houston, Texas, and a member firm of TexIns Solutions, LTD. Ron enjoys mentoring young people and volunteering his time among a variety of local...read his full biography.

Michael J. Burns
Mike currently serves as Senior Vice President of Life Product Management for Insurance Solutions of the Lincoln Financial Group. He has spent over 20 years in the insurance industry with extensive experience in life insurance marketing, product development, and product management. Mike came to Lincoln Financial through the merger with Jefferson Pilot in April of 2006. Prior to assuming his current position, Mike was Senior Vice President of Life Product Management at Jefferson Pilot. Prior to joining Jefferson Pilot in 2002, Mike came from AIG Life where he worked from 1994-2002 in life product development and marketing. His actuarial career began at Massachusetts Mutual from 1987-1989 as an Actuarial Student, then later at Connecticut Mutual from 1990-1994 as a Senior Actuarial Associate...read his full biography.

Richard J. Carbone
Carbone joined Prudential as CFO in July of 1997 and was elected executive vice president in 2008. Previously, he was the Global Controller of Salomon, Inc., and a Managing Director of Salomon Brothers. He also served for a brief period as CFO of Salomon Brothers Europe, based in London. Carbone was recruited by Salomon in May 1995 from Bankers Trust New York Corporation. At Bankers Trust, he was Senior Vice President and Controller from 1988 to 1993. In 1993, he joined the Bankers Trust Individual Services Group as Managing Director, supervising the Brokerage, Banking, Trust and Custody areas as well as Operations and Technology for the Private Banking Business...read his full biography.

Stephen L. Deschenes
Stephen L. Deschenes is Senior Vice President & General Manager for the Annuities Division for Sun Life Financial's U.S. Operations. He was named to this position in June 2009. In this role, Mr. Deschenes will oversee Sun Life's annuity business line, working with the company's marketing, actuarial and distribution units to build best practices and create a diversified portfolio of competitive products that meet advisor and customer retirement income needs. Prior to joining Sun Life, Mr. Deschenes worked for MassMutual Financial Group, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Retirement Income Group. Before joining MassMutual, he served as Executive Vice President for Fidelity Investments. Mr. Deschenes joined Fidelity Investments in 2003...read his full biography.

Russ Diachok
A highly regarded leader in the Rocky Mountain region's securities brokerage and life insurance iundustries, Russ has been actively involved in the business for nearly three decades. Prior to co-founding Geneos Wealth Management, Inc. in 2002, Russ was with Multi-Financial Securities Corporation, a full service broker/dealer from 1981-2002. When it was acquired by ING, he was promoted to President and CEO, a position he held until 2002. Under his leadership, the company grew from 350 to 720 independent registered representatives over a five year period. Russ is a member of the Financial Services Institute (FSI) and the Financial Planners Association (FPA). Additionally, he served as a board member of the FPA's Rocky Mountain Chapter from 1992 through...read his full biography.

Steven J. Goulart
Steven Goulart joined MetLife, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development in June 2006. He is responsible for managing the corporate mergers & acquisitions department and for various other corporate development activities. During his tenure, MetLife has completed 15 strategic transactions, including the innovative tax-free split-off of RGA, acquisitions of SafeGuard, Afore Actinver, EverBank Reverse Mortgage, First Horizon Home Loans and Odonto A, and the sale of Texas Life. Prior to joining MetLife, he was a Senior Managing Director in Bear Stearns' Financial Institutions Group. Prior to joining Bear Stearns in 2001 he headed US client coverage in Morgan Stanley's Global Insurance Group. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 1998, he was Managing Director...read his full biography.

Jacob Herschler
Jacob Herschler is head of Business Strategy for Prudential's Annuities Business. He assumed his role in July, 2008, after serving for five years as the leader of marketing for Prudential's U.S. annuities business. Herschler joined Prudential in 2003 as part of the firm's acquisition of American Skandia. He led annuity marketing at American Skandia from 2000 to 2003. Prior to joining American Skandia, Herschler spent ten years at Keyport Life Insurance Company in Boston. At Keyport, Herschler was Vice President, Product Management. He was product champion for Keyport's variable, fixed and equity-indexed annuities...read his full biography.

Michael A. Hughes
Michael Hughes is a Principal in the Insurance and Actuarial Services practice of Ernst & Young and leads the practice’s Life and Health group. Mr. Hughes is based in the firm’s Chicago office and has more than 18 years of industry experience, with emphasis in the areas of capital management and forecasting, financial reporting and performance analysis, financial modeling, risk management, process improvement, mergers and acquisitions and litigation support. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Mr. Hughes was employed with a large life insurance company in Minneapolis....read his full biography.

Terry Jacobs
Located in Washington DC, Terry is involved with advising insurance clients in conjunction with many of the firm's tax professionals. He also works with the Internal Revenue Service and Congress on matters involving insurance companies, including corporate restructurings, international tax, insurance product issues, consolidated returns, and other tax issues. Terry is responsible for maintaining a strong worldwide network of experienced insurance tax professionals. In addition, he is responsible for ensuring that the right resources are available that tax and business knowledge are shared to better serve the needs of global clients...read his full biography.

Donna Kinnaird
Donna Kinnaird is President of Swiss Re Life & Health America Inc. and she joined Swiss Re in 2002. Kinnaird started in public accounting and eventually held CFO and COO Positions with primary insurance companies, acquiring an extensive background in primary life insurance and life acquisitions.She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accounts. Ms. Kinnaird earned a Bachelors degree in Accounting from Indiana State University and a Masters degree in Business Administration from Butler University....read her full biography.

Donald E. Lippencott
Donald is a native of Port Jefferson, New York, married, and has six children and four grandchildren. Donald joined New York Life Insurance Company in 1983, after attending Gordon College in Wenham, MA. Shortly thereafter, he joined his father's agency Lippencott Associates. During his fifteen years with his father's agency, his competence in the financial services industry steadily grew, and in 1996, he earned a Masters degree in Financial Services (MSFS) from the American College in Bryn Mawr, PA. While a member of Lippencott Associates, his principal activity was to sell, service and manage the insurance and financial products recommended to the firms' clients to meet various short and long term objectives. These included Life Insurance, Mutual Funds*, Pension and Profit Sharing Plans, Business Succession...read his full biography.

The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney
Congresswoman, United States House of Representatives
Member, Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises for the House Financial Services Committee
First elected to Congress in 1992, Carolyn B. Maloney is recognized as a national leader with extensive accomplishments on financial services, national security, the economy, and women’s issues. Her career has been a series of firsts. Maloney is the first woman to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District; the first woman to represent New York City’s 7th Councilmanic district (where she was the first woman to give birth while in office); and is currently...read her full biography.

Ted Mathas
Ted Mathas is Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of New York Life Insurance Company, the nation’s largest mutual life insurer with more than $248 billion in assets under management. As chief executive, Mr. Mathas is responsible for running all aspects of the company, including all domestic and international business operations. The domestic business includes life insurance, retirement income, investment management, long-term care insurance and related businesses, as well as the company’s career agency system...read his full biography.

Peter R. Porrino
Peter Porrino manages the firm's services and supporting resources to the insurance industry globally, and he oversees industry thought leadership and marketing initiatives. He is the chairperson of its Global Insurance Industry Advisory Panel. Peter has over 30 years of experience working in and advising the insurance industry, with deep property/casualty expertise in reinsurance, commercial insurance and personal lines insurance. Peter, a CPA, joined Ernst & Young in 1978, serving in the firm's National and New York insurance practices for 15 years before leaving the firm to serve in senior management positions at several insurance companies...read his full biography.

Mark Puccia
Mark Puccia is a managing director in Standard & Poor's Financial Institutions Ratings. As Chief Criteria Officer of Insurance Ratings worldwide, Mark is responsible for establishing insurance rating criteria for property\casualty insurance, reinsurance, life\health insurance, bond insurance, mortgage insurance, and various international insurance company ratings. He established Standard & Poor's initial ratings of life/health insurers and property/casualty insurers in the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Mark is also a member of Standard & Poor's Analytics Policy Board, which oversees the criteria and analytical policies of Ratings Services...read his full biography.

David P. Schieldrop
David Schieldrop was a Managing Director in Lehman Brothers ’ insurance industry investment banking group since 2000. Mr. Schieldrop has specialized in investment banking for insurance companies for over 18 years, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. In addition to M&A transactions, Mr. Schieldrop has been involved in a wide range of financing transactions, demutualizations, and mutual holding company conversions for insurance companies. Significant clients have included, among others, AIG, ING, Prudential, Travelers, Zurich, Principal, CNA, Great West and Safeco. Mr. Schieldrop graduated from Harvard....read his full biography.

Roger A. Sevigny
Commissioner Sevigny leads a staff of 81 employees, and is a very active member of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). He currently serves as the President of the NAIC, Chair of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Internal Administration (EX1) Subcommittee, Chair of the NAIC Legislative Liaison Committee, Chair of the Government Relations Leadership Council Task Force, and member of the NIPR (National Insurance Producer Registry) Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as Commissioner he held the position of Assistant Commissioner of New Hampshire's Insurance Department. Before joining the Insurance Department, he was an employee of Travelers Insurance for more than 30 years, serving in a variety of technical and management...read his full biography.

John Sheils
Since Mr. Sheils joined the firm in 1980, he has worked to establish The Lewin Group as one of the few independent sources of non-partisan analyses of the financial impacts of public coverage expansions and other health reform initiatives. He has assisted several members of Congress in specifying health reform proposals designed to expand coverage and reduce costs. Mr. Sheils has testified before various Congressional committees and has delivered policy briefings to state task forces, federal commissions, private associations and industry representatives on national health policy. Mr. Sheils has specialized in financial analyses of the impact of health reform proposals at the state and national levels. He authored the Lewin Group analysis of the cost and coverage impacts of the 2008 presidential candidates' health...read his full biography.

Michael E. Sproule
Michael E. Sproule is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for New York Life Insurance Company overseeing: the Office of the Chief Actuary; the Controller's Department; Mergers & Acquisitions; Financial Planning Analysis and Budgets; Rating Agency relationships; the Office of Risk Management; the Tax Department; and, the Treasury Department. He became a member of the Executive Management Committee in May 2002. With 38 years of industry experience, Mr. Sproule joined New York Life in 1999 as Senior Vice President in charge of Mergers & Acquisitions. Before joining New York Life, Mr. Sproule was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AmerUs Group in Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to that...read his full biography.

Chris C. Stroup
Chris is Chairman and CEO of Wilton Re and Senior Advisor of Stone Point Capital. Previously, Mr. Stroup was with Swiss Re Life & Health America Inc. ("Swiss Re") where he held the position of chief executive officer. Prior to joining Swiss Re, Mr. Stroup was a partner at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Stroup is currently a board of director of Insurance Solutions Holdings, Inc. and Treasurer of UMIX, Inc. Mr. Stroup holds a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a M.B.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business....read his full biography.

Giulio Terzariol
Giulio Terzariol is the chief financial officer for Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz). Giulio is responsible for all financial functions at Allianz including financial planning, management, reporting, and corporate risk management. Prior to his role as CFO, he was business financial officer, where he made significant contributions related to the company’s financial excellence strategy as well as notable improvements in financial planning quality and analysis processes. Since joining the firm in 1998 with the parent company, Allianz SE, Giulio held various leadership ...read his full biography.

Steven N. Weisbart, Ph.D., CLU
Steven N. Weisbart is senior vice president and chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute. Dr. Weisbart oversees the Institute's program of economic research and analysis, preparing studies in support of the organization's communications mission, speaking to media and conducting briefings for member companies, industry organizations and public policymakers. A specialist in annuities, pensions, and life, disability and long-term care insurance, Dr. Weisbart frequently also makes presentations on property/casualty issues to industry audiences as well as legislative...read his full biography.