Association Executive Sharon Heierman was honored with the C. Carney Smith Award during a dinner Friday at the NAIFA AEC Conference in Las Vegas. In presenting the award, NAIFA President Robert Miller said that Sharon is a "proven leader in both outreach and education."

For example, when the state of Florida enacted legislation creating a new senior suitability ethics requirement, Sharon made sure that NAIFA-Florida was first out of the gate to develop a course outline and supporting materials on the new requirement. The quality of these materials was so high, that the state of Florida required all educators to use them as a template for training thousands of agents across the state. Other states are using them as templates to form their own programs.

Sharon also was instrumental in generating non-dues revenue for NAIFA-Florida, securing automatic renewals to publish the annual Life, Health and Variable Annuity Study Manual, now a major revenue source for the association.  Sharon has instituted some of the best training programs in the membership arena – developing and presenting membership presentations dozens of times at agencies and independent offices throughout Florida.

Added Miller: "I could go into greater depth describing more of her accomplishments, but the fact that Sharon has been selected to receive this award speaks volumes."

Sharon is the 37th recipient of the C. Carney Smith Award. The award was created to honor the legacy of C. Carney Smith, CLU, who served as the National Association’s Executive Vice President for 15 years, ending in 1978. Established in 1976, the C. Carney Smith Award began honoring the advancement of professionalism in the field of association management among NAIFA state and local associations. Through the years, it has come to symbolize a lifetime achievement award for association executives. The recipient is chosen by their peers, who strive to select an executive who embodies the very best of what NAIFA stands for: education, involvement, integrity and service to others.