Grace Staten, recently named the Women in Financial Services (WIFS) 2020 Woman of the Year, is the Vice President of Marketing for Coastal Wealth, and a loyal NAIFA member since 2013.

Staten says, “I was first introduced to the financial services business as an undergraduate by a volunteer at my college. She was a part-time career counselor who worked professionally as a financial advisor. Knowing that I wanted to major in business, she steered me toward finance and allowed me to be an assistant in her financial services office.”

Kristen Eskew is a Business Development Executive for OneDigital, a speaker and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion enthusiast. She is also a new NAIFA member.

In 2008, Eskew graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies. Upon graduating, she worked as a teller at multiple banks until her position was dissolved due to a merger. At the time, one of her friends was working for Consolidated Planning and connected her with an open position. Though she had experience in banking and worked in the financial aid department in college, Eskew says, “I kind of fell into it…I wasn’t running towards this business; I was in the process of trying to find my passion and purpose.”

Jose Rodriguez is the founder of Optimized Financial Brokerage Solutions and Insurance Services and a loyal NAIFA member since 2016.

Rodriguez was born in the United States and raised in Mexico. In 1979, when Rodriguez was eight years old, his father became ill. Upon recommendation, the family decided to take an extended vacation and moved to Mexico. Rodriguez says, “I am the first generation Mexican-American. When we moved to Mexico, I was bullied because I didn’t speak Spanish.” Years passed, and at the age of 17, Rodriguez decided to leave Mexico. He came to the United States, worked in fast-food restaurants, and went back to school to learn computer processing.

Abby Fletcher is the Regional Vice President of E4 Insurance Services and a new NAIFA member.

Within moments of speaking to Abby, her genuine passion for people and finances is incontestable. Her charisma and joy for serving those who come into her path, whether client or advisor, is contagious!

Luis Lopez is a Development Manager at New York Life Insurance Company and a new NAIFA member.

Lopez first entered the financial services industry in 2015. He began his career as an agent in San Antonio, and two short years later, he was invited to become one of New York Life’s development managers in the Corpus Christi area. Lopez held a NAIFA membership for a short time while he was in San Antonio, and he recently rejoined with colleagues from his Corpus Christi office. He says, “I am in a role of coaching and advising other advisors, and I wanted to help connect others to our professional association. [When my colleagues from the Corpus Christi office] wanted to kick things off with NAIFA, I decided to rejoin. I’ve seen a lot of great momentum with NAIFA rallying around growing membership, the mission, passion, and purpose.”

Mitch Dietrich is a Financial Representative for Country Financial and a new NAIFA Member.

After graduating from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Management, Marketing, and Finance, Dietrich was unsure what he wanted to do. During this transitional stage, he worked in retail. At that time, a gentleman from Country Financial stumbled upon Dietrich’s LinkedIn profile. He reached out to see if Dietrich would be interested in interviewing for a position with the company.

Gideon For-mukwai is an award-winning author, educator, and speaker. He is a new representative of WFG Transamerica and a new NAIFA member.

For-mukwai was first introduced to the financial services industry by a family member. His wife’s uncle was involved with the WFG Transamerica and thought For-mukwai would be an excellent fit, so he asked him to join the company/firm. At the time, For-mukwai was finishing up his doctorate in Education and Instructional Leadership at Concordia University, and coaching and training others through his business Story Warrior Associates & Nerds, i.e. (SWAN Studios). While he did not feel like he could join WFG Transamerica at the time, Gideon knew that if his uncle could get his wife on board, he would eventually convince him, too. He said, “When he got her, he knew he got me too.”

Rick Beyer is CEO and Founder of GoldBook Financial North Scottsdale benefits company, Managing Director with MassMutual, and a loyal NAIFA member since 2007.

Beyer relocated to Scottsdale, AZ, early on in his career. After spending several years in the mergers and acquisitions investment world, Beyer contacted each managing partner of the top mutual life insurers in town looking for a professional insurance role that would turn into a financial advisor role. He was highly interested in finding an agency with like-minded interests and values in the emerging marketplace. Eventually, he landed a position with Northwestern Mutual. He said, “I’m from Northern Wisconsin, and ironically, I found out that Northwestern Mutual was based in Wisconsin too.” Working with this company would allow him to fly back for business and get to see family too. He said, “It just seemed to fit.”

Tom Berger is an Agent for Farm Bureau Financial Services in Rapid City, South Dakota, and a new NAIFA member.

Berger first entered the financial services industry 17 years ago. Before joining, he served in the U.S. Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force, he decided to go back to college. In his late 40s, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in business administration with a financial management emphasis. He says, “Numbers have always been something I like to work with, so this seemed like a fitting step in my career.”

Henry Angelucci is an advisor at Knights of Columbus Insurance and a new NAIFA member.

Before starting his career in the financial services industry, Angelucci worked as a union electrician. After working for the same company for 10 years, he found himself looking for a less physically demanding job. While he was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, he had never considered a career with the company. One day he came across a flyer in the mail advertising a job opportunity. Angelucci took this as a sign and decided to give it a try. After all, he had always been interested in investments and personal financial planning because of his father’s influence.