Gary Cappon, CLU^®, LUTCF, RICP, FSCP, CLTC, is the President of NAIFA-NY and has been a loyal NAIFA member since 2006. He practices with Cadaret Grant & Co., in Syracuse, NY, where he is the Vice President of Sales and Fixed Annuity Insurance Solutions and assists financial professionals from all over the country with every aspect of the planning process. This role enables him to use his knowledge and skills to provide solutions to complex problems.

NAIFA member Richard Demko offers his insight and expertise in a Best’s Review article on how COVID-19 could impact life insurance underwriting. He is a life insurance expert who is Past President of NAIFA’s Houston chapter and a 2020 recipient of NAIFA’s Four Under 40 Award, presented by Advisor Today. He is also the Director of Insurance at Centric Advisors, a NAIFA 100% Agency.

Mitchell “Mitch” Ostrove, CLU^®, ChFC^®, LACP, serves as the VP of Professional Development on the NAIFA-NY Board and has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1965. He practices with The Ostrove Group, in White Plains, NY, where he specializes in insuring small, closely-held corporations.

Mitch’s introduction to the financial services industry came after a family friend suggested that he go into the property and casualty business because of his experience in hospitality management. Mitch is a graduate of the Hotel and Restaurant School of Cornell and the New York State Restaurant Association was a client of his family friend’s insurance agency thus making it the perfect fit.

Neil Himmelstein serves as the Vice President of Membership for NAIFA-NY and has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1997. He practices with Main Street Planning Group, in Center Moriches, NY, where he specializes in high-net-worth programs such as Premium Finance and Restricted Property Trust and finding solutions for clients with health impairment needs.

NAIFA’s advocacy educates and informs policymakers so they understand the important work insurance and financial professionals do to help American families and businesses achieve their financial goals and attain financial security. Well-informed officials make better decisions to serve NAIFA members and their clients as well as all Americans who seek financially secure futures.

NAIFA’s Greater Washington, D.C., chapter (NAIFA-GWDC) held a successful, all-virtual 2021 Success Summit. The event brought together NAIFA members, prospective members, sponsors, and special guests for a program offering, in the words of NAIFA Treasurer and NAIFA-GWDC member Brock Jolly, “camaraderie, personal and professional development, career networking, sales ideas, motivation, and inspiration.”

NAIFA is proud to announce the general availability of its online version of the Leadership in Life Institute (LILI) program. The online version of LILI is a new extension of the product line that allows for participants to undertake the six-month program without the need to travel.

The NAIFA Board of Trustees has announced that CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE, has agreed to a five-year contract extension and will continue in his role as the association’s chief executive.

As we enter Q2 of 2021, COVID-19 continues to take an unimaginable toll across America and around the world. The pandemic has heightened people’s anxieties around their physical, emotional, and financial health. NAIFA has partnered with Life Happens and LIMRA in promotion of their Help Protect Our Families campaign, a national effort to shed light on Americans who are at risk due to lack of appropriate insurance and financial guidance.

Robert Miller, MS, MA, is currently serving as Secretary/Treasurer for NAIFA-New York and has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1983. After retiring, he practiced out of his firm, Miller-Pomerantz, where he specialized in corporate selling in New York City.

Miller is a second-generation financial advisor and “grew up around many famous New York Life insurance agents," including John Newton Russell Memorial Award winners Ben Feldman and Stan List, who he refers to endearingly as his “uncles.”