The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce four new inductees into the NAIFA Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame to recognizes and celebrates NAIFA members whose extraordinary service and contributions represent the legacy of the most accomplished, impactful, and inspirational members of the NAIFA family.
The 2026 NAIFA Hall of Fame Inductees are:
* posthumous inductees
The Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at the 2026 Belong Awards Celebration, November 9 at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.
“NAIFA is proud to honor four new inductees into the NAIFA Hall of Fame who helped shape our association and ensure its proud legacy and enduring strength,” said Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chair John A. Davidson, LUTCF, FSS. “With exemplary service, innovative leadership, and tireless advocacy, Kenneth Black, Rosalie Kuntz, Larry Lambert, and Bruce Murray helped NAIFA thrive and bolstered our position as the leading association of insurance and financial professionals. Their influence created programs and initiatives like the Leadership in Life Institute, the Journal of Financial Service Professionals, and NAIFA’s Political Involvement Committee that remain vital to NAIFA’s core mission today.”
Kenneth Black, Jr., PhD, CLU, CPCU, was a 49-year member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, he served as editor of the Journal of Financial Service Professionals and its earlier incarnations from 1959 to 2001. He is credited with bringing the Journal to prominence over his 41-year editorship, serving a readership who looked to the Journal for quality education in financial service issues and practice specialties. He began his professional academic career at Georgia State University in 1953 and built one of the industry’s most highly regarded programs in risk management, insurance, and actuarial science. He served as the college’s dean from 1969 to 1984. He was president and chief executive office of the International Insurance Society from 1988 to 1992. His industry honors include the S. S. Huebner Gold Medal of The American College, the John Newton Russell Memorial Award, and the Distinguished Service Award of the Life Insurers conference. He was named to the Insurance Hall of Fame in 1993.
Rosalie L. Kuntz began her notable involvement with NAIFA in the late 1970s during a pivotal moment for the organization. At the 1979 convention in Detroit, delegates approved the formation of the Women Life Underwriters Conference (WLUC) of the National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU), aimed at focusing on agent education, training, and motivation without production requirements. Kuntz, who was the co-owner of Kuntz Insurance Agency, was appointed as the Conference’s treasurer and worked alongside inaugural President Grace L. Thornburg. This new conference sought to address the unique challenges faced by women life underwriters and to balance career and family responsibilities through regional seminars and a dedicated newsletter. Kuntz served as NAIFA-Texas President from 1984 to 1985 and was honored with the NAIFA-Texas Lifetime Achievement Award during her presidency. Her commitment to advancing the profession and supporting her peers was further recognized when she was named Women in Insurance and Financial Services Woman of the Year in 2001.
Larry M. Lambert, CLU, is a NAIFA Past President and recipient of the John Newton Russell Memorial Award who began his life insurance career in 1965 and joined NAIFA the same year. In 1980, he founded The LBL Group with his wife and business partner, Debra Thomas Lambert. Lambert served as President of NAIFA-California and NAIFA-Long Beach and was a longtime member of the NAIFA-California Board of Trustees. He also served six years as NAIFA-California's National Committeeman and contributed to countless committees, task forces, and strategic initiatives that helped shape the future of the association. During his presidency, his commitment to developing future leaders resulted in the creation of the Leadership in Life Institute (LILI), one of NAIFA's most successful and enduring leadership development programs. He has remained actively involved with LILI as California Chair, lead moderator, and member of the national LILI Subcommittee.
Bruce Murray was a longtime member of NAIFA-Great Southwest who served as the local association’s President on two occasions. He held the position of National Committeeman for over 20 years and served on the NAIFA-Texas Board of Directors. He actively engaged in numerous state and NAIFA committees. Murray helped develop the “See How They Run” program, which served as a practical guide for grassroots political involvement and was an important adjunct to the Texas Minute Man program, often cited as a precursor to NAIFA-National’s APIC (Agent Political Involvement Committee). He is the namesake of the Bruce Murray Tall Texan Award recognizing NAIFA-Texas members who demonstrate exemplary service to their profession, colleagues, and clients through political advocacy and contributions to NAIFA’s political action committees. The award, originally created by NAIFA-Great Southwest, is now presented by NAIFA-Texas.
The NAIFA Hall of Fame Selection Committee is responsible for reviewing nominations and selecting up to five members each year. The criteria for selection are:
Members of the 2026 Hall of Fame Selection Committee are: