Robert M. Nelson, CLU, LUTCF, FSS, of Omaha, Nebraska, has been selected as the 2026 John Newton Russell Memorial Award recipient. The award is the highest honor accorded by the insurance industry to a living individual who has rendered outstanding services to the institution of life insurance and will be presented to Nelson at NAIFA’s Belong Awards Celebration on November 9 in Las Vegas.
Nelson entered the insurance business in 1973 and joined the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), then known as NALU, the same year. He served NAIFA in leadership positions on the local, state, and national levels and was NAIFA’s National President during the 2001-2002 association year. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States occurred during the annual conference when Nelson was elected NAIFA President, and he provided steady and calm leadership while attendees were stranded far from home. Nelson’s credibility was increased by his Navy Intelligence career spanning 27 years, with four years of active duty service and 23 years in the Navy reserves. Nelson retired as a Navy Captain.
“It is fitting that Bob Nelson is joining the ranks of John Newton Russell Memorial Award honorees,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. “His service to NAIFA and dedication to financial success of his clients for more than 50 years is awe-inspiring. Whether in his capacity as a volunteer leader or financial professional, Bob has dedicated his life to ensuring the success and wellbeing of others. He epitomizes, at the highest level, the great work being done by NAIFA members and servant-leaders.”
In 1993 Nelson chaired a national task force to reform sales illustrations. Over three years, he testified 13 times at regulatory meetings and in front of the U.S. Senate, resulting in all 50 states changing their laws and adopting the joint task force’s major recommendations, including improved consumer reporting.
Nelson is an accomplished speaker on agent productivity and developed a “20-point day” system that he has presented to tens of thousands of agents in all 50 states and overseas. He has personally mentored dozens of agents and advisors through his association with the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). In his career Nelson has written over $1 billion worth of individual life insurance in addition to building a full- service financial services firm, Nelson Murphy Insurance & Investments, LLC.
Nelson has received numerous awards throughout his career, including NAIFA-Omaha Agent of the Year (1991), NAIFA-Omaha Hall of Fame (2003), NAIFA-Nebraska’s Distinguished Service Lifetime Achievement Award (2004), and induction into the NAIFA-National Hall of Fame (2025). Nelson was the founding President of his Rotary Club almost 50 years ago and was the first recipient of Northwest Omaha’s Distinguished Rotarian Award. In 2017, Nelson was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame (Omaha North High School).
Nelson served as a founding member on the Board and Executive Committee of the Omaha First Responder’s Foundation. He created a scholarship program for high school seniors with parents who are first responders and personally raised over $750,000 to endow it.
“Bob Nelson provided leadership that guided NAIFA through times that were difficult not just for our association, but for our profession and the entire nation,” said Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP, Chair of the John Newton Russell Memorial Award Selection Committee. “Nelson always focused on improving our industry and the success of his fellow financial professions. He did this by serving as an expert speaker, trusted mentor, and influential political advocate. On behalf of the award selection committee, congratulations, Bob, on this much deserved honor.”
John Henry Russell created the John Newton Russell Memorial Award in 1942 as a tribute to his father, an influential leader in the life insurance industry and an early advocate of agent education. John Newton Russell served as NAIFA (then NALU) president from 1916 to 1917 and was a contributing founder of LIMRA International, The American College, and the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation.