NAIFA is pleased to announce that Suzanne Carawan is NAIFA’s Vice President, Membership and will lead a newly created department focused on creating exceptional member value and increased engagement in NAIFA’s core areas of advocacy, education, and volunteer leadership. She and her team will develop strategies and implement tactics to deliver NAIFA’s value proposition to an expanded pool of financial professionals that now call NAIFA home due to the recent merger with the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

“Suzanne Carawan has a love for NAIFA and a passion for moving our association forward,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. “No one knows NAIFA’s membership and understands what drives them in their professional lives and desire to belong to NAIFA better than Suzanne. I cannot think of anyone more qualified to generate strong enthusiasm for NAIFA among the wider community of agents, advisors, attorneys, accountants, and other industry professionals.”

NAIFA has expanded its membership base by adding the Society of Financial Service Professionals and increased its public-facing profile by adding Life Happens as its consumer arm. Carawan will leverage these strategic moves to ensure members and prospective members understand the critical role NAIFA plays in bolstering their professional success and helping them provide financial security to American families and businesses. By adding members, NAIFA will better serve the American public and be even more impactful as an association.

Carawan brings more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and communications executive to the position. She served as NAIFA’s Vice President, Marketing and Communications for the past four years, successfully marketing new member acquisition along with NAIFA’s advocacy achievements, programs, and events. She has helped lead NAIFA’s digital transformation and spearheaded several award-winning programs, including NAIFA’s Advisor Ambassadors and Diversity Symposium.

“It is an honor of a lifetime to be asked to lead NAIFA’s growth strategy,” stated Carawan. “I can testify firsthand as to the strength of our expanded association, the tenacity that our members have in serving their clients, and in the absolute pride they have in their profession and the part they play in our American economy. We will work hand-in-hand with our volunteer leaders to amplify NAIFA’s brand and re-establish belonging to your association as a standard of professionalism.”

She is a cohost of NAIFA’s Advisor Today podcast series and has built out the Advisor Today platform to spotlight the extraordinary success and achievement of NAIFA members. She was also the driving force behind bringing the Advisor Today magazine back into print after several years as a digital-only publication.

The creation of the new department and selection of Carawan to lead it highlight NAIFA’s priority focus on increasing membership along with bolstering its position as the leading grassroots association for financial professionals. Her new role will allow Carawan to concentrate her talents and energy on achieving NAIFA’s membership goals.