Baystate Financial's Jonathan Matrullo believes in the power of mentorship, community, and advocating for insurance and financial professionals and their clients. 

When Matrullo was considering career paths while in graduate school, becoming an insurance agent or financial advisor never crossed his mind. That changed when his brother was applying for life insurance. When the insurance agent asked his brother what was important to him, his brother responded, “my family.” 

From that conversation, the agent shared that their office was expanding, and suggested Matrullo apply. He agreed to learn more and soon realized that the insurance and financial services industry is more than just life insurance—it's comprehensive financial planning for the future. That’s when he decided to start his career at New York Life.

NAIFA-Atlanta CEO Trey Kelly has been a NAIFA member since 1999 and has seen firsthand the benefits of NAIFA membership and NAIFA’s political advocacy. 

Getting Started

When he was an economics major in college, Kelly knew he wanted to get into sales. As luck would have it, one of his college friends suggested Kelly meet with his father, who was a top producer with John Hancock at the time. When Kelly walked into the man’s office—a top-floor space with a great view of downtown Atlanta—Kelly knew he wanted to become a financial advisor too. He joined John Hancock and his friend’s father became a mentor to him.

Scott Blake, MBA, knows the value of political advocacy. After a career in the political sphere, he now works to protect the interests of Main Street Americans as well as insurance and financial professionals.

From Politics to Financial Services

Blake transitioned from politics to financial services at the suggestion of his own financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual. Now, he's also a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual. Working primarily with upwardly mobile millennials, Blake says he likes helping driven, motivated people achieve their dreams and goals. He talks about one such instance when he helped a millennial client buy their first home. “It's about serving your client. I get to wish for the best for them and help them achieve their dreams.” That's his favorite part of being a financial advisor—he gets to be everyone’s cheerleader.

Brad Noller is all about building relationships, both with his clients and with other insurance and financial services professionals.

Making a Difference

Noller didn’t start his career in the insurance industry, but he found he was good at it and excelled quickly. Just nine months after starting an Agent in Training position with American Family Insurance, he opened his own agency—an accomplishment that normally took between 18-24 months at the time.

Johnny Craven, LUTCF, is a stalwart of the NAIFA community and a veteran of the insurance and financial services industry.

Craven joined the insurance and financial services industry over 20 years ago, but that’s not where he started out. He spent 13 years in the grocery industry, but when one of his coworkers became an insurance agent and suggested he give it a try, he decided it was worth exploring. His coworker called Craven on a Saturday night and they planned to meet the next morning. Not realizing it was a formal interview, Craven showed up in shorts and a t-shirt and met the man who would become his boss. Fortunately, he saw potential in Craven and decided to give him a shot.

NAIFA-CA member Rahim Solehdin uses his passion and experience to train the next generation of agents and advisors at New York Life.

Making a Difference

When Solehdin joined New York Life as an agent in 2013, he found the balance he was looking for—the opportunity to help people provide for their families while making good money. He always knew he wanted to be in management, and New York Life provided that career path for him. Driven to succeed, he became a partner with New York Life in 2016. "I knew what I had to do to get there, and I did it,” he says. “[At New York Life], I knew that I could do the hard work and get what I wanted.”

Yuka Nakahara-Goven traveled 7,000 miles to pursue her dream. Now, she uses her experience and compassion to help empower other women to pursue theirs.

Perseverance in the Face of Adversity

Nakahara-Goven¹ grew up in Japan and Taiwan and dreamed of becoming a diplomat. Bilingual in Japanese and Chinese, she had everything she needed to succeed. She worked hard, studied harder, and passed the first exam needed to enter government service. Her hopes were dashed, however, when a professor revealed that it would be difficult for her to be hired as a diplomat because she was a woman.

American National’s Jarod Morgan has dedicated his career to protecting families and businesses in his community in Henderson, Nevada.

Morgan decided he wanted to work in sales in the financial services industry while studying business administration and marketing in college, but it didn’t hit home for him until his parents set him up with an appointment with their insurance agent to get life insurance. He was young and healthy and didn’t see a need for life insurance, but he went anyway, and the conversation helped shape his career for the next two decades and counting.

For Dean Germain, serving Main Street USA isn’t just a job—it’s a calling.

After growing up in Michigan and Illinois, Germain found his way to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1989. He was a network engineer for about ten years, but his work required him to travel often, and he wanted to spend more time with his family. That’s when a friend suggested that he work with her husband at Allied Home Mortgage. Germain signed up on October 31, 2002, and began his journey into the mortgage industry.

Chadd Watson, LUTCF, RICP, is an unabashed people person with a passion for helping others achieve their goals.

Watson was born and raised in Utah. He spent his early career as a high school football coach and photography and multimedia teacher. After he started a family, however, he began looking for other opportunities and found one through a close friend who was a claims manager with State Farm. Watson wasn’t sure if insurance was a good fit for him at first. However, after he started talking to agents, he was impressed to find them genuine and caring, so he decided to give it a try. He became a State Farm agent in 2007. After five years, State Farm asked him to lead a team of agents in Northern Nevada, where he and his family have stayed since.