Monique Fanfan, a native of Haiti who came to the United States to have her shot at the American dream, began her career in financial services working in a bank. She then went on to work for a financial investment firm out of New York and later she spent 15 years as an accountant.

Blake Gillies, DIA, a loyal NIAFA member since 2012, NAIFA-LA President, and national Young Advisor Team (YAT) Co-Chair, is living his dream of serving in the insurance industry after following in his father’s footsteps. He currently practices with Acacia Financial Group in Metairie, LA, where he specializes in insurance, disability insurance, and income protection products and services designed to meet his client's needs. He also provides disability insurance expertise for the Southern Medical Association.

Julie McCormick, CFP^®, is a new NAIFA member who practices with Continuum Planning Partners in Brentwood, TN. Although McCormick has her investment and insurance license, she states that her specialty is financial planning as a whole.

McCormick's introduction into the financial services industry came after her initial plan to become a lawyer fell short. “I actually had no intention of joining the business at all. I was pretty sure I was going to be an attorney,” says McCormick. During her senior year of college, she was interning with a law firm when she quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit. She states, “[I had] to shift gears hard so I didn't really have a good fallback.” It wasn’t until she received a call from a recruiter in Memphis who specialized in wealth management that she felt a sense of direction. “[The recruiter] was so nice and [I decided] I'll just give it a try and I went to the office to kind of get a feel for what they did and was like yes, I see myself here. I can do this!”

Peter Browne, LUTCF is serving as the Immediate Past President of NAIFA-NY and has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1965. Peter recently relocated to White Plains, NY, but spent the bulk of his career in New York, NY, with PRB Wealth Management. He specializes in executive compensation and estate planning. 

Peter’s introduction to the financial services industry came after a “devastating” defeat in which he failed the entrance exams for West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. His father, “through his contacts” was able to set him up with all three military academies, making his failure even more “devastating to him,” says Peter. Soon after, he ended up joining the Navy, serving for four years and then attending the Rochester Institute of Technology.

NAIFA is proud to announce Dan Mangus as our newest contributor, providing content to enhance members’ knowledge in the insurance industry space. 

Dan’s passion for the insurance industry is unmatched. After high school, each day, he spent his time setting appointments for his mother, who worked with Medicare insurance products. In 1982, Dan started his first insurance agency at the age of 18 and immediately began networking for growth.

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.

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.

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.” 

Being a great financial planning firm simply wasn’t enough for Centric Advisors in Houston, a NAIFA 100% Agency. Zac Majors, CFP^®, RICP, CLU^®, CLF, and his partner Oscar Mondragon, CFP^®, zeroed in on what their clients really needed and built an innovative firm that provides families, business owners, and retirees with what Centric calls “financial life management.”