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.

Jacqueline (Jacquie) Proffit is a financial advisor and marketing expert dedicated to making a difference in her community.

Getting Started

Proffit built her early career in marketing but decided after a decade that it was time for a change. That’s when she found her calling in financial services. She knew she needed to get her finances in order, so she attended a financial literacy seminar that taught financial skills from budgeting to planning for retirement. The experience made her realize the need for more financial education. “If more people only knew how to do money, the world would be such a different place,” she says.

For Bob Kelly, insurance runs in the family. Kelly’s father was an insurance salesman and a family man through and through. He instilled in Kelly the importance of using your talents to help others. “He'd bring various instances where he’d sold policies, and something happened a short time afterward and the family was taken care of,” Kelly says. “They didn’t have to worry about anything.”  

When Kelly was a teenager, his father passed at the age of 42. Because of his life insurance policy, his family was protected. Now, Kelly strives to protect other families through his own work. “That’s what motivates me, especially after what I’ve gone through, seeing how insurance protected our family.” He continues, “I just want to be able to go out and do that for the community I serve.” 

For Michael (Mike) Emmert, serving clients means learning everything there is to know about the products and services he provides.

Emmert has been in the insurance and financial services industry for four and a half years, but he previously had a long career in pharmaceutical sales. He has always strived to learn the intricacies of his industry and develop extensive product knowledge, and he brought that passion and attention to detail to his career in insurance and financial services.

Brett Rettenmund is a career insurance professional with a heart for serving others. 

Rettenmund began his career at Aflac just after graduating from college. He was interested in becoming a financial planner and was encouraged to enter the insurance industry. His goal was to build a book of business and gain experience before transitioning to financial planning. He joined Aflac because of their dedication to helping their clients. “I've served Aflac for over 20 years, and I love the culture of the company.” He continues, “I love what we do to help people financially, at a time they need it most. That's why I would say I'm exceptionally happy in my profession.” 

Swapan Munshi, LACP, is a principal with Council Financial & Insurance Services in San Francisco and a member of NAIFA California. Born in the United States to parents who immigrated from India, Munshi grew up watching his father develop and maintain a successful financial services practice by building great relationships with his clients. But Munshi’s father never tried to bring him into the business. Instead, he encouraged him to chart his own path. Munshi found his purpose and initial career helping people through difficult times as a mental health care professional working with individuals in Veterans Administration hospitals and the state prison system.

Shane Grau is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of families and small business owners in his community.

Grau got into insurance and financial services at a young age. He moved from Mayetta, KS to Topeka in his early 20s and worked in sales for a short time. However, after losing his father to a heart attack and helping his mother form her financial plan after a terminal illness diagnosis, he realized the need for better financial literacy in his community. He highlights the difference between his prior career in sales and his current work in financial services. “I knew that I wanted to work for myself, or at least companies that represent what’s in the best interest of people they’re helping,” he explains. “I wanted to be a resource for friends, family members, and community in helping them through the same type of process that I dealt with, with my own parents.”

Allen R. Bruce, CLU, ChFC, is this year’s winner of the Lang Dixon Leadership and Excellence in Achieving Diversity Award. Bruce has been in the financial and insurance industry for 52 years and has been a loyal member of NAIFA since 1973. He was the first African American to complete a full term as president of the District of Columbia Life Underwriters Association (now NAIFA-Greater Washington, D.C.) and the first African American president of the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation. 

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.

Dave Skutnik has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1984 and today is eagerly helping his clients prepare for retirement while simultaneously enjoying the freedom that being your own boss has enabled him to have. Working from his lake-side home in Grand Island, NE, Dave credits this solely to his career as a financial advisor. Before following up on a direct mail advertisement that relayed what Dave describes as an “uncanny” reflection of what he was desperately seeking for his future, he worked at a small company that he was no longer satisfied with. The most attractive aspect of his then-potential career as a financial advisor, “the ability to be compensated for the amount of work that [he] did.” He relished in idea of “being able to experience success based completely on [himself].” The same day that Dave signed his contract with his insurance company, he also became a NAIFA member (then NALU) stating that his sales manager represented the association “as an integral part of the business.” Dave encourages and provides guidance to other advisors about joining NAIFA. He declares his membership as “one of the best decisions [he has] ever made” noting that the comradery amongst NAIFA members was enough to convince him of this. Dave attended his first NAIFA meeting when he lived in Omaha and was touched by how friendly all 600 members were with everyone sharing ideas and leaving their competitive mindsets at the door.