NAIFA partner OneAmerica has named Mark Scalercio as senior vice president, head of distribution, for the company’s Individual Life and Financial Services (ILFS) line of business. Scalercio will lead the ILFS sales and distribution.

Long before the COVID-19 outbreak, Brian Heckert, founder of FSM Wealth and a NAIFA member since 1986, embraced virtual client meetings as part of a strategy to grow his firm beyond his hometown of Nashville, IL, (population 3,200). InsuranceNewsNet profiles Heckert, who is also the immediate past president of NAIFA’s Illinois chapter, in its July 2020 issue.

NAILBA’s 2019 ID Twenty Awards recognize the “most courageous innovators and visionaries who have important contributions to the insurance profession” in independent distribution. NAIFA would like to congratulate all of the winners and particularly the seven who are NAIFA members:

Mutual of Omaha Advisors of Northern Florida will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 24 at 11 A.M. for its new office at 7650 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway, Suite 150 in Tampa, Fla. At least 30 staff members including 25 advisors will operate out of the new office, serving insurance and financial services clients throughout Northern and Central Florida, including Tampa and Orlando.

John Hancock has named Brooks Tingle, president and CEO of John Hancock Insurance. Tingle, who has served in this role on an interim basis since last summer, assumes his current role permanently, effective immediately. Linda Levyne, CLU, CFC, was named senior vice president, head of Sales and Distribution, also for John Hancock Insurance.

The Women in Insurance & Financial Services recently honored several outstanding women during its annual awards ceremony held in Minneapolis.

New York Life has named Lizzie Dipp Metzger, CFP, AEP, as its 2017 Council President.  The first Hispanic woman to receive this award, Metzger ranked as the top advisor among New York Life’s more than 12,000 licensed agents and advisors, based on production, while adhering to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. Metzger is also a past recipient of Advisor Today’s Four Under Forty Awards.

The Round Table of New York will recognize Ohio National Financial Services President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board, Gary T. “Doc” Huffman, CLU, ChFC, with a Lifetime Achievement Award at its 99^th Anniversary Black Tie this December in New York City.

The life insurance industry’s highest honor will be presented at NAIFA’s Performance + Purpose Conference in September as a tribute to his more than 50 years of service and dedication to the industry.

Deanna Mulligan, President and CEO of Guardian, was recently honored by Project Renewal, a nonprofit organization that empowers homeless New Yorkers to renew their lives through comprehensive medical, housing and job programs.