NAIFA-ND 2008 Convention Speakers
D. Scott Brennan
Court
of the Table and Top of the Table - MDRT
D. Scott Brennan, of
South Bend,
Indiana is a graduate of Indiana University. He has been a speaker at
eight MDRT meetings. He is a member of The Quarter Century Club with
past qualifications for Court of the Table and Top of the Table.
Brennan twice served as MDRT Divisional Vice President and five times
as a Committee Chair. He was named Hoosier Life Underwriter of the year
in 1998 by the Indiana Association. Brennan is a member of the
Association of Advanced Life Underwriting, and is a past President of
The International Forum.
He has served his community as a past president of the following
organizations: St. Anthony’s Parish Council (three times) and chaired
the 1995 capital campaign for the school, and the 1998 capital campaign
for the Church; The Downtown South Bend Rotary Club; The Scholarship
Foundation of St. Joseph County; Morris Park Country Club; the Indiana
University Alumni Club of St. Joseph County; and Beta Alpha Delt
Scholars Foundation.
Brennan currently serves on the Board of Directors of The South Bend
Symphony Orchestra, and Our Lady of Peace Hospital.
Scotty has been married to his wonderful wife, Robin, for 24 years.
They are the proud parents of two adult daughters.
 Adam
Hamm
ND Insurance Commissioner
Adam
W. Hamm was
appointed Insurance Commissioner by Governor John Hoeven in October
2007. Hamm brings a strong and varied background to the office that
includes experience both in public service and in the private sector.
Hamm's dedication and desire to serve the public was in part born out
of his experiences at the Cass County State's Attorney's office. Hamm
worked on the personal crimes team which prosecutes, among other
things, murder, rape, robbery, assault, and child physical and sexual
abuse. Seeking justice for victims and their families gave Hamm a
special appreciation for public service and a keen insight into what it
takes to protect the public.
Among the cases he handled during his time as a prosecutor was the
prosecution of Kyle Bell for the murder of Jeanna North, an 11-year-old
Fargo girl. This case ultimately resulted in a life sentence for Bell,
but just as importantly, prompted the enactment of tougher laws against
sex offenders in North Dakota.
Hamm has also worked as an attorney in private practice advocating for
North Dakota businesses and individuals. He specialized in a number of
areas, including commercial litigation, administrative agency law and
transportation law.
Hamm,
36, is a
graduate of Sam Houston State University and received his Juris
Doctorate Degree, with Distinction, from the University of North Dakota
School of Law in 1998. He is a member of the State Bar Associations of
North Dakota and Minnesota, and the Cass County Bar Association. Hamm
is also a member of the Governor's Task Force on Violent and Sexual
Offenders. Within the community, Hamm served for the last four years on
the New Member Development Committee of the Home Builders Association
of Fargo-Moorhead, most recently as its Vice-Chair.
A native of Jamestown, North Dakota, Commissioner Hamm has lived and
worked in the Fargo area since 1998. He is currently in the process of
relocating to Bismarck.
Motivational Speaker
Dr.
Bob Edwards, Psychologist, Family Therapist
Dr. Bob
Edwards is a
native of the south. He came to Minot, North Dakota to direct
the ministry of the Samaritan Counseling Center/Trinity Mental
Health. He served as the director for seven years.
He is currently the Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian
Church. He has served in the military, has been a corporate
vice president for marketing, established many Christ based therapy
programs, served as a psychiatric chaplain and private therapist, and
is a proud survivor of fourteen North Dakota winters.
He was named Healthcare Provider of the Year, Region II North Dakota in
1998 and was received into the Who's Who for Public Speaking.
He is a devoted pet lover, a singer, author, lecturer, humorist, radio
talk show host, and the proud father of five precious children, most
recently a set of twins who are six years old..
Dr. Edwards holds a doctorate in psychology and counseling, is a
certified suicide specialist, state licensed therapist, and is a
nationally certified marriage and family therapist. Welcome,
from the south (now a Minotian).
Breakout
Speaker
Jim Johnson, CLU, ChFC,
MSFS
Brokerage Director - Hallett Financial
Born and raised
in North Dakota, Jim has been active in the financial services industry
for the past 28 years. During his career, he has worn a
variety of hats beginning as an Agent and later as a General Agent for
Mass Mutual. In 1986, he joined the home office of Western
States Life as Director of Business Development and later became the
Director of Training and Advanced Markets. In his current role as the
Brokerage Director for Hallett Financial Group, Jim helps support the
advanced cases and product needs of financial service professionals
throughout the Midwest.
Jim has been a
speaker and CE instructor at hundreds of events throughout his career.
He is an active member of NAIFA and the Red River Valley Estate
Planning Council.
He is a past president of the Red River Valley chapter of CLU’s and
ChFC’s. He served on the NAIC model illustrations task force
and was a member of LIMRA’s advanced markets group.
Jim is an active
member in his community; he is the past President and a current member
of the Fargo School Board. He is the past President and a
current board member of Churches United for the Homeless. He
has served on the board of directors for Pine to Prairie Girl Scout
Council, Coalition for Disabled Persons of North Dakota, Northern
Lights Boy Scout Council, and the distribution committee of United Way
of Cass-Clay.
He is the
Chairperson of the Support and Endowment Committee at First
Presbyterian Church. Jim and his wife Kay are blessed with
two delightful daughters, Robin and Emma.
Breakout
Speaker
Rick Darvis, CPA, CCPS
Certified College Planning
Specialist
As owner of
College Funding, Inc., Rick Darvis provides college-funding services
for his clients and financial advisors. Additionally, the firm trains
financial professionals on how to provide college-funding services for
their clients. He is also co-founder and a director of the National
Institute of Certified College Planners.
Rick is recognized as one of
the leading experts in the college funding field. He has
written more books, developed more software, and trained more financial
professionals on the topic of college funding than any other person in
the United States.
His knowledge has enabled him to be invited to speak on the topic of
college funding to his contemporaries at state CPA and FPA conferences
in over 25 states.
He has
been a featured
speaker at the Financial Planner Association's National
Success Forum, the Northeast /Mid-Atlantic National Association of
Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) regional conference, National
Employee Benefit Forum, the New York Society of CPAs Personal Financial
Planning Conference, and at Joe Hurley's 529 Plan conferences.
Rick
has
been quoted in:
Forbes, CNN-FN, Newsweek, U.S.
News and World Report, Money, Business Week, Kiplinger's Personal
Finance, Smart Money, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg's Personal
Finance, Nation's Business, Financial Advisor, On Investing, Knight
Ridder News, Mutual Fund Market News, Small Firm Profit Report,
Practical Accountant, Offspring, LIMRA's Market Facts, NAPFA Advisor,
AICPA's Planner and CPA Managing Partner Report.
 Breakout
Speaker
Jonathan Spilde
LTC Specialist
SIA Marketing
Jonathan
began his career in the insurance business in 1981, and has specialized
in LTCI
since 1983. He joined SIA as Marketing Director in 1987,
becoming
a Partner in 1989. He currently oversees a network of agents
and
general agents numbering more than 8000 located all across the
US.
He
was a Legislative Committee member for the ND Health Task Force on LTC
Planning, as well as the ND State LTC Partnership Advisory
Committee. He was a featured speaker at NAHU’s First Annual
LTC
Producer’s Conference, and a contributing author to S. Larry Feldman’s
When
Caring
Isn’t Enough, published by the MDRT Center for
Productivity. He also serves on the Governing Board of the
Missouri
Slope Lutheran Care Center and Valley View Heights Assisted Living, and
is a longtime board member of MSAIFA.
Jonathan and his wife Laurie reside in Bismarck
with their 2 children—Kaiya , 18, and Coleman, 13.
Breakout
Speaker
Scott
D. Gunderson, CFP
Vice-President John Hancock Annuities
Scott graduated from St. Mary’s
Central
High in 1988 and went on to attend the University of North Dakota.
After graduating with a bachelors degree from the college of business
at UND in 1993 and passing his general securities exam series 7 and 63
he started a financial planning practice in Spooner, WI. In 1997 Scott
moved his financial planning practice from Spooner, WI to Alexandria,
MN. In that same year he received the Certified Financial Planner
designation.
In the year 2000 after successfully building his practice and asset
under management to over $50 million Scott decided on a different
challenge and went into wholesaling financial products designed to
provide principle and income protection for millions.
Scott regularly speaks to groups about the upcoming “Income Crisis” and
the shift from asset accumulation to asset distribution.
Scott and Tracy (wife) live in Grand Forks, ND with two daughters,
Haidyn (7) and Jalynn (3).
Banquet
Speaker
Major
Jay Block, USAF
Chief, Quality Assurance for the 91st Maint. Group
Major
Jay Block was
born November 9, 1970, in Manchester, NH. He attended school in
Manchester and graduated from John Stark Regional High School in Weare,
NH in 1989. After graduation, Major Block enlisted in the Air Force
Reserve and attended basic Training at Lackland AFB, TX, and technical
training at Keesler AFB, MS. In November 1989, Major Block was assigned
to the 439th Military Airlift Wing, Westover AFB, MA. In 1990, Major
Block transferred into the 119th Fighter Interceptor Wing, North Dakota
Air National Guard, Fargo, ND.
Major
Block
graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, in
1995 and received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training
Corps. In June 1995, he was first assigned to the 91st
Missile Wing at Minot AFB, ND, where he served in the 91st Maintenance
Squadron as Assistant Flight Commander, Accessories Flight.
In October 1996, he was reassigned to the 5th Space Launch Squadron,
Cape Canaveral Air Station, FL, as Facilities Maintenance Officer for
Titan Integrated Launch Facilities and Titan Space Launch
Complex-40.
In
April
1998, Major Block was selected to career broaden into space and missile
operations and reported to the 392nd Training Squadron at Vandenberg
AFB, CA, for Undergraduate Space and Missile Training and Missile
Initial Qualification Training (IQT).
After
graduating from IQT in October 1996, the Major was assigned to the 12th
Missile Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, MT, as Deputy Missile Combat Crew
Commander and Missile Combat Crew Commander. In January 2001, he was
selected to test launch the Minuteman III (MMIII) Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile (ICBM) at Vandenberg AFB, CA
Click here
to read more of his bio. |
