In February, Steve Shaffer, president, CEO and board chair of Homesteaders Life Company, announced that longtime marketing officer Dean Lambert planned to retire after nearly 25 years. Lambert began his relationship with Homesteaders as a consultant in 1996 and became director of marketing communications in 1998 before ultimately becoming senior vice president of marketing and communications in 2014.

Reflecting on his departure, Lambert said: “I feel honored to have been part of a chapter in Homesteaders’ history that includes its evolution to prominence in the preneed funding arena. I am eternally grateful for the many lessons I have learned and the ability to be a part of the enormous success of the company for so many years.”

Shaffer also announced that as of February 20, Lambert assumed the role of executive director of the Life Insurers Council, a global life insurance networking organization of which Homesteaders is a longtime member. Shaffer, who currently serves as chair of its Advisory Committee, says Lambert brings a combination of high energy, creativity and servant leadership to the role.

In other news, Homesteaders recently added three new members to its board of directors. Elected by policy owners during the company’s annual meeting in West Des Moines, Iowa, they are:

• Miriam De Dios Woodward, CEO of ViClarity Global and senior vice president of Affiliates Management Company. Active in service- and technology-oriented industries, including financial services and healthcare, for more 20 years, Woodward formerly served as CEO for Coopera Consulting. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa.

• Steve Marlow, FLMI, CPA, has been active in the financial services sector for more than four decades, including 30 years spent on the audit team at Ernst & Young. After his retirement in 2016, he joined the board of directors of NI Holdings Inc., where he currently serves as chair of its Audit Committee and member of the Compensation Committee, Nominating/Governance Committee and Management/Executive Committee. Marlow holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants.

• Ted Nickel, owner of Bodilac Strategies LLC, has been active in the insurance industry for 30 years, with an extensive focus on insurance regulation and governance. Previously, he served as insurance commissioner for the state of Wisconsin and president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. A frequent international speaker and panelist on insurance regulation, including testifying as a subject matter expert before Congress, he holds a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University, where he also attended law school.

Board members Peter Brown, Steve Lang and Katie Roth were reelected during the company’s annual meeting and each will serve an additional five-year term. homesteaderslife.com