NAILBA 45 Agenda

It’s an evening built for relationship-building outside the formal agenda—smaller, informal settings where conversations can go deeper than they do in regular sessions.

Note: These dine arounds aren’t organized by the NAILBA 45 conference. Reach out directly to those in your network for invitations.

This session sets the tone for NAILBA 45, calling principals and their teams to show up as the leaders independent distribution needs now. It’s an invitation to lean into change together, carrying forward the work of the year ahead with clarity, purpose, and shared ownership of what comes next for our industry.

This CEO panel tackles the question that follows: not whether the channel matters, but how to turn its scale into sustainable advantage. Panelists explore where scale truly matters, how to invest in technology and talent, manage through consolidation, and what carriers need from BGAs as strategic partners—sharpening leaders’ view of where to invest, partner, and grow over the next 12 to 24 months.

Experience a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective on two powerhouse leaders—Stephanie Rivas, Board Chair of Finseca, and Chad Druvenga, Board Chair of NAILBA—who are fully aligned and pulling in the same direction. See how their shared vision, coordinated strategy, and unified leadership are accelerating growth, strengthening independent distribution, and expanding access to financial security for all.

It’s an evening built for relationship-building outside the formal agenda—smaller, informal settings where conversations can go deeper than they do in regular sessions.

Note: These dine arounds aren’t organized by the NAILBA 45 conference. Reach out directly to those in your network for invitations.

Meet the people already building in the annuity space—and the ones just getting started. Over breakfast, trade perspectives on where the opportunity is heading and what you’d want from this community as it grows. Come help shape the future of annuities, together.

This panel with Diana Greenberg and leading head underwriters covers what’s really on their minds: EHRs and AI’s role in underwriting accuracy, turning data overload into better decisions, and where humans and machines each add the most value. Be in the room to hear where the underwriting conversation is headed next.

A former stand-up comedian and founding editor of PeopleScience, Jeff also wrote Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter.

Most people assume their financial choices are rational—they usually aren’t.

Jeff unpacks why people spend, save, and avoid risk the way they do, and where those instincts can steer clients wrong, then shares real research and examples for what to do about it, helping advisors lead clients toward decision-making that helps them choose better.

This Main Stage session highlights solutions designed to support clients through life’s most difficult moments with clarity, care, and confidence.

Powered by Empathy, this spotlight explores how innovative platforms are transforming the beneficiary and claims experience—streamlining complex processes while providing compassionate, personalized support at scale. See how BGAs, carriers, and partners can strengthen relationships, build trust, and deliver meaningful value when it matters most.

Finseca’s Melissa Bova, Senior Vice President of State Affairs & Policy, and Jennifer Fox, Vice President of Federal & Political Affairs, lead this Washington Update, unpacking the federal and state developments shaping the road ahead for BGAs and independent distribution.

Lindsay Shookus, Award-winning Producer and Former Director of Talent at Saturday Night Live, brings a different kind of perspective to NAILBA 45.

For twenty years, she worked behind the scenes at SNL, where live television demands fast trust, real-time collaboration, and the ability to bring very different personalities together under pressure.

This event is open to all attendees. Seating is first come, first served. 

This distribution leaders panel explores how product and channel decisions are being made today: where BGAs are indispensable as strategic partners, how network and platform players are raising the bar, and how data and AI are shaping the product shelf. Panelists will unpack what partnership needs to look like so independent distribution can turn today’s momentum into durable, shared growth for carriers, BGAs, and advisors.

Bid on fantastic items and experiences while supporting a great cause. Don’t miss out on the fun and the chance to contribute to the NAILBA Charitable Foundation!

This annual award honors excellence in brokerage and is bestowed upon the individual most committed to furthering brokerage and independent life brokerage as a distribution system. It’s a night of recognition and celebration that you won’t want to miss! Dress attire is Black-tie optional.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to toast the winners, connect with industry peers, and keep the celebration going into the night.

This unscripted session with Bobby Samuelson is your chance to dig into the real issues shaping the life insurance world. From product complexity to pricing pressure to regulatory shifts, expect thoughtful takes, honest answers, and maybe a little fun along the way. Come for a Bloody Mary, stay for insights.