speakers' bios - American Fraternal Alliance

years of public accounting experience, primarily serving insurance entities.
Heather’s clients have included fraternal life insurers, property and casualty, life, and accident and
health insurers. In addition to serving audit clients, Heather has a variety of responsibilities including
compilation and tax engagements, presenting to boards of directors, trustees, and audit committees,
and researching accounting and tax issues. Internally, she manages the annual and quarterly statement
engagements, and oversees the investment accounting function. She consults with clients on various
accounting issues (investments extensively), performs internal control reviews, and provides
consultation on various regulatory compliance matters.
Blair Ciecko
Celtic Marketing, Inc.
Blair Ciecko, Director of Public Relations at Celtic Marketing, Inc., offers more than 19 years of
experience in public relations, corporate communications and integrated marketing. She has a broad
background in creating and implementing strategic programs in a variety of industries, including nonprofit,
high-tech, industrial, health care, automotive, chemical and transportation. She is also a
journalist, who for three years wrote a weekly column for The Doings, a Sun-Times News Groupowned
community newspaper in Chicago. Blair brings in-depth understanding to a variety of Celtic’s
clients, with responsibilities including crisis communications, media and executive training, writing,
comprehensive program planning, creative strategic counsel and account logistics and budget
planning. Throughout her communications career in working with both Fortune 500 companies and
small, emerging leaders, Blair has successfully supported client objectives through tailored programs
encompassing media and analyst relations, trade show initiatives, new product launches, internal and
crisis communications, executive training and special events. Prior to Celtic, Blair was a founding
principal in StrongForce Group, a high-technology and business-to-business public relations firm in
Chicago. Prior to forming StrongForce Group, she was a senior vice president in the global technology
practice at PR21, a Daniel J. Edelman Inc. company, and one of the first three Chicago employees of
the firm. She began her tenure with the Daniel J. Edelman group of companies at Edelman Worldwide.
Ken Frino
A.M. Best Company
Ken Frino joined A.M. Best in December 1996 as a financial analyst in the health insurance group. In
1999, he was promoted to managing senior financial analyst and assumed additional responsibilities to
oversee Best’s Ratings in the traditional health and managed health care insurance markets. In 2001,
he was promoted to assistant vice president, where he was responsible for Best’s Ratings in the
Caribbean and Canadian non-life ratings group. In 2003, he was promoted to vice president, health
insurance group, which included Best’s entry into hospital ratings as well as traditional health and
managed health care insurance markets. In 2008, he assumed his current role as group vice president
of the life health division, where he oversees A.M. Best’s North America life, annuity and health
ratings. Prior to joining A.M. Best, Ken was a corporate underwriter for Prudential Insurance Company
of America, Newark, NJ. Ken graduated from Seton Hall University with a B.S. degree in business
administration/finance.
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