OPENING PLENARY SCRIPT - American Fraternal Alliance

2010 NFCA Annual Meeting
September 9-11, 2010
Chicago Marriott Downtown
PROCEEDINGS NFCA Headquarters
1301 West 22 nd Street, Suite 700
Oak Brook, Illinois 60523
Phone: 630-522-6322
Fax: 630-522-6326
Note: Delegates at the 2010 Annual Meeting voted to change the name of the National Fraternal
Congress of America to the American Fraternal Alliance, effective January 1, 2011.

What is the National Fraternal Congress of America?
HISTORY
America’s Fraternal Benefit Societies
The modern fraternal benefit society is built upon a foundation laid by the British Guilds and friendly
societies. Fraternal benefit societies began almost 150 years ago as a volunteer movement to help the
hundreds of thousands of immigrants pouring into the United States. Fraternal benefit societies were formed
to help immigrants learn the language, customs and values of America; to help newcomers find
employment; to connect individuals with similar backgrounds to solve common problems; and to provide
financial support, including “passing the hat” to collect burial funds when members died.
The idea of fraternal protection was novel and attractive to the public when introduced in the latter half of the
19th century. It was appealing because it was born of a need among the working classes for insurance
protection at affordable rates.
To make their plans more practical than the method of levying an assessment for each death, some
societies changed to a plan of flat assessments at regular intervals, uniform for all ages of members. Then
followed the graded assessments plan, which graded the assessments according to age of entry.
As societies grew older, all of these assessment plans presented problems of adequate rates that were fair
to both old and young members. But each marked a step of progress toward a strong and solvent financial
position. During this process, many newly formed societies prospered for a while and then fell by the
wayside. Their existence, however, was not in vain. Many thousands of dollars were paid to survivors who
otherwise would not have received anything, as fraternal protection was all they could afford.
Fraternal benefit societies still maintain their concern for providing financial and fraternal security to
members. However, the hat passing is long gone, replaced by financially sound insurance products,
investments, banking and other financial services.
National Fraternal Congress
During the early years, fraternals followed a directionless, experimental course. Any progress was largely
the result of independent action by one society or another. Eventually, these societies recognized the
serious need for coherent direction through standardized practices. A group of representatives from 16
different fraternal benefit societies inaugurated steps to create an organization for their societies. In
November 1886, in Washington, D.C., representatives of 12 of the 16 societies met and created the National
Fraternal Congress (NFC). Since then, the National Fraternal Congress, and its successor, the National
Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA), have been dominating influences in molding the thought and
progress of fraternalism.
Legislation was one of the first major problems that engaged the attention of the Congress. Laws unfriendly
to the societies were passed in certain states and some legislatures imposed unfair restrictions. The
Congress took on the challenges to offset this situation and was successful.
Member societies of the Congress also were handicapped by the existence of a number of fraudulent
organizations that operated under the cloak of fraternalism as a screen for their real activities. The
Congress, through its legislative committee, succeeded in passing laws in certain states that defined and
limited the field of such organizations. In the majority of the states around 1890, the general statutes
contained no provision for regulation or supervision of fraternals. Some states had special rulings of the
insurance departments and other states covered the fraternal benefit societies by special laws. The National
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Fraternal Congress actively sponsored a movement to create a bill to submit to state legislatures that would
regulate the business and define the status of fraternal benefit societies.
The bill, known as the NFC Uniform Bill, was submitted to various state legislatures and passed by several
of them. The bill defined a fraternal beneficiary association, with regulations for organization and operation.
An amendment adopted in 1897 suggested the creation of a reserve fund. In 1899, the National Fraternal
Congress table of mortality was adopted. This was an important step in the fraternals’ search for a safe and
permanent position, because it provided a formula of scientific ratemaking on a legal reserve basis.
In 1900, the National Fraternal Congress adopted a resolution seeking passage of state laws to require
fraternal societies to adopt rates not less than those in the NFC mortality table. This bill, known as the Force
Bill, aroused strenuous opposition from some of the younger societies because it would force them to
charge higher rates, in some instances, than those charged by older, larger societies. A group of these
societies withdrew from the National Fraternal Congress and organized the Associated Fraternities of
America. The two organizations continued a parallel existence, sharply divided on this issue but working in
harmony in the defense and advancement of fraternalism.
The question of the interpretation of adequate rates continued to be a constant source of disputes and
concern. Finally, recognizing that progress toward a final solution could best be obtained through united
action, representatives of both the National Fraternal Congress and the Associated Fraternities of America
met in conference with insurance commissioners in Mobile, Alabama, and agreed upon the Mobile Bill. This
bill established standards of valuation and compelled societies operating on an inadequate basis to improve
their solvency by specified methods. It also provided requirements for publicizing their financial condition.
The bill proved to be too drastic. In their effort to enforce safeguards for greater strength, the societies
imposed rules too strict for their own advancement or well-being. The bill did not resolve the difficulties it
was intended to remedy.
Further conferences between fraternalists and the commissioners were held and, in 1912, another
conference in New York produced the New York Conference Bill. This modified the objectionable aspects of
the Mobile Bill and became, overall, the general fraternal insurance law of the land. It permitted valuation by
different methods and offered a plan of continuing in business for societies not 100 percent actuarially
solvent, with certain restrictions and requirements. One demand required each society to print and distribute
a valuation report and explanation of financial condition to each member by June 1 each year.
National Fraternal Congress of America
Adoption of the New York Conference Bill settled major points of difference that had separated the two
associations of the fraternal benefit system for many years. Therefore, in 1913, the National Fraternal
Congress and the Associated Fraternities of America consolidated into the National Fraternal Congress of
America (NFCA).
Since 1886, the fraternal benefit system, through the National Fraternal Congress of America, has
worked toward the following aims:
• To promote the general welfare of the fraternal benefit system in all matters of mutual concern and
public interest;
• To disseminate information to the general public regarding the fraternal benefit system; and
• To serve its members and, in general, lend assistance to all fraternal benefit societies.
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Any fraternal corporation, society, order or volunteer association without capital stock is eligible for
membership in the National Fraternal Congress of America if it:
• is organized and carried on solely for the mutual benefit of its members and their beneficiaries and is
not-for-profit;
• has a lodge system with a ritualistic form of work and a representative form of government; and
• has made provision for the payment of death, sickness or disability benefits, or both.
These qualities distinguish fraternal societies from commercial life insurance companies.
In 1916, the National Fraternal Congress of America accomplished passage in many states of a model
bill known as the Whole Family Protection Bill. Resulting laws made it possible for fraternal benefit societies
to write juvenile insurance and, because of this, many societies developed juvenile insurance departments.
In 1955, after years of effort, the Law Committee of the National Fraternal Congress of America,
together with a committee from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, agreed upon a Model
Uniform Code for Organization and Supervision of Fraternal Benefit Societies. This embodied the
perspectives of state insurance commissioners and leaders of the fraternal benefit system. In 1982, it was
updated with concurrence and approval of these two factions. As state insurance codes are revised, the
NFCA Law Committee works to have the Model Uniform Code included to provide for supervision of
fraternal benefit societies. As of January 1, 2003, 44 states and the District of Columbia have enacted this
model code into law, establishing statutory requirements under which fraternal benefit societies must comply
and operate. Where statutes did not need complete revision, states have adopted the Uniform Code, in part.
To further its present-day services to the fraternal benefit system, the National Fraternal Congress of
America maintains membership and ad hoc committees.
As a service for members, the NFCA has eight affiliated sections that address specific societal
responsibilities — actuaries, communications, fraternal, human resources, investment, presidents,
secretaries and state fraternal congresses. These groups are chaired and directed by individuals in the
system who carry out those responsibilities at their societies. In conjunction with the annual meeting of the
Congress, each section holds its own annual meeting.
The NFCA Board of Directors, member officers and directors representing a cross-section of membersocieties,
defines the policies and has full administrative authority on all matters between annual meetings.
These executive officers, prominent in the field of fraternalism, are elected by delegates assembled at the
annual meeting. In addition, a revised constitution adopted by delegates in 2001 allows Directors to be
appointed from maximum dues-paying societies.
Inasmuch as the NFCA is an association of fraternal benefit societies, there is close interaction between
its member societies at national and state levels.
State Fraternal Congresses
Members of fraternal benefit societies in 39 states have banded together to form 31 state fraternal
congresses. These state groups work to foster fraternalism in many ways. They raise money for various
causes, both local and national; hold annual meetings with guest speakers and workshops; sponsor social
gatherings; maintain scholarship programs; and honor their own with local recognition awards.
In addition to their fraternal focus, state fraternal congresses actively monitor and advocate for legislative
initiatives. They also work on annual recognition of Flag Day and JOIN HANDS DAY.
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NFCA Headquarters Office
The headquarters office of the National Fraternal Congress of America provides support for member
societies and state fraternal congresses.
The NFCA provides a unified, national voice for the fraternal benefit system and promotes fraternal strength
by advocating the interests of fraternal benefit societies in legislative and regulatory forums, conducting an
annual meeting for the membership and uniting the fraternal benefit system for mutually beneficial purposes.
Responsibilities include the following: exercising national leadership on financial and fraternal matters of
importance to the system, disseminating information about the fraternal system to the public through the
media, working with all sections and state congresses, encouraging and facilitating community outreach and
volunteer activities by societies and their members, and urging relationship-building with public officials.
Mission and Vision Statement
NFCA’s mission is to provide advocacy, information, and operational products and services that help
member societies make meaningful contributions to individuals, communities, and society
NFCA’s vision is to:
• Be the voice of fraternal benefit societies;
• Succeed in positively influencing regulation and legislation consistent with the interests of
fraternal benefit societies;
• Promote the powerful contributions that fraternal benefit societies make to improve the quality of
life for individuals and communities;
• Educate, establish performance standards, and provide guidance on best practices and
governance to member societies;
• Lead the evolution of the fraternal benefit system.
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May 6, 2008

2009-2010 Board of Directors
Chair of the Board: Teresa J. Rasmussen, Senior VP, General Counsel and Secretary,
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Vice Chair of the Board: Mark D. Theisen, Executive Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of
the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Secretary-Treasurer: James R. Stoker, National Secretary/Treasurer, CEO, Greater
Beneficial Union of Pittsburgh
Immediate Past Chair of the Board: Barbara A. Cheaney, FIC, CSA, Vice President,
Communications-Marketing, Catholic Life Insurance
Directors whose terms expire in 2010:
Joseph J. Gadbois, ACS, FLMI, Senior Vice President of Fraternal and Marketing, Catholic
Financial Life
Mr. Melvin L. Rambo, FSA, MAAA, President and CEO, Equitable Reserve Association
Darcy Callas, FLMI, ALHC, Director and General Counsel, Modern Woodmen of America
Emilio B. Moure, Supreme Secretary, Knights of Columbus
Directors whose terms expire in 2011:
Stuart B. Buchanan, Corporate Secretary/Treasurer, Catholic Order of Foresters
Mary H. Rausch, FIC
Directors whose terms expire in 2012:
Christopher H. Pinkerton, FLMI, ChFC, CLU, Senior Vice President, The Independent Order of
Foresters, US Division
Howard (Jim) Wolfe, President, Western Fraternal Life Association
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Opening Session
Opening ............................................................................................................
Welcome from the Chair of the Board and Introductions ...................................
Sponsor Recognition .........................................................................................
Mayor Daley, Chicago, Address .............................................. .........................
Friday General Session
Greetings from the Canadian Fraternal Association ................ .........................
Report of the Governance Committee (Preliminary) ................ .........................
Report of the Credentials Committee (Preliminary) ................. .........................
Report of the Constitution Committee (Preliminary) ................ .........................
Treasurer’s Report .................................................................. .........................
Chair of the Board Report ....................................................... .........................
President & CEO’s Report ...................................................... .........................
Fraternalist of the Year Presentation ....................................... .........................
Fraternal FIC of the Year Presentation .................................... .........................
Keynote Speaker ................................................................... .........................
Saturday General Session
Report of the Credentials Committee (Final) ....................................................
Report of the Constitution Committee (Final) ....................................................
Report from the NAFIC .....................................................................................
Fraternal Advisory Committee Report ...............................................................
Outgoing Officer Recognition ............................................................................
Report of the Governance Committee (Final) & Election ..................................
Jacobson Rugland Actuaries Award ..................................................................
Marcia D. Heywood Fraternal Communications Award .....................................
Keynote Speaker .............................................................................................
Annual Reception and Banquet
Welcome ...........................................................................................................
Installation of Officers ........................................................................................
Outgoing Chair Recognition ..............................................................................
Chair of the Board Acceptance Speech ............................................................
2009-2010 Elected Officers
2009-2010 NFCA Officers and Directors ...........................................................
2009-2010 Section Officers and Directors .........................................................
2009-2010 NFCA Committees ..........................................................................
NFCA Constitution (as amended September 19, 2009) ........................................
Past AFA/NFC/NFCA Meetings ..............................................................................
NFCA Past Chairs of the Board ..............................................................................
NFCA Member-Societies ........................................................................................
NFCA State Fraternal Congresses…………………………………………………………..
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Opening General Session
Thursday, September 17, 2009
11:30 a.m.
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 124 th Annual Meeting of the National Fraternal
Congress of America. Please welcome NFCA President and CEO Joseph Annotti. (Applause)
NFCA PRESIDENT and CEO MR. JOSEPH ANNOTTI: Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much
for coming here on a beautiful fall day in Chicago. I am glad to see that there are so many of you out
there, and that you’ve got your work clothes on and, rest assured, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
The two places we’re going to rehab today are in serious need of work and at the end of a few hours
we’re going to have worked up a great sweat and done a great service to the St. Vincent de Paul
Society.
Welcome to the meeting! Before we kick off the official program, I’d like to ask Emilio Moure, Supreme
Secretary of the Knights of Columbus to come up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
MR. EMILIO MOURE: Remembering all those who have given their lives in sacrificing for this great
country, let’s face the flag, with your hands over your heart and repeat with me… (leads the assembled
in the Pledge of Allegiance.)
MR. ANNOTTI: Thank you, Emilio. Please remain standing. I’d like to ask Tim Schwan, Vice President
of Church and Community Engagement, from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, to come up and deliver
our invocation.
MR. TIMOTHY SCHWAN: Thank you, Joe. I think it’s really appropriate that we begin this conference
with an invocation. An invocation in its simplest form is just an acknowledgement that God indeed is
present and among us. So with that thought in mind, we pray:
Oh God, from whom every good gift derives, we gather today to begin this conference, a gathering of
people who represent societies that are stewards of many of your good and gracious gifts. You are an
awesome God, greater than our comprehension or imagination. You are beyond any word we could
ever use to describe and yet, through Jesus, we know the intimacy of your vast love. We acknowledge
your presence among us. We have come to you in thanksgiving and praise, to learn together, conduct
business together, to serve together and to celebrate together. Thank you for providing this conference
with meeting leaders, speakers, workshop leaders who have the skills, wisdom and passion needed to
make this a meaningful event. Enlarge our vision during the events of this conference for ways we can
use the good and many gifts entrusted to us to better serve our members and their communities. Instill
in us again your hope in place of our despair, your peace where differences threaten, your joy amidst
our struggles and your love overwhelming apathy. May your holy spirit surround and end well this
conference now and in the days ahead. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
MR. JOSEPH ANNOTTI: Thank you, you may be seated. Thank you, Tim. That was beautiful. It got the
meeting off to an excellent start.
We have a special guest coming. He’s on his way and will be here in a few minutes and we’ll interrupt
the program when he does get here but we’ll get started with a few introductions but before we do that,
however, you’ve all been instructed to silence your cell phones. But I want to encourage you to take
them out right now. Yes, if you have a cell phone, take it out right now.
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We have a new text messaging service that we are unveiling at this meeting. You can tell that the staff
of the NFCA is much younger than I am because they came up with this idea. It was beyond me. I think
it’s great! They have seen it happen at other meetings and it works very well so we’re going to try it
here today. So, before switching your phone to silent mode, please take a moment to opt-in to our new
texting service – simply text “fratchat” to 69302 and I will do that right now on my own cell phone, you’ll
receive periodically, throughout the meeting a variety of information of what’s going on in certain
sessions, sessions that you might want to be involved in, when the dinner is starting, things like that.
Something new. Something a little different. A little bit modern, certainly new for me and we’ll test it out
and see how it works.
And now, while we are waiting for our very special guest to arrive, I would like to introduce the Chair of
the Board of NFCA, a person who I have an enormous amount of respect for, who provides a great
deal of direction and guidance and demands accountability and there is nothing more you can ask for in
a board chair. Please welcome NFCA Chair of the Board Terry Rasmussen. (Applause)
CHAIR OF THE BOARD MS. TERESA RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Joe and welcome everybody to the
great city of Chicago. It is my pleasure to serve as the NFCA Chair of the Board and I hope that we
have a really great program for you. So it is my privilege to open the meeting.
The 124 th Annual Meeting of the National Fraternal Congress of America will now come to order. This is
the only time I’ve used the gavel since I got it last year, right, Joe?
On behalf of the officers, directors, management and staff of the NFCA, I welcome each of you to
Chicago. I commend all of you for your commitment to the NFCA, fraternalism and the fraternal benefit
system. It is my sincere pleasure and privilege to open this meeting.
I am honored to introduce a group of individuals whose expertise and professionalism have guided the
NFCA over the past year – the officers and directors of your association.
When your name is called, please rise and remain standing. I kindly ask the assembled delegates and
guests to hold your applause until all names are called.
• Vice-Chair of the Board Mark D. Theisen, Executive Vice President, Fraternal,
Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society.
• Secretary-Treasurer James R. Stoker, National Secretary-Treasurer and CEO, GBU
Financial Life.
• Immediate Past Chair of the Board Barbara A. Cheaney, Vice President,
Communications-Marketing, Catholic Life Insurance.
And the NFCA directors:
• Stuart B. Buchanan, High Secretary-Treasurer, Catholic Order of Foresters.
• Darcy G. Callas, Director and General Counsel, Modern Woodmen of America.
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• Joseph Gadbois, Senior Vice President of Fraternal and Marketing, Catholic Financial
Life.
• Emilio B. Moure, Supreme Secretary, Knights of Columbus.
• Christopher Pinkerton, Senior V.P. and President, U.S. Division, The Independent Order
of Foresters
• Melvin L. Rambo, President and CEO, Equitable Reserve Association.
• Mary H. Rausch.
• And, Jim Wolfe, President, Western Fraternal Life Association.
Let’s give them a round of applause. (Applause.)
I also would like to extend a warm welcome to those former NFCA Board Chairs who are in attendance
at this 124 th Annual Meeting and ask them to stand and be recognized when their name is called. And
again, we ask that you please hold your applause until the end.
Did we miss anyone?
• Mike Belz, Catholic Life Insurance
• Mike McGovern, The Catholic Aid Association
• Leroy Muehlstein, The Order of the Sons of Hermann in the State of Texas
• Kate Rounthwaite, The Independent Order of Foresters
• Tom Sheehan, Catholic Holy Family Society
• Flip Spanier, The Catholic Aid Association
• And Janice Whipple, Woman’s Life Insurance Society.
Welcome, everyone! (Applause.)
At this time, I’d like to introduce two very special VIPs, attending this meeting and ask them to stand
and be recognized.
First, the 2010 NFCA Fraternalist of the Year, Susan Skrabanek, a member of SPJST.
Second, I’d like to recognize our Fraternal FIC of the Year, Penny McGuffee, of Woodmen of the
World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society. Would you both please stand? (Applause.)
You’ll be able to identify both of these award winners by the special medals that they’re wearing
throughout the meeting. They will be presented with their awards and their stories will be shared at
tomorrow’s General Session.
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As you may recall, in 2009, the NFCA Constitution was amended to include a new membership
category called “Associate Member”. It was to include other companies and organizations important to
the fraternal benefit system. We are happy to report that 46 have joined, many of whom are here.
Associate Members have teal blue ribbons – please stand up and be recognized for your support.
(Applause.)
Again, thank you so much for supporting the National Fraternal Congress of America.
There’s also another special group we’d like to welcome. Let’s ask all the First-Timers to stand and be
recognized. (Applause) Welcome.
Please get to know these new fraternalists, all wearing their purple first-timer ribbons. Let’s do our part
to make them feel welcome.
Let’s also take a moment to thank our Illinois Fraternal Congress volunteers. You can visit them by the
Registration Desk, where they have information on what to do and where to eat during your stay in here
Chicago. In addition, they will be selling tickets for our 50/50 raffle to benefit the Society of St. Vincent
de Paul. So, be sure to stop by and say “hello” and buy a ticket!
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our sister organizations in attendance, starting with the
Canadian Fraternal Association, from which we will hear greetings tomorrow. Representing the
Canadian Association is CFA President Jim Bell from Grand Orange Lodge of British America Benefit
Fund. Jim, could you please stand? (Applause.)
We also welcome the National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counsellors, represented by NAFIC
President Paul Hill, Catholic Financial Life. Paul, please stand. Oh, he’s not here yet?
We also want to welcome the Fraternal Field Managers Association, represented by FFMA President
Tom Schisler, Catholic Aid Association. Tom, will you also stand? (Applause)
Your Sergeants-at-Arms for this meeting should stand to be recognized as well. They are identified by
their ribbons and will be on duty during all sessions in this ballroom. They are:
• Dan Lloyd, Catholic Financial Life
• Tony Mravle, KSKJ Life
• Leroy Muehlstein, Order of the Sons of Herman in the State of Texas
• Kate Rounthwaite, The Independent Order of Foresters
• And, Janice Whipple, Woman’s Life Insurance Society.
If you could all stand and be recognized? (Applause)
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors for this year’s Annual Meeting. Our
sponsors help make this meeting possible. They allow the NFCA to put on an excellent program, while
also keeping costs down. These sponsors are here today because they have products and services
that can be of value to your societies. Be sure to meet with them individually and thank them for their
support and see if their company can be beneficial to your fraternal.
First, I’d like to thank our Gold Sponsors:
• Heritage Labs International
• Marsh Consumer
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• Miller and Newberg
• Problem Solving Enterprises
• RSM McGladrey
• And, Strohm Ballweg
And I’d like to take this opportunity to have all of our Gold Sponsors come up to the podium to say a
few words, starting with Strohm Ballweg…
MR. GARY STROHM, MANAGING PARTNER, STROHM BALLWEG: Hi, I’m Gary Strohm. It’s great
to be here and to be a proud sponsor of the NFCA Annual Meeting. We’ve been serving fraternals for
many, many years and we serve over 100 insurance organizations. So we are actually a unique CPA
firm serving only insurance companies and we’ve very, very proud of serving fraternals. It’s one of the
best sectors to serve in the industry. We’ve developed many great relationships and we look forward to
developing more so please stop by our table and have a great conference. Thanks. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Next I’d like to ask Marsh U.S. Consumer Connexions to come up.
MS. STACY MENDITTO, VICE PRESIDENT, MARSH: Good morning. My name is Stacy Menditto
with Marsh U.S. Consumer. I’ve been with Marsh for about eight years and for about four or five of
them I have been attending your conventions, your Presidents meetings. We have been a Gold
Sponsor and I must admit over these years your conventions have changed a little bit and I must say
for the better. The first convention I went to I was in the back of the room with my booth with my
goodies and everyone wanted the goodies which was a good thing. Now, I’m up here on stage for 60
seconds and a Gold Sponsor T-shirt with internet café coupons –so you must now come and talk to
us—and, as well, I’m in very comfortable clothes! (wearing her work clothes for the upcoming work
project) So, out of all the conventions I go to, I must admit that this is one I’m very proud of, to go and
do some community work and as well as to help the fraternal system succeed and grow and help your
members. Thank you for this opportunity and have a great convention. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Next Miller and Newberg, Inc. These gold sponsors—they’re ready to work this
afternoon, too, have you noticed?
MR. ERIC NEWBERG, CONSULTING ACTUARY, MILLER AND NEWBERG, INC.: I’m Eric
Newberg, with Miller and Newberg. We’re consulting actuaries in Kansas City. In addition to being a
Gold Sponsor, we’re proud to say that we have participated in NFCA Annual Meetings for, I believe, 20
consecutive years. We’ve worked with many of you in many different roles. The most important goal
that we do have when we’re working with you is to advocate your society’s best interests. Please stop
by our table out in the hallway. We would like to visit with you and give you an autographed souvenir
portrait of the Miller and Newberg team. We are fraternalists’ biggest fans and as a toke of our
appreciation for what you do, we have a Windy City fan for you. Sorry about the goodies. Thank you
very much. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Next we have Problem Solving Enterprises
MR. CHUCK RITZKE, PRESIDENT/OWNER, PROBLEM SOLVING ENTERPRISES: Thanks, I’m
Chuck Ritzke and we’re Problem Solving Enterprises. I’m a member of the home team at this meeting
(indicates the White Sox cap he is wearing.) so I’d like to welcome you to Chicago. What do we do at
Problem Solving Enterprises? Well, we solve problems. They can range from the ugly administrative
problems that just need fixing to creative software and marketing solutions that can move your
organization forward. We’ve got decades of both home office and consulting experience and that make
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us easy to plug in anywhere you might have a need. Now, yes, we are actuaries also, but you probably
already know what they do so I thought instead, when you get a chance, to take out this sheet from
your registration packet. On the front, it asks some questions. All I am asking you to do is take a look at
those questions and if any of them apply to your company, check them off, include a business card and
drop them off at our table and we’ll have a free consultation to see if we can help. And the back, just to
show that we’re not blowing smoke, gives some specific examples of some of the out-of-the-box
actuarial and non-actuarial solutions that we’ve implemented. Enjoy Chicago and I look forward to
talking to you. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Next, I’ll call on Heritage Labs.
MR. TOM LAMBERTZ, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, HERITAGE LABS: Top of the morning to
you all. Heritage Labs is proud to be here as a sponsor for your 124 th Annual Meeting. As most of you
know, we launched, with the NFCA, a laboratory discount program in August of 2009. And the objective
was to assist all societies with pricing based on volume purchasing. We want to thank all the societies
that have signed on to the program. We really appreciate your business. We have some work to do.
There’s more we can do for your societies. I would encourage you to stop by our table out here in the
foyer and visit with me as to what we might be able to do and we just want to thank you. We hope you
have a very great meeting. Thank you. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: And, finally, RSM McGladrey & Pullen
MR. JIM GREISCH: Good morning, friends, I’m Jim Greisch. I’m the national practice director for
insurance for McGladrey, the nation’s fifth largest professional services firm. We’re delighted to be a
gold sponsor for your conference this weekend. And just like you, we recently have gone through a
brand change and we think the power of our brand reflects the power of your organization. We seek to
understand our clients fully to provide unique solutions to the issues that beset their organizations.
That’s exactly what you’ve done for 124 years. We hope you have a great conference. We hope you’ll
stop by our table out front and register for a box of Omaha Steaks. We’re proud from the heartland and
we enjoy having an opportunity with you. Thank you. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Let’s give another round of applause to all of our Gold Sponsors. (Applause)
Before I introduce our Silver and Bronze Sponsors, I think our special guest has arrived. I must say I
think he has created quite a stir. I think we have some media with us today, too, with the announcement
he made this week. So, I’m going to ask Joe Annotti to come and introduce our special guest.
MR. JOSEPH ANNOTTI: It is truly an honor for me to introduce our special guest. First of all, I had a
prepared script for this but I’m going to go off script for this to recount a personal experience with His
Honor, Mayor Daley. I’ve lived in Chicagoland for 20 year now. I’ve only known Chicago as a city with
Mayor Daley as the mayor. And his announcement that he’s not running earlier this week is a little
scary. It’s a little scary to think of Chicago without Mayor Daley at the helm. But he’s prepared the city
well and I’m sure that we’ll adjust. And I hope while you’re here for the next few days that you’ll take
some time and you’ll walk south on Michigan Avenue and you take a walk around Millennium Park.
There are many legacies that Mayor Daley will leave behind. Millennium Park is one of them. And in the
debate over what to do with that land, which was beautiful lakefront property between the lake and
Michigan Avenue, there were all kinds of conflicting views. And the Mayor said something that has
stuck with me for a long, long time. What he said in that debate, advocating for the building of this park,
which is probably one of the most beautiful public spaces you’ll ever see in any city, he said, “there are
a few fortunate people in this community that have summer homes in Wisconsin and Michigan and can
13

go there for the summer. But for most Chicagoans, that lakefront is our summer home. And we owe the
development of that lakefront to the people of Chicago.”
And for that, Mayor Daley, I thank you personally. It’s a tremendous legacy. It’s a testament to your
leadership and your courage. And if you all would please join me in welcoming the Mayor of Chicago,
Richard M. Daley?
THE HONORABLE RICHARD M. DALEY, MAYOR, CHICAGO: Good morning. Thank you very much,
Joe, for those kind remarks and thank you for your commitment as President and CEO of the National
Fraternal Congress of America. And to Frank Spula, who’s been a great friend of mine with the Polish
National Alliance, a great commitment here in the city of Chicago. And I welcome all the participants
and delegates here to our great city. We are very proud of our city because people like Joe and Frank
and others that have been deeply involved in the history of our city. This city has been founded by
immigrants and in our past, present and future we will always be an immigrant city. And that is a great
commitment that we have made to our city. At the same time, we firmly believe that cities of the future
have to have vision and you have to move forward. You have to realize that education is the
cornerstone of everything that we do. In the last two weeks, I’ve dedicated four new schools, one high
school and three elementary schools. We’re the largest builder of schools, libraries, police and fire
stations to rebuild our city. Even in these tough economic times I firmly believe those who take
advantage of the opportunity and build for the future will survive. And like anything else, this city is a
global city and it’s very important for us to understand how important the global economy is and to
realize that we are in a smaller world every day. And what takes place in one part of the world affects
us directly and that’s why we believe that education is the highest priority.
I just want to thank all of you for having this conference here. It’s really important to the many people
who work in the hospitality and convention industry. People work to support their families. This is a
wonderful hotel. The Marriotts have been a great corporate citizen, not only here in Chicago but
throughout the country and throughout the world. They truly have a social responsibility and one of the
finest hotels here in the country.
But I want to thank you for all the things that you have accomplished over many, many years. This
organization, based here, I’m very proud of it. You play a vital role in all of our communities. Because
every day volunteers supplement many social services for seniors, children and families, veterans, the
disabled and the underprivileged. And to me, that’s the spirit of America, volunteerism. The spirit of
fraternal organizations are really important in that they enhance the quality of life of our citizens. Every
day someone in your organization makes a difference here in our society which is really, really
important. And you think about unique groups that share a common passion for service here in
Chicago. We have a long history of community service. Over 150 years ago, when the city civic leaders
and residents came together to create a new plan for Chicago, just after the Chicago fire destroyed
much of our city, destroyed everything here that we’re standing on. Volunteerism has been a part of our
great city and part of America that we firmly believe in. We rely on the private sector, the business
sector. I’m very pro-business, pro-development, I rely on not-for-profits and community groups that
provide much help for citizens in every one of our communities. And the progress of the city that we’ve
made over the years has one mission in mind, not a Democratic mission, not a Republican mission, it’s
not an independent mission, the mission is to improve the quality of life. This includes all aspects of city
living; which is really important for us. So like anything else, I’m very proud of the National Fraternal
Congress of America for hosting this wonderful convention here in Chicago and Mokena where your
volunteers will help St. Vincent de Paul by sprucing up their indoors and outdoors for two of their thrift
shops here is greatly appreciated. And of course, I want to thank the National Fraternal Congress of
America for helping us take the service to the next level. And for sharing your enthusiasm and
commitment every day. Every hour that a person gives to a community makes a difference in the city of
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Chicago. When people work together, great things happen and people have to work together to
improve the quality of life.
Have a wonderful meeting, a wonderful conference. I thank you for being in Chicago and I deeply
appreciate the National Fraternal Congress of America, all that you have accomplished and what you
will accomplish in the future. God bless you, you are wonderful citizens and I know your families are
very proud of you and I think America should be prouder as well. Thank you very much. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you Mayor Daley for that warm welcome.
Now, I’d also like to recognize our Silver Sponsors.
• AmeriLife
• askAFS
• BTC Capital Management
• CalSurance
• Johnson Lambert and Company
• Optimum Re
• Prime Advisors
• and, se²
Let’s give them a round of applause. (Applause)
And finally, our Bronze Sponsors:
• Clinical Reference Laboratory
• Conning and Company
• Ed Carroll and Associates
• Guggenheim Life and Annuity
• Inter-Company Marketing Group
• The Karis Group
• Superior Mobile Medics
• TruHearing
• Universal Conversion Technologies
• And, UTG
Let’s give them a round of applause as well. (Applause) For more information about all of our
sponsors, I direct you to page 62 in your program book.
Let’s give all of our sponsors a round of applause for their support and contributions to this year’s
meeting. (Applause)
For those attendees who have signed up for the Community Service Activity with the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul, we’ll be meeting in the foyer right outside this room, immediately following this
session. NFCA staff will escort us to the buses and box lunches will be provided.
And if you are unable to join us for the volunteer event, you can still pick up a box lunch from NFCA
staff outside, where the buses are being loaded.
As a reminder, tonight’s Welcome Reception begins at 6:00 p.m. in Grand Ballroom One, and will
feature refreshments courtesy of these Polish Fraternal Benefit Societies:
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• Polish Falcons of America
• Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America
• Polish Roman Catholic Union
• and, Polish Women’s Alliance of America
Let’s thank them for hosting this reception. (Applause)
Tomorrow’s program begins at 7:30 a.m. with the NFCA Section Breakfast Meetings, followed by our
General Session at 9:00 a.m.
Get ready for an information-packed day that you are sure to enjoy.
I now declare the meeting in recess.
16

GENERAL SESSION
9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Friday, September 10, 2010
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to day two of the NFCA Annual Meeting. Please
stand for the National Anthem of the United States of America, sung by the Thrivent Quartet of
Elisabeth Kline, Kristine Cosentino, Jim Odland, and Dave Westmark.
(The National Anthem of the United States is sung.)
ANNOUNCER: Please remain standing for the Canadian National Anthem.
(The National Anthem of Canada is sung.)
(Applause)
ANNOUNCER: And now, please welcome to the stage your NFCA Chair of the Board, Terry
Rasmussen. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Good morning, everybody. And let’s give another round of applause to that
quartet! (Applause) We like to say at Thrivent that there’s nothing like a bunch of Lutherans to come
together and have a melodic sound. So thanks again, you were wonderful!
Welcome to our General Session.
I’d like to thank everyone for their participation in yesterday’s Community Service Activity with the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul. As fraternalists, we participate in these types of activities year-round but
it was a great opportunity to be able to come together with fellow fraternalists from different societies
and from different areas of the country and work together on a common goal. Thank you for
contributing your time and energy.
Before we hear from our featured guest speaker, we do have some business to attend to.
And now, we have greetings from our sister organization to the north. Please welcome the President of
the Canadian Fraternal Association – Jim Bell, from Grand Orange Lodge of British America Benefit
Fund. (Applause)
MR. JAMES BELL, PRESIDENT, CANADIAN FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION: Good morning. I bring
greetings from the 400,000 and some odd fellow fraternalists from north of the border. I want to thank
you for your great hospitality, especially on this, my first visit to Chicago. As a Canadian snowbird, we
spend an awful lot of time in the USA, but more likely Florida, Texas, Arizona, and that’s really
unfortunate because you have a fantastic city here. We have had an opportunity to spend a couple of
days on your on-and-off bus tour and seven or eight hours walking and it truly is a world-class city. So
thank you for your hospitality.
Congratulations to the NFCA, your executive, because we understand that you have been encouraging
and in fact helping your societies through the process of change. Change is not traditionally a strong
forte of societies. Everybody wants to maintain their status quo. The irony is that the only thing that
does not change is that eventually everything does. I believe that the key is to pro act and change from
a position of strength rather than to procrastinate and change under somebody else’s terms. The power
scale and critical mass, and we’ve heard about that in some of our meetings already and these are very
effective tools on controlling our unit costs and, of course, keeping our unit costs down enables us to
17

compete with the main line companies when we deliver benefits to our members. And, of course, the
real payoff is when we do that, it allows us to continue to deliver benefits to our communities that only
fraternals do. So we’re looking forward to hearing more of how you attained the successes you have in
these areas and thank you very much for the time.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Jim. (Applause)
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors, once again, for their support of this year’s
Annual Meeting. Let’s have another round of applause for our Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors.
(Applause)
Be sure to take time to visit their sponsor tables out in the foyer and to check out the Gold Sponsor
Internet Café.
I now declare today’s proceedings open.
The 124 th NFCA Annual Meeting will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly
Revised, 10 th Edition. In the event of a question, Todd Martin, NFCA legal counsel with the firm of
Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren in Madison, Wisconsin, has been appointed parliamentarian and will
advise the chair.
Todd, please stand and be recognized. Thanks, Todd.
In accordance with Article XII, Section I (b)(ii) of the NFCA Constitution, the Governance Committee is
responsible for recruiting qualified candidates and otherwise inviting suggestions from the membership
for those offices and directorships that are vacant or about to expire. As Chair of the Governance
Committee, I now will present the committee’s preliminary report.
Preliminary Report of the Governance Committee
As previously stated, the NFCA Constitution provides that the Governance Committee is responsible for
inviting suggestions from member-societies for the offices and directorships that are vacant or about to
expire. A mailing to each member-society president was sent for this purpose on June 1, 2010.
The Governance Committee met via conference call on Monday, August 23, 2010, to consider
nominations received for the 2010-2011 Board positions to be filled. All nominations were received prior
to the meeting and were considered with the overall good of the Congress in mind.
For the information of the annual meeting,
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NFCA CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE IX, Board of Directors, Section 2 –
the three highest dues-paying NFCA member-societies have the option to name an Appointed Director
to the Board for a one-year term. The following names have been received to serve as their respective
society’s representative:
• TERESA J. RASMUSSEN, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans
• EMILIO B. MOURE, Supreme Secretary, Knights of Columbus
• DARCY CALLAS, Director and General Counsel, Modern Woodmen of America
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The Governance Committee submits for your consideration at this annual meeting the following
names:
FOR CHAIR OF THE BOARD: (In accordance with Article X of the Constitution)
• MARK D. THEISEN, Executive Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of the World/Omaha
Woodmen Life Insurance Society.
FOR VICE-CHAIR OF THE BOARD:
• STUART B. BUCHANAN, High Secretary-Treasurer, Catholic Order of Foresters.
FOR THREE (3) DIRECTORS FOR TERMS OF THREE YEARS EACH:
• JOSEPH GADBOIS, Senior Vice President of Fraternal and Marketing, Catholic Financial
Life.
• DAVID GAUTSCHE, Senior Vice President of Products and Services, Mennonite Mutual Aid
Association.
• and HARALD BORRMANN, Senior Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer, The Catholic
Aid Association.
This is the Preliminary Report of the Governance Committee, which consists of the following
individuals: Teresa J. Rasmussen (Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), Barbara A. Cheaney (Catholic Life
Insurance), Mark D. Theisen (Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society), and
Jim Wolfe (Western Fraternal Life Association).
The Governance Committee will hold an open meeting at 4:45 p.m., this evening, in the McHenry
Room, 3rd Floor. All member-society representatives are welcome to attend.
As a reminder, this meeting is being recorded. And so, when recognized, any speakers from the floor
should speak loudly and clearly, stating their name and society affiliation, so that this information may
be accurately reflected in our printed proceedings.
I now call on Chair Janet Goulart, Gleaner Life Insurance Society, to present the preliminary report of
the Credentials Committee.
MS. JANET GOULART, GLEANER LIFE INSURANCE SOCIETY: Madam Chair, officers, delegates
and guests of this 124 th Meeting of the National Fraternal Congress of America. The Preliminary Report
of the Credentials Committee is as follows.
Of the 69 member societies affiliated with the National Fraternal Congress of America, 61 have
submitted their official credentials forms; 52 member societies have registered, representing 212
society delegates. Of the 31 state fraternal congresses affiliated with the National Fraternal Congress of
America, 16 filed a credential form; and 14 are registered at the meeting representing 14 delegate
votes. This constitutes a total of 226 official delegates. There are 154 additional votes, bringing the total
votes for the 124 th Meeting to 378 votes.
19

As of this report there are approximately 329 full program guests, 2 single-day guests, 49 spouses, and
7 non-members registered. This brings the total number of members and guests who have registered
for the 124 th Annual Meeting to 346, of whom 68 are first-time attendees.
This concludes the preliminary report of the Credentials Committee, which consists of: Janet Goulart,
Chair (Gleaner Life Insurance Society), Marty Mabe, (Catholic Life Insurance); John Dias (Luso-
American Life Insurance Society) and Steven Reindl (National Mutual Benefit).
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Janet. The Credentials Committee will hold an open meeting at
4:45 p.m., this evening, in the DuPage Room, 3rd Floor.
I declare a quorum present and the annual meeting in session.
The Proceedings of the 123 rd Annual Meeting of the National Fraternal Congress of America were
posted last month on the NFCA Web site for a customary 30-day review period. Member society and
state fraternal congress leaders also were given the opportunity to obtain a hard copy of the
proceedings from the NFCA Headquarters.
Since the NFCA has not been advised of any changes, a motion is in order that the reading of the 2009
Annual Meeting Minutes be dispensed with and that the minutes be adopted as written.
Does anyone so move? Thank you, John.
Do I have a second? Could you state your name, please? Thank you.
The motion has been made and seconded to adopt the 2009 Annual Meeting Proceedings as prepared.
Is there any discussion?
Seeing none, all in favor signify by saying “aye.” Those opposed, “no.” The motion is carried.
I now call upon Jim Stoker, NFCA Secretary-Treasurer, for his report to the membership.
MR. JIM STOKER, GBU FINANCIAL LIFE: Thank you. Madam Chair. We’re in the process of also
changing our name. Terry indicated that we’re going to be known as GBU Financial Life. Like the
photograph GBU is changing, my look has changed in the past five years, hopefully for the better.
Welcome to Chicago. Today Chicago is known as the Windy City or the city of politicians. Yesterday,
we had the second most important politician from Chicago give us fraternal greetings. One of his items
he stated was go out and enjoy the scenery of Chicago. I am in total agreement. Everyone should take
a walk down Michigan Avenue.
In the NFCA Constitution, the secretary-treasurer shall establish proper accounting procedure for the
NFCA funds and shall report on the financial condition of the NFCA to the Board of Directors and to the
membership. On a monthly basis the NFCA financial statements are reviewed to ensure that the NFCA
is operating efficiently and in a professional manner. Futhermore, the secretary-treasurer chairs the
Finance Committee which is responsible for recommending the annual dues to the board of directors as
well as overseeing the NFCA staff development of the operating budget. Lastly the Finance Committee
establishes investment guidelines for the NFCA operating funds and long-term investment funds. Since
a large portion of the work is completed by others on the Finance Committee, I would like to recognize
the following individuals for their services: Stuart Buchanan, Catholic Order of Foresters; Emilio Moure,
Knights of Columbus; Christopher Pinkerton, The Independent Order of Foresters, US Division. I would
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like to thank each member of the committee for their dedication to the Finance Committee and the
National Fraternal Congress. Annually the Finance Committee reviews the operating budget of the
National Fraternal Congress and the necessary membership dues to fund the proposed operating
budget. For the last three years, the membership dues have remained the same at $1,350,000. This
has been achieved by the effort of the NFCA staff in generating new sources of revenue such as
associate membership dues, which we currently have 46 members, sponsorships at the sectional and
national meetings, increased royalty fees from CalSurance, Webinars, and most importantly, by
controlling and reducing overhead expenses. The entire staff, starting with President and CEO Joe
Annotti, Linda McLaughlin, Karen Hollenbeck, and the other members should be recognized for their
achievements in this area of financial responsibility.
The Finance Committee also reviews the NFCA investment guidelines for the operating funds and the
long-term investment funds and makes recommendations to the board of directors. I am happy to report
that no capital losses were incurred but, like all of you, the net return on our investments are decreasing
and will affect our operating budgets in the future. I have summarized the financial results for the years
ending December 31, 2009, and 2008, and the first six months ended June 30, 2010.
The first slide reports total assets of $2,837,000, as of December 31, 2009, compared to assets of
$2,705,000 for December 31, 2008, a net increase for the year 2009 of $132,000. The principle assets
are cash, $798,000, and short- and long-term investments of $1,114,000.
NATIONAL FRATERNAL CONGRESS OF AMERICA
STATEMENTS OF FIANCIAL CONDITION
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2009 AND 2008
2009 2008__
ASSETS
Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 797,693 $ 925,074
Investments 1,411,661 1,226,556
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan 510,318 407,429
Prepaid Interest and Other Amounts Due 58,018 71,669
Furniture and Equipment, Net of Accumulated Depreciation 59,190 74,058
TOTAL ASSETS $2,836,880 $2,704,786
LIABILITIES
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan $ 510,318 $ 407,429
Membership Dues Received in Advance 568,288 620,044
Funds Due to Others 62,893 62,927
Accrued Liabilities 1,163 6,202
TOTAL LIABILITIES $1,142,662 $1,096,602
NET ASSETS
Unrestricted 1,694,218 $1,608,184
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS $2,836,880 $2,704,786
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During this same period, surplus increased from $1,608,000 to $1,694,000 as of December 31, 2009, a
net increase of $86,000.
The next slide summarizes the activities which is a summary of the revenue and expenses for the years
2009-2008:
Revenue in the year 2009 was $1,979,000, compared to $1,897,000 for 2008, a net increase of
$82,000. The increase in revenue is a direct result of the efforts of NFCA staff to generate additional
sources of revenue. The overall costs of operating the NFCA decreased from $2,150,000 as of
December 31, 2008, to $1,893,000 as of December 31, 2009, a net decrease of $257,000. As a result
of increasing revenues and reducing operating costs, the NFCA revenue exceeded expenses by
$86,000 the year ended December 31, 2009.
The next slide reflects major cost categories of the NFCA.
22

The overall costs relating to staff, and related costs such as payroll taxes, benefits and travel
decreased from $1,195,000 in 2008, to $858,000 in 2009, a net savings to the NFCA of $337,000. In
this same period, membership program expenses increased from $548,000 in 2008, to $709,000 in
2009. In layman’s terms, this means more NFCA funds are being directed to the membership program,
not the overhead burden.
As of June 30, 2010, assets reflect a slight increase of $152,000 to $2,989,000. Since the majority of
the NFCA revenue comes in the early part of the year, membership dues, the increase in assets will be
less at year end. A statement of revenue and expenses for the same period reflects revenue of
$860,000 and related expenses of $759,000 for a net profit of $101,000.
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The last slide reflects the major costs categories for the NFCA for the six months ended June 30, 2010.
When compared with the prior year, costs are being controlled and expanded in the areas of upmost
importance.
In closing, I would like to thank you for your support and commitment to the National Fraternal
Congress. Without the NFCA involvement and leadership, none of us will survive this challenging
period. Thank you very much.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Jim. You know, I had the privilege of speaking at Jim’s national
convention earlier this summer and I shared with his board how lucky we are at the NFCA that we have
Jim serving in the capacity as our secretary-treasurer. He and the committee do an outstanding job as
does Joe and his staff, so let’s give them another round of applause.
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As you know, delegates to this 124 th Annual Meeting will be asked to consider a recommendation to
amend the association’s constitution and change the name of the organization to the American
Fraternal Alliance. This is an historic proposal; one that merits your careful consideration and, we hope,
your strong support.
The members of the NFCA Board of Directors want you to know that we unequivocally support the
recommended name change and encourage you to cast a vote for the new name during tomorrow’s
Closing Session.
We believe that the American Fraternal Alliance name can help us build a stronger and more respected
brand with our key audience of public policymakers, where we would be known as the “fraternal
alliance” rather than as a set of initials.
Most importantly, we believe that now is the right time to make this change and sincerely hope that you
and the hundreds of other delegates attending this meeting will support the recommendation by casting
a vote in favor of the recommendation tomorrow.
Many of you have read the NFCA Bulletins that were e-mailed and mailed to all members on the name
change and branding initiative for the association. To give us a brief overview on this issue, I now call
on Barbara Cheaney, NFCA Immediate Past Chair, and John Borgen, member of the NFCA Branding
Task Force, for their presentation.
MS. BARBARA CHEANEY, CATHOLIC LIFE INSURANCE: Good morning. How is everyone this
morning? These lights up here are awfully bright! I feel like I’m being blinded here. Well, it is indeed an
honor to be up here today to talk about the branding initiative. I think we have to remember that this is a
branding initiative and not a rebranding initiative because as Terry alluded, we really don’t have a brand
with some of our public out there and so it’s an opportunity for us to build that. So, I’m going to talk to
you a little bit about the reasons to consider a name change. As most of you know, I’m from Texas and
I think that I’m a good person to talk about this because we know about brands in Texas. We’ve got lots
of cattle so we know about getting out there and making our name known.
One of the first things I think we need to talk about is the lack of brand recognition among public policy
makers. The NFCA is America’s best kept secret. For years we’ve joked about this. But we’re at a time
when we really can’t afford to joke about this. Some legislators out there know what fraternalism is
because maybe they know a specific society. But I think maybe Stu Buchanan will speak to this, well, if
you ask him. Because he was recently on “the Hill” and they don’t know what NFCA is; they don’t know
who we are. They may know who Catholic Life Insurance is or Thrivent but they don’t know specifically
the NFCA. So we’ve got work to do there.
Plus there’s brand confusion. The word “congress” is misleading and often when you’re talking to a
congressman and say, “We’re with the NFCA.” And they say, “Who’s that?” Well, we’re with the N a t i
o n a l F r a t e r n a l C o n g r e s s of A m e r i c a. And they say, “Wait a minute, we’re the
Congress. Who are you?” So, there’s a little bit of confusion there. The American Fraternal Alliance –
what a great sounding name – has a great opportunity to get rid of that confusion and also for us to
forge a new identity.
User-friendliness: how many of you have been out there and you’re looking for the NFCA Website and
you’ve not really thinking about it and you’re typing it in, whether on your iPhone or your Blackberry or
whatever, and your going, “what is that again? Is it nfca.com? No. Is it nfca.net? No.” It’s nfcanet.org
and unless you have it in “Your Favorites”, it’s hard to remember. Nfca.com, I believe, is the North
Florida Corvette Association. Now, I think what we do in our societies and what we do as a trade
25

association is very, very important, and, although I like Corvettes, I sure would hate to be confused with
those guys if people were going to look for us.
You know, changing the name of the NFCA is not new. I’ve been around the NFCA since 1982 so I’m
kind of an old-timer here. It’s been discusses I think as long as I’ve been around. In fact, in 2002, there
was a special image committee that met, and as Terry said earlier, your board is very much behind this,
unanimously, about this name change. There was a task force created and when this task force was
created we went out there and looked for the best and the brightest within our system to help us on this,
and I think we got them. And I want to let you know who the task force was:
NFCA Branding Task Force:
� Kathleen Moriarty, Director of Fraternal, The Catholic Aid Association
� Patrick Korten, Vice President for Communications, Knights of Columbus
� Irene Shimoda, Director of Community Marketing & Communications, The Independent Order of
Foresters
� Jill Lain Weaver, Manager-Corporate Communications, Modern Woodmen of America
� Amy Kierzek, Communications Relationship Manager, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
� John Borgen, Vice President-Fraternal, Catholic Financial Life
These people do branding for a business. This is what they do at their society. And so, who better to
work on this project than these individuals? And now, it’s my distinct pleasure to introduce you to John
Borgen who’s going to talk a little bit about what the task force did. John?
MR. JOHN BORGEN, CATHOIC FINANCIAL LIFE: Thank you, Barbara, and good morning,
everyone. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. (audience responds) There we go! It’s a pleasure to be
with you this morning and to speak with you and to you on behalf of my esteemed collegues. You know,
when organizations are considering change, there are several important considerations, I think there
are six that come to mind.
The first is the rationale, something which Barbara just went over with you. The second would be the
subject matter expertise of people who led the initiative. I think that group of folks was an impressive
group, if I do say so myself. And they’re representative, an appropriate cross-section.
Third, that there is a solid, sound, thorough, inclusive process.
Fourth, that there are appropriate parameters.
Fifth, that there’s a logical recommendation.
And there’s the support of the governing body.
Now the information that I’m about to share with you has been shared and posted, but, in case you
missed it, I think it’s important that we go over it, albeit somewhat at a high level and fast pace prior to
casting your vote tomorrow.
In December of 2009 the Task Force established 14 parameters for the development of the name of the
new association. I’m going to go over those briefly and quickly with you now. The first is that “fraternal”
should appear in the organization’s name. That was established from the onset as non-negotiable.
Second that reference to NFCA’s primary activities would be appropriate, but not required.
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Third, that the geographic scope of NFCA, recognizing that it is national, with members throughout the
U.S., and that can be referenced in the name and/or tagline. It didn’t necessarily have to be in the name
but could be.
Fourth, the word “congress,” as Barbara alluded to, is a huge source of confusion and should be
avoided in any future naming concepts.
Other descriptors to be avoided include “union”, “board”, “club”, “institute”, “school”, “foundation”,
“party”, “assembly”, and “committee.”
Sixth, some appropriate descriptors that could include “association”, “organization”, “federation”,
“council”, “network”, “society”, “exchange”, and “alliance.”
Seventh, the new identity, something that the name is a part of but not all encompassing, should
connote these “personality” descriptors: professional, strong, traditional, service to others, leader, and
integrity/ethics.
Eight: while many of the organizations that are members are Christian, the identity should not be
overtly religious.
And similarily, as there are many organization’s member fraternals that have varying ethnic heritages,
no single ethnicity should dominate.
Ten, and arguably the one that we as a group spent the most time talking about and perhaps most
important, was the fact that the organization’s role as a trade association — not just a gathering of
fraternals — is key to its identity. In fact, not only that it’s not just a gathering of fraternals but, that this
organization is NOT a fraternal. It serves a different purpose and different mission on behalf of
fraternals. That’s a very important concept.
There is no requirement to retain the typography or color palette from the current identity.
The current “hands” symbol was deemed problematic. I don’t know how many of you, but when you
see hands like this (holds clasped hands out) what do you think of? AllState?
The ideal name would have a suitable and available nickname.
And last but not least, the URL would need to have an .org extension in order to avoid confusion.
Now, why did we share all that? Well, it’s important to know what the parameters were at the onset and
so that representative group that you heard before began meeting, well over about a year ago. And we
were assisted by branding experts. So with these parameters we went through the process I’m going to
go through now. We had about a dozen meetings. I think it’s also important that you know that through
the course of those meetings while we had support from the staff of the National Fraternal Congress,
this was Task Force led. It was led by the group of individuals you saw before. There was no coercion,
or strong-arming, or leaning; this was led by this body.
And so the process:
This is somewhat of a time line and again, I will go through it quickly, but I think it’s important that you
know all of the steps that took place along the way.
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In January of 2010, in partnership with Aartrijk branding experts, 60 possible names were developed
based on those parameters and the Task Force was narrowed down to two: American Fraternal
Alliance and Fraternal America.
In January 2010, we presented both of these names to the Board for their consideration – American
Fraternal Alliance and Fraternal America. American Fraternal Alliance was our recommendation. That
same month an informal poll of Board members was taken to determine their preference; it was
decided the issue should be discussed in more detail at their March board meeting.
So at the March board meeting, Aartrijk and members of the Branding Task Force presented a report to
the NFCA Board. And two things came out of that. #1: The Board agreed that American Fraternal
Alliance was the preferred name; but there was also the suggestion made to investigate the American
Fraternal Association.
The second thing that was decided at that meeting was that straw polls should be taken and
conversations should be held with membership at Section meetings to gauge member feedback and
preference. The results of those straw polls were overwhelming support for American Fraternal
Alliance.
On June 1, 2010, a Board Bulletin was distributed to more than 1,300 individuals from all member
societies and state fraternal congresses detailing this information: the rationale, the process, the
parameters and the recommendations of the Task Force.
On June 22, a Board Bulletin detailing the Board’s recommendation and decision to present the name
change at this, the 2010 NFCA Annual Meeting was distributed.
Now, one key component to process is communication. So here are just some of the highlights of the
communication that took place over this past summer. A free Branding Webinar regarding the Branding
Initiative and name change in early July. Later that month a Board Bulletin regarding updates to the
Branding Initiative to date was distributed. Later in July, a free teleconference, “Branding Fraternals on
Capitol Hill,” a concept that I have to tell you came out of the first conversation held earlier that month
when someone asked a question, “What are our folks who are consultants that we work with on Capitol
Hill—what is their perspective on this?” Excellent suggestion and out of that this free teleconference
was scheduled and held. In August, another free branding Webinar on overhauling identity and the
importance of a name—how vital that is to establish a brand—was held. On that same day, a letter from
the Board of Directors, supporting the recommended name change unanimously, plus a list of
Frequently Asked Questions; both of which were included in your packet were distributed.
So, our recommendation: based on the feedback that we did receive from the Board of Directors, the
Task Force did take a look at this issue of Alliance versus Association. And when you look at the
definitions of each of those words, it became pretty clear to, not only the Task Force members, but also
to the board that the word Alliance is the appropriate word. It has the proper connotation and strength
for what we were looking for: a close association of nations or other groups, formed to advance
common interests.” Formed to advance common interests—that’s what our trade association does. So
based upon the results of the straw poll and the work completed, the Task Force recommends that the
NFCA Board move forward to adopt American Fraternal Alliance as the new name of the association,
as alluded to before, the Board accepted and unanimously supported that. So ladies and gentlemen,
the rationale for change is solid. It started eight years ago. The parameters established reflect the
unique mission of our trade association. The process was thorough, inclusive and transparent. The time
has come. If this trade association, your trade association, my trade association, our trade association
is to best fulfill its mission, then its name must clearly communicate what it is: an alliance of American
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fraternals. Thank you for your time, for your patience, for your attention and consideration. If you have
any questions, please attend the open meeting of the Constitution Committee, held at 4:45 this
afternoon, in the Great America Room, Sixth Floor. Thank you.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Barbara and John. And thanks to the members of the Task Force. I
know committing the time that you did to this effort was very much appreciated and the results are
outstanding.
I now call on Chair JoAnn Abt, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society, for the
preliminary report of the Constitution Committee.
Preliminary Report of the Constitution Committee
MS. JOANN ABT, WOODMEN OF THE WORLD/OMAHA WOODMEN LIFE INSURANCE SOCIETY:
Madam Chair, officers, members, delegates and guests: I am pleased to present the Preliminary
Report of the Constitution Committee. The Constitution Committee met via teleconference on July 27,
2010, to discuss proposed amendments to the NFCA Constitution. A quorum was present at the
meeting. After discussion, a motion was made, seconded and passed that the Constitution Committee
recommends constitutional language changes or proposed amendments to the Congress this year.
The meeting was subsequently adjourned.
The Constitution Committee, therefore, will recommend to the Congress that the following
Constitutional language changes and proposed amendments be made.
First, under Article IX, entitled Board of Directors, the committees recommends the addition of a new
Section 3. All subsequent sections should be renumbered accordingly. We recommend that new
Section 3 should read as follows:
Section 3. All members of the Board of Directors, including Appointed Directors as
described in Section 2 above, shall serve only with the support of the board member's
sponsoring Society and shall be a current or retired senior executive officer of the sponsoring
Society. In the event that any member of the Board of Directors, whether appointed or elected,
loses the support of his/her sponsoring Society during his/her term of office, that Director shall
be considered to have resigned from the Board of Directors and a replacement shall be chosen
as outlined in Sections 4(b) and 4(c) of this article to serve the remainder of the vacated term.
At the end of the term, a new director shall be elected or appointed according to the methods
described in this Article IX. In no case may a Director transfer his/her sponsoring membership
from one society to another during the term.
In addition, the committee recommends the following change to Article I, the committee recommends
the replacement of one name for another as follows:
This organization shall be known as the American Fraternal Alliance, hereafter referred to as the
Alliance. Its headquarters shall be in the state of Illinois.
The NFCA Constitution Committee shall meet in open session later today, September 10, 2010, at 4:45
p.m. this afternoon, in the Great America Room on the Sixth Floor.
This concludes the Preliminary Report of the Constitution Committee whose members include myself,
JoAnn Abt; Paul Johnston, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans; and Bruce Peterson, Royal Neighbors of
America.
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CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, JoAnn. I would like to restate again, that the Constitution
Committee will hold its open meeting at 4:45 p.m. tonight, in the Great America Room, 6th Floor, for
anyone with questions about this year’s proposed constitution changes. We’ve also asked members of
the Task Force to be present as well, so that people’s questions can be answered if they have
questions about the Task Force’s activities.
Now, it is my pleasure to present the Chair of the Board’s Report.
Again I want to say good morning everyone. On behalf of the entire board and association staff, please
accept my sincere thanks for taking the time to join us here for this annual meeting.
This event is about the membership; it’s the board and staff’s opportunity to report back to you about
the organization’s efforts this past year, and plan for both the opportunities and challenges that lie
ahead. We’ve worked hard to build the agenda for you, and around you, so I hope you leave this event
inspired, and with new tools you can use in your society.
This event also provides an opportunity for board chairs, like me, to complete our ascension to the most
coveted title in any organization and that’s immediate past chair. (Laughter)
That’s right, we take stock of the year, reflect on accomplishments and unfinished business, and most
importantly, await the opportunity to welcome new leadership. For months, we’ve promised our
spouses and staffs that we’ll be around more after September, really, we will, so we look forward to our
new past-chair title and handing over the gavel.
In that spirit, please permit me to outline a few highlights of the year that is now behind us, and some
thoughts about the future as well.
You may recall that my remarks last year focused on the fraternal charter – or, what I called “the
coolest charter on the face of the planet.” I discussed building and sustaining our organizations in light
of the economic and cultural challenges we face today.
Considering the sheer magnitude of those challenges, I’m proud of the way our trade association and
our individual societies have responded.
First and foremost, we survived the worst recession in a lifetime. It wasn’t easy, and still isn’t for those
organizations that were most significantly impacted by the systemic conditions that nearly took down
our nation’s entire financial network.
But, in the face of that imposing problem, we, as a system, had a decision to make: Do we address
fraternal solvency issues head-on, in partnership with each other and with regulators, or do we
downplay the problems and attempt to oppose new consumer protections?
I’m proud to say that we chose partnership and dialogue with each other and with regulators. And as a
result, we’ve made important gains, with stronger and more effective risk-based capital standards in
several states.
Now don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t always an easy process. Not everyone agreed all of the time, and it
took a while to build consensus behind the strategy. But the most important point is that our diverse
board did align behind the effort because they understood the reality of the times we live in. This is a
powerful testament to what we can accomplish when we work together, and I hope it can serve as a
guidepost when we confront other difficult issues in the future.
30

Along with that, we’ve also made important gains in our federal advocacy efforts. Hiring McBee
Strategic as our new Washington, D.C.-based counsel has proven to be an excellent move for the
association. McBee’s ability to help us leverage our local lodge presence through grassroots elected
official engagement is exactly what we need right now. Moreover, their ability to collaborate with
counsel hired by some of the individual societies is already paying dividends for the system. Those of
you who have had the opportunity to work with Jen and Gabe know what I mean. McBee can’t do it
alone – they need societies of all sizes to do our parts – but with McBee’s help, relevance in
Washington is now more attainable than it has been in the past.
This year has brought some important changes within individual societies as well. The Catholic
Financial Life merger and name change stands out as a noteworthy development for the system, and
an example for others to follow. Through governance reforms at Equitable Reserve, National Slovak
Society and Luso–American, it’s clear that societies are beginning to recognize that attracting and
protecting members today takes a different governance model than it may have a century ago. Their
stories and their successes should inspire other societies to take steps to modernize governance
structures as well.
And finally, I hope this meeting will mark the successful culmination of a year’s worth of work to
analyze, research and ultimately choose a new name for our association. By convening a task force of
branding experts from member societies to assess the problem and guide the work of outside
consultants, we’ve invested wisely in an unbiased and very professional process. I hope the result, and
the new American Fraternal Alliance name, has earned your support as it has mine and the Board of
Directors.
Last year, I said that while leveraging the “coolest charter on the planet” was each of our individual
societies’ responsibilities, our trade association plays an important role uniting us to work together to
create an environment conducive to success. Over the course of this year, I’ve come to appreciate
even more that “sweet spot,” if you will, where the collective trade association interests and individual
society interests intersect.
And it’s all about preserving that “coolest charter on the face of the planet” and the unique opportunities
and responsibilities that come along with it.
You know, for many years, it seems we’ve thought in terms of preserving our tax exemptions. And
those exemptions are critically important, always worth fighting for and an essential element of our
charter.
In fact, we fully expect to have to vigorously defend those exemptions at the state level in 2011. The
association staff is currently tracking 18 states where the rhetoric over exemptions is heating up,
meaning we could be drawn into the debate. And each and every one of our societies has a role to play
in relationship-building and threat response activities, so I urge you to do your part to engage those
coming battles.
But, truth be told, preserving the charter is about more than protecting exemptions. It’s about our
reputation, our business model and our relevance. It requires diligent efforts to build relationships in the
U.S. Congress, yes, but in state insurance departments, as well. It manifests itself in the death benefits
we pay to a grieving family, and also in the funds our members raise through their local lodges to help
feed hungry people.
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Let’s face it: The fraternal charter empowers us to serve our members in a different and unique way,
but also brings with it the responsibility to do things the right way. How we sell, how we serve, how we
govern our societies, how we give back, how we confront problems—all these influence our ability to
preserve the charter. In the end, I believe our actions will do much more to determine the future of the
fraternal charter than any isolated activity by a member of Congress or regulator.
So, in closing, I want to thank you for the honor of serving as your chair of the board this past year. I’ve
learned and I’ve grown, and I’ve worked hard to live up to the trust you’ve shown in me.
And I’d be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank Joe Annotti and his staff for all they do for us.
Joe is clearly a strong leader who provides advice we can trust, and who isn’t afraid to make tough
decisions. We’re extremely fortunate to have him. And as chair of the board, I gained new perspective
on the work of the staff members and their talent, energy and commitment to our cause. So to Joe, and
to Allison, Rose, Elizabeth, Karen, Alice, Linda, Terry and Jessica, thank you for what you do, day in
and day out, to make our association successful.
I can’t believe it was only a year ago that we met in San Antonio. The time has flown by, and while I am
encouraged by what we’ve accomplished, I know our work is not nearly complete.
I am reminded at every turn that we really do have the “coolest charter on the face of the planet.” Our
fight to preserve the charter and remain relevant to our members and society at large is worth the effort.
I know Mark Theisen will pick up that mantle, and I’m confident that he will lead us to even greater
heights next year.
So to Mark, Godspeed, and to all of you, God bless. And thank you for this last year. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: It is now my pleasure to introduce the NFCA President and CEO, Joe Annotti,
to present the Fraternalist of the Year Award. Joe…
Fraternalist of the Year
MR. ANNOTTI: Good morning, everyone. First things first, I’d like to thank Eivind Heiberg for picking
out my shirt for today’s festivities! Eivind, where are you? Stand up. (Mr. Heiberg is also wearing a light
turquoise shirt.) I think this qualified as one of his less loud versions and also passed muster with my
wife. And I want to thank all of you for being here. We have a full house. If there’s something that tickles
an association executive’s heart, it’s seeing a full house at the annual meeting. Six weeks ago, I
wouldn’t have bet this was the case. You folks really didn’t respond very early this year. There was a
time in mid-July when I thought we were going to have to have a virtual meeting. But gradually the
responses came in and I promise, I promise, I promise, next year, if you respond to the first email, I’ll
stop sending all the rest. But you didn’t so we had to keep following up with you. In any event, you’re
here and I hope we deliver a meeting that exceeds your expectations. Please let me know if we’re
doing that over the course of the next few days.
This is my favorite part of the meeting. This is the part of the meeting where you get re-inspired about
who we are and what we do. It’s where we honor two very special people, people who personify what
fraternalism is all about.
For more than two decades, NFCA has recognized the top fraternal volunteer from among the
association’s member societies. Each NFCA member society is invited to submit a nomination, and an
independent panel of judges selected this year’s winners. This was a very tough year to pick a winner.
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There was a clear-cut winner but there was just a tremendous amount of very highly qualified
candidates.
Let’s start with the runners-up.
The second runner-up is Patricia Satek, CSA Fraternal Life.
And the first runner-up is Anita Lange, Catholic Financial Life.
Congratulations to these runners-up and their societies. Their stories will be available on the NFCA
Web site next week.
And now, let’s get to the winner of the 2010 NFCA Fraternalist of the Year.
Her name is Susan Skrabanek, SPJST. I believe this is the third year out of four that a member of
SPJST has won this award. So someone needs to step up and challenge them for domination. I feel
like their the Boston Celtics.
Susan’s father was an SPJST sales representative and Susan became a member of SPJST at the
tender age of five weeks. She is a fourth generation member with her great-grandfather, grandfather
and father all serving as lodge presidents. She became the leader in the youth program at 18 and
served in that position for 30 years. Since 1984, she has been the District Youth Counselor and a sales
agent for the SPJST.
Susan is actually double fraternalist, becoming a member of CSA much later in life, at four months! Her
grandparents and father also served as officers of the CSA Lodge. The lodge hall, which Susan has
managed for ten years, is home to both Lodge #17 SPJST and Lodge #277 CSA.
Susan is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BS in Agricultural Education. She has taught for 21
years and is currently the Science Department Head and teaches Pre-AP Physics and Chemistry at
Caldwell High School. And you thought your schedule was busy!
Susan’s husband, Gary, also is a lifetime member of SPJST. Son Kyle continues the tradition and was
recently elected as SPJST District I Fraternal Activities Coordinator. Fraternalism and families, they go
together.
SPJST has put together a short tribute spotlighting her achievements. Let’s now meet this extraordinary
woman, via a brief video.
Susan Skrabanek Video
ANNOUNCER: It will not matter what my bank account was
How big my house was
Or what kind of car I drove
But the world may be a little better because I was important in the life of a child.
This quote by Forest E. Whitcraft defines Susan Skrabanek and her genuine love for working with
children.
MS. SUSAN SKRABANEK: I was asked at a teacher in-service a couple of week ago what my
dreams were. And I think I’m living my dream. I’m working with kids every day.
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ANNOUNCER: Susan is a 50-year member of SPJST Lodge 17 New Tabor, which is located in south
central Texas, near Caldwell. She is a leader in her lodge and throughout SPJST.
MR. JOHN HOELSCHER, SPJST Youth Director: Susan Skrabanek I’ve known for many years. Her
involvement with the SPJST youth program is one to really be admired. She not only gets in and does a
lot of activities with her kids, but a lot of the kids can really tell that through her work and what she
does, how much she really loves them.
MS. GRACE DUSEK, 2009-2010 SJPST State Queen: Miss Susan has always been a special person
in my life. Ever since I first started in SPJST, she always made me feel welcome when I was shy. She
always encouraged me to try new things. And I think that is what makes her deep down one of the best
people I know because she truly cares about all of the kids, the district and just everyone.
ANNOUNCER: Susan joins hands with the youth of her community in the “Adopt-A-County Road”
service project
MR JOE RYCHLIK, Caldwell Kolache Festival Committee Member: Throughout her years of
growing up, she’s always been a very active in the youth club and continuing on with Czech heritage
and the museum and always at New Tabor Hall, if there’s any kind of a Czech function, knowing that
her grandparents, they were always very interested in keeping the Czech/Moravian culture alive. And
she is certainly an example.
MS. SKRABANEK: I’ve come full circle with several families and I’m teaching second generation
dancers. Having youth club members from the 1980s and 90s now getting their children involved in the
youth program and I was their only influence. That makes me feel real proud to be associated with the
SPJST.
ANNOUNCER: Susan oversaw the completion of the Education and Nature Center at Cooper Farm.
As volunteer executive director, she performed many tasks in order for the facility to host more than
1,000 summer campers.
MR. WES HANCOCK, Caldwell High School Ag Science Teacher/FFA Advisor: Susan Skrabanek
has been helping our FFA chapter for several years. She is a member of our booster club, and now
she’s president of our booster club. She’s been serving there for a couple of years. And she’s really
organized a lot of things and helped keep things going the way they should be. She’s helped the kids
themselves. She can listen to the kids. She talks to the kids. And it’s just nice to have her around. It’s
almost like having another Ag teacher sometimes. We’re glad to have her.
ANNOUNCER: Susan also volunteers with and makes a difference for many other community
organizations:
Tabor Brethren Church
Snookfest
HOPE Club
Ronald McDonald House
Go Texan
CHS Project Graduation
CHS Athletic Programs
Hornet Marching Band
Honeybee Dance Team
Caldwell Athletic Boosters
Caldwell Evening Lions Club
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As a teacher, she contributes selflessly to her students.
MS. SKRABANEK: Really, I’m living my dream. I don’t have many hobbies simply because I devote a
lot of my time working with kids and I really think I’m making a difference in their lives.
MS DUSEK: She really is a special person in my life and I know that she will always be there for me.
That’s why I love her.
ANNOUNCER: With Susan’s nurturing care, concern and love, the world may be a little better by her
being important in the life of a child.
MR. ANNOTTI: The NFCA is proud to present Susan with this award that symbolizes all she has done
on behalf of her society, the fraternal benefit system and her community. We celebrate all that she and
SPJST have done for America, and thank her and SPJST’s President Brian Vanicek, who joins us on
stage today.
Susan and Brian, can you please come up on stage and receive your award?
MS. SKRABANEK: Thank ya’ll so much. (Tearfully) I hadn’t seen the video so I’m trying to
recuperate from that.
Thirty-something years ago, I gave a speech and these are the words I spoke: Fraternalism is a word
that has special meaning to me because I am a member of the SPJST. These were words that I spoke
when I was 16 years old. And I was running for SPJST Queen. I never would have thought thirty-some
years ago that I would be standing up here saying those same words. Those of you that know me,
there are a few here, know I had to write this down because I only had two minutes. (Laughter) But I am
living my dream of working with kids. I’m working with a great fraternal organization. And I would like to
thank them at this time for giving me the opportunity to be here today. And thank the NFCA for
selecting me a ya’ll’s NFCA Fraternalist of the Year.
As Mr. Annotti said, SPJST has been a huge part of my life, and, again, thank them so much for giving
me the opportunity to be a part of their organization and to work with their youth and be a part of their
youth organization for the past 45 years. Being a part of the SPJST youth program taught me a lot of
leadership skills and taught me the true meaning of fraternalism. When people ask me out in the
community or out across the state of Texas, what does SPJST stand for, a lot of times I try to butcher
up the Czech translation for the SPJST, and you all heard me singing some, so my Czech isn’t really
where I would like it to be. But sometimes, I just jokingly I tell them that SPJST it stands for Special
People Jesus Sent to Texas. (Laughter, then applause.) The people in the SPJST are very special to
me and to the thousands of people in the state of Texas that we serve. At this time I would also like to
thank my husband, and my son, who I wish he could have been here but he just started his dream job a
couple of weeks ago and couldn’t take off. Without their support, I never would be able to never be
home. I really enjoy the things I do and it’s important that I have the support of my family. I would also
like to thank my mother who also isn’t here today—Caldwell, Texas, is having its biggest annual event
tomorrow and I’m the chairman of a committee and I’m here instead of there. We’re having our annual
Kolache Festival and my mother is probably the reason I got started doing what I’m doing today. At the
age of 5 I was one of the first youth club members of Lodge 17 New Tabor. And I wasn’t even old
enough to be part of the program but we needed an extra kid to make the quota so Mama just put me in
the program and counted me (Laughter) So here I am today. I would also like to take the time to thank
the three generations of my family that were also true fraternalists, not only part of the SPJST but also
part of the CSA. And I am sure they would be very proud of me today.
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Mr. Annotti made the comment that I am a part of two fraternals, the SPJST and the CSA, and very
proud to say that the lodge hall that I manage is the only existing CSA lodge hall in the state of Texas.
And it gives me great pride to be part of that.
In closing I’d like to say a quote that the former mayor of Caldwell made in an interview several years
ago. And it was his brother that was on the video. But I had asked the mayor, four hours before he got
killed in an accident, to do that for me and this is what he said, “When you get ready to leave the earth,
the only thing you take with you are those you gave away.” I’m going to repeat that: When you get
ready to leave the earth, the only thing you take with you are those you gave away. I hope I will have
the opportunity to give away and to spread fraternalism throughout the United States and especially the
state of Texas. Thank ya’ll so much.
MR. BRIAN VANICEK: Congratulations, Susan. I want to just share with you as fraternal manager,
one of the things that really puts wind in my sails are the people like Susan who are out there, the
energy that they generate is just incredible and I know all of you, in your own respective organizations,
have people like Susan. But again, we’re here to honor her today. Wow! Congratulations for a job welldone
and please, keep up the good work. Thank you.
MR. ANNOTTI: I just love this part of the meeting.
The Fraternalist of the Year receives a $1,000 donation to be given to the organization of her choice.
This year, Susan has selected the SPJST’s environmental facility, Cooper Farm, as the charity to
receive the $1,000 honorarium. Congratulations again, Susan.
Now we move on to our other award.
2010 Fraternal FIC of the Year
This is our fourth year of presenting an award that acknowledges the fraternal contributions fraternal
insurance counsellors, or FICs, make to their local communities. We recognize that, to many
individuals, a fraternal benefit society’s local fraternal insurance counsellor is the “face of fraternalism.”
We are pleased to again present the Fraternal FIC of the Year Award, a joint award program of the
Fraternal Field Managers Association, the National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counselors and
the NFCA.
Here to present this award are Paul Hill, Regional Manager, Catholic Financial Life, and President of
the NAFIC; and Tom Schisler, Director of Sales for the Catholic Aid Association and President of the
FFMA. Gentlemen?
MR. PAUL HILL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FRATERNAL INSURANCE
COUNSELLORS: Thank you, Joe! Good morning, everybody. I appreciate the invitation to be here
today, and on behalf of the NAFIC Board, and our membership, I want to thank you, the membership of
the member societies of the NFCA for the support for the field and for the FIC and FIC designations. I
believe our there associations, NFCA, FFMA and NAFIC, share a common goal—to advance the
fraternal movement. And from a field standpoint, we feel the best way to accomplish this is by
continually improving and upgrading the professional development of our agents. In addition to the
course work to earn their designations, agents have the opportunity to attend our annual convention
each May for motivation, improvement of skills, and sharing of ideas. I appreciate the opportunity we
have to work together with NFCA and FFMA to help make our event a worthwhile and successful
36

program for our members to attend. And currently we’re putting together our program for next May in
Louisville, Kentucky. So please mark your calendars for May 12, 13 and 14, 2011, and please
encourage your FICs and FICFs to attend. And I appreciate the support you give them to do so. Spring
will be a beautiful time to be in Kentucky. Again, thank you for the opportunity to be here today and
congratulations on a great program and a magnificent site for your convention.
Now, I’d like to turn it over to FFMA President Tom Schisler to present Fraternal FIC of the Year. Tom.
MR. THOMAS SCHISLER, PRESIDENT, FRATERNAL FIELD MANAGERS ASSOCIATION: Thank
you, Paul. It’s a pleasure to be here and to represent the Fraternal Field Managers Association, and to
have the opportunity to present this very prestigious award.
As Joe mentioned, this award is presented jointly by the NFCA, Fraternal Field Managers Association
and the National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counselors. The pool of candidates includes the
FIC of the Year and award winners from all participating societies.
It is my pleasure to introduce to you the recipient of the 2010 Fraternal FIC of the Year Award, Penny
McGuffee, FICF, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society. (Applause.)
Penny has been a Financial Representative with Woodmen of the World since June 1, 2000.
Her first year, the whole area left for the company field trip which she had not won and she decided
then and there that she would never be left behind again. From a director’s position, those are the kind
of representative you really want. Penny’s record since then speaks for itself. She has increased her
results in gaining new members and taking care of their needs every year. For production years 2008
and 2009, Penny broke the all-time production records for Woodmen of the World, earning her the
prestigious Top Hat award, awarded to the number-one Financial Representative in the country. She
consistently aspires to new heights and is a huge team contributor, aiding not only her area manager,
but the Louisiana state manager.
Penny’s many fraternal activities are listed in the program booklet. She also has been involved with
presenting flags to churches, schools and civic organizations. And they have presented trophies to high
school students for excellence in American history.
At the Louisiana Jurisdiction Convention, Penny has graciously volunteered for the last six years to be
the hospitality room coordinator, assisting in the food, beverage and entertainment. Penny is known to
mentor all their new reps to introduce and encourage them to join all lodge activities.
Penny is married to David Joe McGuffee and has four children and three wonderful grandchildren.
Congratulations to Penny on winning this award. (Applause.)
MS. PENNY MCGUFFEE: Thank you. I am very honored here today to have this award.
Congratulations, Susan. I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the National Fraternal Congress for
selecting me for selecting me for this award and also would like to thank Woodmen of the World for
introducing me to the fraternal family. And I truly appreciate it. And I do believe that everything we do
should be for our members and to make our organization grow. Thank you.
MR. SCHISLER: As the Fraternal FIC of the Year, Penny receives a $1,000 honorarium to be donated
to a charity of her choice. Penny has selected the Louis P. Ledet, Sr., Memorial Scholarship to receive
this gift.
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Terry and Paul, if you would please join me for the presentation of the award. Ladies and gentlemen,
let’s now recognize our 2010 Fraternal FIC of the Year, Penny McGuffee, and Mark Theisen, Executive
Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of the World/Omaha to join us for the photos.
MR. ANNOTTI: It is now my privilege to introduce our first featured speaker. I have some scripted
remarks which I would like to cover quickly but then I have some personal experiences I’d like to
recount.
Peter Sheahan has spent a decade teaching leaders how to flip their thinking and find opportunity
where others cannot. His client list is extremely impressive. It includes Newscorp, Google, Hilton,
GlaxoSmithKline, Harley Davidson, and Cisco. Peter has come to believe that the real money gets
“made in the cracks,” and that the opportunity for mind-blowing success is all around us.
In addition to authoring six books, including the best-sellers Generation Y and Flip, Peter has
established himself as a highly successful entrepreneur with his international thought-leadership
practice and as the CEO of the Change Labs, an organization devoted to helping companies not only
understand change, but also grasp it, embrace it and drive it.
He first came to my attention about a year ago and if you’ve read even a few of my blog postings since
that time, you know that I quote from his book, Flip, pretty liberally. I think sometimes my staff gets sick
of me referring to it because one of the best things about the book is that at the end of each chapter is
a series of questions. And you can gather your staff around and play “20 Questions” with them about
how they are embracing change. It’s easy for all of us to fall into ruts. We do the same thing because
we’ve always done the same thing. And we’ve talked a lot about change at every fraternal meeting I’ve
been to in my 2 ½ years with the NFCA. And we’re probably going to continue to talk about change
because that’s the one constant in our lives. If we don’t change, we won’t be here very much longer.
Peter’s book, Flip, really changed me. I’ve taken some of the philosophies and I’ve put them to work in
my personal life and my professional life. And, after I read the book, and I saw a tape of this guy, and
when you see him, you’ll say, “Wow, that’s my little brother.” He’s thirty-something, highly energetic,
Aussie accent, terrific guy, And when I heard and saw the tape, I said, “this is someone fraternal benefit
society leaders need to hear.”
So, please join me in welcoming best-selling Peter Sheahan for his presentation this morning.
Peter Sheahan speaks.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Peter. Peter will have some of his excellent books available for sale
after this session concludes, right in the back of the room.
Just a few housekeeping items before we adjourn for today...
This afternoon’s luncheon, featuring Joyce Raezer, Executive Director for the National Military Family
Association, will begin at noon, right next door in Grand Ballroom, Salon One.
For those attendees who have signed up for the Chicago White Sox ball game this evening, please
meet in the hotel lobby at 5:30 p.m. at the Rush Street entrance. Buses will depart for the baseball park
as soon as they are filled. And please remember to bring your tickets.
As a reminder, tomorrow’s program begins at 7:30 a.m. with our 9/11 Memorial Service, followed by a
“Meet the Sponsors” Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. I now declare the meeting in recess.
38

9/11 MEMORIAL SERVICE
Saturday, September 11, 2010
7:30 a.m.
DR. JAMES SHAVER, WOODMEN OF THE WORLD/OMAHA: Good morning. Would you join me in
prayer?
Dear Lord,
The apostle Paul said in 2Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith.” You have said, “Where two or more are gathered in your name, you will be there in the midst.
We are gathered this morning in your name to remember, honor and celebrate the innocent lives that
fought the good fight and finished the race way too early on September 11, 2001, at the hands of
terrorists in New York, Washington, D. C., and Pennsylvania. Surround us with your angels and pour
out your wisdom, your blessings, your grace and your mercies upon those friends and loved ones left
behind. And upon the brave first responders and soldiers who put others’ lives ahead of their own. We
thank you for the empty tomb and the celebrations in heaven for the people we are gathered here to
remember that are now standing in your presence. As always, Lord, let your will be done. And all of
God’s people said, “AMEN!”
Bagpipers from the Chicago Fire Department play Amazing Grace
A video recounting the timeline and showing photos of the events which occurred on September 11,
2001 is shown.
MR. JOHN BORGEN, CATHOLIC FAMILY FINANCIAL: A reading from the book of the prophet
Isaiah:
(Isaiah 43) 1 But now, thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel,
do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name and you are mine. 2 When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you
walk through fire, you shall not be burned and the flames shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord
your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in
exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you. I give people in
return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not fear, I am with you; I will bring your offspring
from the East, and from the West I will gather you.
The word of the Lord. (Thanks be to God.)
MR. MARK KEMP, POLICE AND FIREMEN’S INSURANCE ASSOCIATION: Good morning ladies
and gentlemen. I’d first like to thank the bagpipers from the Chicago Fire Department and the drummer.
A round of applause for them, please. (Applause)
This accounting of his own experiences on September 11 is retold to me by Captain Eddie Griffith of
the Newark Fire Department. He has 27 years experience and is assigned to Ladder 4. He is married
with three children and has been an Advisory Board Members for Police and Firemen’s Insurance
Association since 1990.
Just think for a moment what happened in less than two hours.
• 2795 civilians were killed in all the attacks on the United States,
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• also 23 New York City Police Officers
• 37 Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey officers
• 343 New York City Firefighters.
Consider the fact that approximately 50 thousand people work and frequent the area in and around the
trade center. This a great testament in part to the New York Fire Department, New York Police
Department, Port Authority’s of New York, and New Jersey for the countless rescues that were made to
help reduce the number of deaths that occurred that day.
On September 11, 2001, I was getting ready for a charity golf outing in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The
television was on and a special report flashed on the screen. The report said that a plane had crashed
into the north tower of The World Trade Center. I remember looking at the television and seeing a hole
in the building with some smoke and thinking it was a small plane. Now getting interested in the story
and paying more attention, I realized that this was not a small plane but rather a commercial airliner.
Then realizing that my brother’s roommate from school worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and that company
was in the north tower, I was hoping he was not involved or was able to evacuate. The story was
developing when I saw the second plane hit the south tower live. I can remember my wife screaming
out loud “What is happening?” I immediately thought back to 1993 and that the terrorists were attacking
again. Reports started coming in about the Pentagon, and I was wondering what is this country in for? I
remember looking at the fires getting larger and larger and saying to my wife, “If they don’t get water on
that fire the steel is going to melt, and there will be a collapse.” I started to think about my best friend,
Carl, who worked in 5 World Trade Center the Commodity Exchange and hoping he was okay.
Looking at the New York Firemen and thinking “Wow”, they are hiking up 87 plus stories and then have
to put out a fire. The highest I have ever gone up to fight a fire was about 28 stories and I thought that
was bad enough. I couldn’t even imagine going up that high. Then I started to dismiss those thoughts,
because New York Fire Department is a great department and they have the man power and the
resources to knock this fire down. Mayor Giuliani started doing a press conference and said, “We are
looking for help from doctors, nurses, police officers, firemen; if you can lend a hand, please come.”
Around this time the south tower collapsed. I looked at my wife kissed her on the cheek and said, “I got
to go.” She looked at me and said “You’re going there?” I said, “Yeah I got to go help out.”
I live 62 miles from Newark. The radio was reporting that the state of New Jersey was asking the
citizens to stay off the roads except for essential personnel. There was very little traffic. I made the trip
in about 45 minutes. Our Mayor and the Fire Director put out an order that they did not want any of us
to go to New York. That order went over like a lead balloon. We were not going to be stopped from
helping our brothers in New York.
We had to figure out a way to get to New York since the tunnels and bridges were closed. On the news
we were seeing the ferries running so I called the ferry company and told them we had 100 fire fighters
and we needed to get over there. I was told that we needed Coast Guard clearance. Where the hell
was I going to get Coast Guard clearance on a day like that? I called 411 and got through and asked for
the Coast Guard’s phone number. I explained what I was trying to do and she said how about New
York OPPs. I called that number and got a petty officer. He told us to get to the M.O.T. Terminal in
Bayonne, New Jersey. There is a Coast Guard Station there and he would send a boat for us.
We got onto the New Jersey Turnpike to the North East Extension but the State Police had this road
blocked. We all had to show ID and they gave us an escort to the Bayonne Exit. The City of Bayonne
had two giant snow plows with police blocking the exit. They let us through and we picked up the escort
40

to the Coast Guard Station. At the gates of the Coast Guard Station we were greeted by two sentries
brandishing M16s. They said, “Who are you and you are not getting on the base,” and said there would
be no boat for us. I called the petty officer back from New York OPPs he told me to give the Coast
Guard officer my phone. The CO came out and said, “Let them on the boat and get them on their way.”
A boat showed up from the merchant marine academy. One hundred fire fighters climbed on the deck
with all our gear. We pulled out of the channel and around the Statue of Liberty. I noticed that there was
no air traffic and the skies were silent, then you could hear the roar of fighter jets. Looking at the lower
third of Manhattan we realized that it was all thick black smoke. It looked like a scene from the movie
Escape from New York.
As we crossed the Hudson River a Blackhawk helicopter came in on us, got on the P A and ordered the
Captain of the vessel to contact him on a radio frequency. The copters’ weapons were trained on us
making us to be very uncomfortable to say the least. They let us pass after some extended communication
and as we got closer and seeing the carnage, I remember saying to myself, “What have we
gotten ourselves into?” I was certainly overwhelmed, but then you think about why you’re doing this and
you put those thoughts out of your mind. We’re here to help our brothers.
As we pulled into the dock at Liberty and West Street, we were hit with a dust cloud from 7 World Trade
as it collapsed. We aren’t even here a minute yet and we’re all coughing and gagging. I can still to this
day remember the sights, the smells, and the sounds, and it was horrible. I have never been to war but
I’m guessing this is close. I am standing on Liberty & West Streets and I can’t identify this place. I have
been here many times before but it doesn’t look familiar. I can remember standing there and an SUV
with guys in black fatigues hanging off the sides with machine guns in hand, reminding me of military
states but not the United States. All this dust is about 6 to 8 inches on the ground covering everything.
It’s made up of mainly sheet rock and all this paper from the offices. The smoke is heavy and black,
and combined with the dust it is tough to breathe.
I turn around and look at where the towers used to be and see a pile about 35 to 40 feet tall. These
buildings were 110 stories, Where did they go? I look down and see the metal steps from the observation
deck lying at my feet and thinking that about six months ago I was up there on those steps with
my kids looking at the world below. This is all happening in minutes. My brain is in overdrive trying to
take it all in. Looking at this destruction and wondering if my friends are okay, we get some info that
they’re setting up a command post at a school on West Street north of our location.
We have to climb through a partially collapsed building to get to the command post. On the way to the
command post people are handing out food. Not taking any—I don’t deserve it, I haven’t done anything
yet. People are offering to clean the dust and soot off your face and we thank them and keep moving to
the command post. We crossed paths with a group of iron workers escorting a crane to the site and
they were saying that we built it and we can help take it apart. As crazy as this sounds, with all this
tragedy, there is a tremendous amount of humanity. At the command center the crowd of volunteers is
getting larger by the minute. For all this chaos there is a lot of organization. However, they keep coming
out of the command post and thanking everyone for coming but no assignments are coming out either.
Time passes and we get they are not going to order volunteers into ground zero. I think about it in
hindsight, who was going to take responsibility and order a volunteer into harm’s way? So in small
groups you would drift off, back to ground zero and just hook up with the New York fire fighters and do
what they do, mainly digging through the rubble. We started digging in an area for a while and the New
York guys say “guys, thanks but we’re digging here.” We meant no harm, we moved on to another
area.
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We were digging and you would hear a rumble and people would yell and you would run for your life
thinking there might be another collapse. You would just rest until they would give the all clear and then
go back to work. My cell phone rang and I was very surprised that the call even got through. I answer it
and it is my wife. It’s great to hear her voice and she asks if I’m okay and tells me that my friend Carl is
okay. I ask if anyone has heard from Tom and she says no then tells me to be careful and I hang up.
I start to dig again and my eyes are burning but you just go on hoping you find someone. As you dig
you hear a yell and you look over your shoulder and they found a body. A group gathers, the scene is
very respectful and caring. If it is a person in uniform there’s a salute and the body is put in a stokes
basket and carried out. The upmost respect is shown to the dead.
Some of the more gory sights that I witnessed have been left out of this accounting for obvious reasons
but will forever be in my thoughts. We worked late into the night and then had to find our way home to
report for our regular shift in Newark, but I returned a couple of more days to help when I had time and
am glad I did. The outpouring of help from everyone involved was very touching and I am very proud of
my men that reported to “the pile” to do anything that we could and I thank you very much for letting tell
my story.
And God bless America.
DR. SHAVER: The tragedies which occurred on September 11, 2001, rocked the world. Societies
responded. Blood drives were held. And from just ten societies, $200,000 was contributed to the
September 11 th Fund, Uniformed Fire Fighters Association, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and the
American Red Cross and other disaster relief organizations.
For thousands of families this was the defining moment in their family history. Everything was different
from this point on. We have read their stories.
But today we wanted to personalize it.
Let me tell you about the Hungarian Reformed Federation. The morning of September 11, 2001, a
group had gathered in Jersey City, New Jersey, at a memorial for the Katyn Forest Massacre, a mass
murder of Polish nationals carried out by the Soviet secret police in April-May 1940, resulting in nearly
22,000 dead. From that vantage point, the 911 horror was in plain sight and witnessed by all. Today,
services commemorate both massacres.
But it becomes more personal……
Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen member Robert Baierwalter was last seen on the 103 rd floor
of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. He was an underwriter for Factory Mutual Insurance Company.
In the Archbishop Dolan Hall of Catholic Financial Union you’ll find a plaque dedicated to Catholic
Knights member Lt. Col. Dennis M. Johnson of the US Army. He was at work in the Pentagon that
morning. A scholarship fund has been created in his name.
Loyal Christian Benefit member Vaswald G. Hall died in the Twin Towers. He did not work in the
Towers. He was a delivery man, simply making his rounds.
And societies are remembering. Through services like this one today, we are remembering and
honoring the innocent people who lost their lives while going about the business of their every day. Let
us always remember to remember.
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MR. TIM SCHWAN, THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERAN: I would like to ask you to join us in a
concluding responsive prayer. After each petition, I will pray, Lord in your mercy, and you will respond,
“Hear our prayer.”
We bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
We approach you this morning with a mixture of thoughts and feelings as we remember the horrifying
events of September 11 th , 2001. We pray first for the families and friends of the thousands of innocent
victims. We thank you for the courage of all rescue workers, medical workers, and concerned neighbors
and the bravery of our fellow citizens on doomed planes, who, in your name, brought hope and healing,
protection and rescue to so many of your people.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the leaders of our nation, as well as the leaders of nations throughout the world, that the
memory of the events of September 11 th may somehow, eventually, bring us together without
unnecessary violence. May God grant wisdom and courage to the world's leaders to seek a peaceful
and healing path.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for our own families and friends, for our societies and for our members, for our local
communities and neighborhoods, that God would give us hope and comfort to face the future with
strength and healing, working in unity with each other to strengthen our own families, societies and
neighborhoods, that they would be safe havens, close knit, and instruments of your love and peace to
the world that we serve.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray amidst the confusion of many different feelings and thoughts
that our anger in remembering will not lead to rage and revenge,
that our fear will not lead to panic and chaos, and
that our extreme sadness will not lead to despair and a readiness to give up.
We pray for faith, courage, and hope to continue our walk with you and your world community with the
strength of your love and mercy.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord, graciously hear us, for we seek you alone. Calm our bodies and minds with the peace which
passes understanding, and make us radiant with joy. Heal the hurt, console the grieving and hurting,
protect the innocent and helpless, and deliver all who are in danger; for the sake of your great mercy in
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
To conclude our service, we ask that you stand as our bagpipers play God Bless America.
Bagpipers play God Bless America as recessional.
43

Closing General Session
10:00 a.m. – Noon
Saturday, September 11
ANNOUNCER: And now, please welcome, once again, your NFCA Chair of the Board, Terry
Rasmussen.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Welcome back. It’s good to see all of you here and I hope you enjoyed the
game last night. I know, as a closet Twins fan, somewhere between when the Royals were ahead, my
husband said we had to stop cheering for the White Sox, considering that the Twins lost last night.
(Laughter.) But it was quite a finish to the game.
The Closing Session of the 124 th Annual Meeting is now called to order.
I remind all attendees that this meeting is being recorded. When recognized, speakers from the floor
should announce their name and affiliation of their society loudly and clearly before speaking so we can
get it for the record.
First, I’d like to start off this session by drawing our winner for the 50/50 raffle. I’m going to ask Rose to
come up and help me. Half of the proceeds from the raffle will go to our host for the Community Service
Activity—the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. A total of $1,350 was raised in ticket sales. If I call your
number, please respond immediately. If we hear no response, we will call another number because you
have to be present to win. Our number is 139676. (Irene Shimoda of The Independent Order of
Foresters stands.) Come on up!
Congratulations to our raffle winner. And thank you to all of those who participated and gave to this
worthy cause.
On your seats, you should have found an Annual Meeting evaluation form. I ask that you take a few
minutes to fill out this form and turn it in at the back of this room at the end of this session. The
feedback that we receive from you is invaluable in planning future, successful annual meetings.
Again, I’d also like to thank our Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors for their support of this year’s
meeting. Their sponsorships have truly enhanced this year’s meeting and contributed to its success. I
would also like to give them a hand for the breakfast this morning. So let’s give them another round of
applause. (Applause.)
And now I would like to introduce today’s featured speaker.
Michael Dunn is Chairman and CEO of Dunn Associates. He is perhaps best known for training
business and professional people to become sophisticated grassroots advocates, or solicitors, on
behalf of their organization’s political action committee.
Mike’s early career helped to shape the core competencies that Dunn Associates is known for today. A
product of the political science departments of South Arkansas University and the University of North
Texas, he honed his training skills as a political science instructor for the University of Arkansas.
Mike had the opportunity to refine his practical political skills while serving as a legislative assistant for
two former U.S. Representatives, including Rep./Sen. David Pryor (AR) and Rep. G.V. “Sonny”
44

Montgomery (MS). Mike worked for four years as the first director of government relations services with
the Public Affairs Council, a professional organization for business public affairs executives.
Mike started the Council’s activities in PACs, grassroots lobbying and state government relations. This
experience gave him invaluable insights into the public policy challenges faced by corporations and
associations, as well as the conviction that he could be a positive influence in the growth of the public
affairs profession.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Mike Dunn as he teaches us how to “be our own best
advocate.”
Mr. Dunn speaks.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Mike, for that outstanding presentation.
It is my sincere pleasure to acknowledge the Immediate Past Chair of the Board Barbara Cheaney who
is completing her term on the NFCA Board. Barbara, can you please join me on the stage?
Okay, my dear, I have to give you a hug first!
In appreciation of your tireless work on the board, I thank you for your contribution. The NFCA could not
function without dedicated fraternalists like you. Please accept this plaque, on behalf of the entire
association, as a small token of our thanks.
Barbara will truly be missed. She brings a wonderful perspective and we said goodbye to her at our
meeting and it’s going to be different next week when she’s not there!
As Chair of the Governance Committee, I now will present its report.
Final Report of the Governance Committee
The Constitution of the National Fraternal Congress of America states a Governance Committee,
chaired by the Chair of the Board, shall recruit qualified candidates and otherwise invite suggestions
from the membership for those offices and directorships that are vacant or about to expire, allowing at
least 60 days before the annual meeting for suggestions from the membership. A mailing to each
member society president was sent by the NFCA for this purpose on June 1, 2010.
The Governance Committee met yesterday, Friday, September 10. The recommendations for all
candidates were received at that time or in advance by mail. These were considered with the overall
good of the Congress in mind.
As I call your name, I ask each nominee to please stand.
For the information of the annual meeting, the following will continue to serve:
AS DIRECTORS, EACH FOR A ONE-YEAR TERM:
• STUART B. BUCHANAN, High Secretary-Treasurer, Catholic Order of Foresters.
• and, MARK D. THEISEN, Executive Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of the
World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society.
AS DIRECTORS, EACH FOR A TWO-YEAR TERM:
45

• CHRISTOPHER H. PINKERTON, Senior V.P. and President, U.S. Division, The
Independent Order of Foresters.
• JAMES R. STOKER, National Secretary-Treasurer, CEO, Greater Beneficial Union of
Pittsburgh.
• and, HOWARD J. WOLFE, President, Western Fraternal Life Association.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NFCA CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE IX, Board of Directors, Section 2 –
the three highest dues-paying NFCA member-societies have the option to name an Appointed Director
to the Board for a one-year term. The following names have been submitted to serve as the
representatives of their respective societies:
• TERESA J. RASMUSSEN, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans
• EMILIO B. MOURE, Supreme Secretary, Knights of Columbus
• DARCY CALLAS, Director and General Counsel, Modern Woodmen of America
The Governance Committee submits for your consideration at this annual meeting the following names:
FOR CHAIR OF THE BOARD: (In accordance with Article X of the Constitution)
• MARK D. THEISEN, Executive Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of the World/Omaha
Woodmen Life Insurance Society.
FOR VICE-CHAIR OF THE BOARD:
• STUART B. BUCHANAN, High Secretary-Treasurer, Catholic Order of Foresters.
FOR THREE DIRECTORS FOR TERMS OF THREE YEARS EACH:
• JOSEPH E. GADBOIS, Senior Vice President of Fraternal and Marketing, Catholic Financial
Life.
• DAVID GAUTSCHE, Senior Vice President of Products and Services, Mennonite Mutual Aid
Association.
• and HARALD BORRMANN, Senior Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer, The Catholic
Aid Association.
This is the Report of the Governance Committee, which consists of the following: Teresa J.
Rasmussen (Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), Barbara A. Cheaney (Catholic Life Insurance), Mark D.
Theisen, (Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society), and Howard J. Wolfe
(Western Fraternal Life Association).
You have heard the report of the Governance Committee. Are there additional nominations from the
floor?
46

Hearing no further nominations, is there a motion to close nominations?
MR. MEL RAMBO, EQUITABLE RESERVE ASSOCIATION: Madam Chair, I move that nominations
be closed.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Mel. We have a motion from Mel to close the nominations. Is there
a second? And who seconded? Patrick Murphy? Thank you, Patrick.
All those in favor of the slate of candidates, as nominated, say “aye.” (“AYE”) Any opposed?
Congratulations to all the new officers and directors. They will be installed at this evening’s Closing
Dinner. (Applause)
Jacobson-Rugland Award Presentation
We are proud to present the 2010 Actuaries Section Jacobson-Rugland Award. Please welcome Blake
Warneke, Director of Valuation for Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society.
MR BLAKE WARNEKE, PRESIDENT, NFCA ACTUARIES SECTION PRESIDENT: It is an honor to
be a part of this morning’s program and to present this award on behalf of the Actuaries Section.
The Jacobson-Rugland Award honors an outstanding fraternal actuary affiliated with an NFCA
member-society.
Our Jacobson-Rugland Award recipient this year is Sharon Giffen of The Independent Order of
Foresters.
For 30 years, Sharon has worked in the life insurance business, with over 20 of those years in
marketing and product development in Canada and the U.S. She has worked for a variety of insurance
organizations – large and small, stock and mutual, direct insurance and reinsurance – and for the last
10 years with the Independent Order of Foresters.
As recently appointed Chief Financial Officer for Foresters, her work encompasses Actuarial, Finance,
Investments, Internal Auditing and Risk Management. She is the U.S. Appointed Actuary and
Illustration Actuary for Foresters.
She is a graduate of the honors co-operative education program in mathematics at the University of
Waterloo. She was active in the Examination Committee for the Society of Actuaries for many years, is
Past President of the Actuaries Club of Toronto and of the Actuaries Section of the NFCA. She
currently serves as Vice Chair of the Smaller Insurance Companies Section of the Society of Actuaries.
In 2009, Sharon was proud to receive an award for her essay “A Vision for the Future of the Life
Insurance Sector”.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing the 2010 Jacobson-Rugland Award winner:
Sharon Giffen. (Applause)
Sharon was not able to attend today so accepting the award for Sharon in her absence is Chris
Pinkerton, Senior Vice President, and President, U.S. Division, for the Independent Order of Foresters.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Congratulations, again, to Sharon.
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Marcia D. Heywood Fraternal Communications Award Presentation
Next, we would like to present the 2010 Marcia D. Heywood Fraternal Communications Award. Please
welcome Kathleen Moriarty, Director of Fraternal for The Catholic Aid Association, and Immediate Past
President of the Communications Section.
MS. KATHLEEN MORIARTY, THE CATHOLIC AID ASSOCIATION: Thank you, Terry. I’m pleased
to present this award on behalf of the Communications Section.
The Marcia D. Heywood Fraternal Communications Award honors an outstanding communicator for
contributions to the communications profession and the advancement of the fraternal benefit system.
Our Marcia D. Heywood Fraternal Communications Award recipient this year is Melanie Zavodny, from
SPJST.
During her tenure as Editor and Director of Communications, Melanie Zavodny’s duties have consisted
of editing the SPJST’s weekly newspaper, Vestnik, and communications for fraternal and youth
activities, life insurance programs, and the mortgage lending program. She was also responsible for the
development of newsletters, flyers, brochures, and advertisements for SPJST marketing and promotions.
Special projects included assisting the Texas Fraternal Congress with the displays for legislative
events at the State Capitol.
The weekly newspaper has been utilized extensively to promote not only SPJST activities, but also the
NFCA’s Fraternalist of the Year program and JOIN HANDS DAY. The SPJST Communications
Department provides 75 lodge and youth club mailings annually. Other projects include the SPJST
Calendar, Youth Spectacular, SPJST Members Services Directory, SPJST Excellence sales agent
newsletter and membership campaign promotional materials.
Melanie is also responsible for the design and maintenance of the SPJST Website, which features
downloadable forms, event information, online tournament registration, photos and the SPJST store. In
addition, she coordinates SPJST’s Orel Buck program and assists with organizing and coordinating
events including the annual Awards Banquet and State Youth Achievement Day. Her video projects
include the annual state youth video, State Youth Achievement Day videos, SPJST Education and
Nature Center video, Core Challenge and the Fraternalist of the Year video you viewed yesterday.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing the 2010 Fraternal Communications Award
winner: Melanie Zavodny. (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: I guess something else that I would like to acknowledge and I’ve got this really
big smile on my face because I am now Immediate Past Chair. But I will always remember yesterday
when Susan (Skrabanek) said that her society stood for Special People Jesus Sent to Texas. I will
always remember that from now on and I will always look at that society with a big grin on my face. I’d
like to just congratulate both Sharon and Melanie one more time. Let’s give them another round of
applause for all the hard work they’ve accomplished on behalf of the entire system. (Applause
Credentials Committee Final Report
I now call Chair Janet Goulart, Gleaner Life Insurance Society, to present the final report of the
Credentials Committee.
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MS. GOULART: Madam Chair, officers, delegates and guests of this 124 th Meeting of the National
Fraternal Congress of America. The Preliminary Report of the Credentials Committee is as follows:
Of the 69 member societies affiliated with the National Fraternal Congress of America, 62 have
submitted their official credentials forms; 53 member societies have registered, representing 213
society delegates. Of the 31 state fraternal congresses affiliated with the National Fraternal Congress of
America, 16 filed a credential form; and 14 are registered at the meeting representing 14 delegate
votes. This constitutes a total of 227 official delegates. There are 154 additional votes, bringing the total
votes for the 124 th Meeting to 381.
As of this report there are approximately 340 full program guests, 10 single-day guests, 49 spouses,
and 7 non-members registered. This brings the total number of members and guests who have
registered for the 124 th Annual Meeting to 353, of whom 68 are first-time attendees.
This concludes the preliminary report of the Credentials Committee, which consists of the following
members: Janet Goulart, Chair (Gleaner Life Insurance Society), Marty Mabe, (Catholic Life
Insurance); John Dias (Luso-American Life Insurance Society) and Steven Reindl (National Mutual
Benefit). (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: The motion by Janet Goulart has been made to adopt the final report of the
Credentials Committee. Do we have any discussion?
Seeing none, is there a second to this motion? It has been seconded by Darcy Callas, Modern
Woodmen of America. All in favor say “aye.” Those opposed, “no.” The motion is carried.
I now call Chair JoAnn Abt, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society, to
present the final report of the Constitution Committee.
Final Report of the Constitution Committee
MS. JOANN ABT, WOODMEN OF THE WORLD/OMAHA WOODMEN LIFE INSURANCE SOCIETY:
Madam Chair, delegates and guests of the 124 th Annual Meeting of the National Fraternal Congress of
America: The Final Report of the Constitution Committee is as follows:
The Constitution Committee met via conference call on July 27, 2010, to discuss amendments
proposed by the Board of Directors. The committee met again on Friday, September 10, to allow an
opportunity for members to comment on the proposed changes. One society attended the September
10 Open Meeting to comment on the proposed changes but did not seek any amendment.
The proposed amendments to the Constitution are as described yesterday in the Preliminary Report of
the Constitution Committee and in the handout provided.
Therefore, the Constitution Committee makes a motion to adopt the amendments to the NFCA
This concludes the Final Report of the Constitution Committee whose members are myself, JoAnn Abt;
Paul Johnston, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans; and Bruce Peterson, Royal Neighbors of America.
T. RASMUSSEN: The motion by JoAnn Abt has been made to adopt the final report of the Constitution
Committee. Is there any discussion?
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Seeing none, is there a second to the motion? Thank you, Dan. Dan Lloyd, Catholic Financial Life. All
in favor signify by saying “aye.” Those opposed, “no.” The motion is carried.
Now there have been two motions have been made by the Constitution Committee. I am going to
remind the delegates to please vote on these motions only if you are a registered delegate and that
means you have a red ribbon on your badge. First, the Constitution Committee moves to adopt the first
amendment regarding a board member’s eligibility to serve on the NFCA Board of Directors. Because
the motion is made by Committee and not by an individual, a second is not required.
So is there any discussion on amendment #1 regarding a board member’s ability to serve on the NFCA
Board of Directors only with the expressed support of that society’s board of directors?
Hearing none, all those in favor of this amendment say “aye.” (“AYE”) All opposed say “Nay.” The ayes
have it.
The Constitution Committee also moves to adopt amendment #2, changing name of the organization to
the American Fraternal Alliance. Is there any discussion on amendment #2, changing name of the
organization to the American Fraternal Alliance?
Hearing none, all those in favor of the proposed name change, American Fraternal Alliance, say “aye.”
(“AYE”) All opposed say “nay.” The ayes have it.
Wow! (Applause)
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: One of the big changes we’ve made this past year is hiring a new lobbying firm
to help us with our advocacy and public affairs. Our next speaker today is our new Washington, D.C.,
lobbyist, Gabe Horwitz, Vice President with McBee Strategic Consulting. In the short time that we’ve
worked with McBee, we have started some exciting new initiatives such as bringing fraternal CEOs to
Capitol Hill, getting members of Congress to attend fraternal events, and building a brand with public
policymakers.
And I just want to make a note, and maybe disagree a bit with Mike Dunn, I know that when we invite
members of Congress to our fraternal events where they can pick up hammers and they can spend the
afternoon with our constituents, that it does make a difference. It’s also a media event for them and so I
would encourage us to continue to invite them to our events so they can experience first-hand what we
have to offer.
But to talk more about that, I’d really like us to welcome Gabe, who will bring us up-to-date on our
advocacy efforts in Washington. So, Gabe?
GABE HORWITZ, VICE PRESIDENT, MCBEE STRATEGIC CONSULTING: Good morning!
First, let me congratulate everyone on the wonderful name change. We’re excited about this and what it
means for our activities, as well as in Washington, D.C. Joe asked me to just give you a brief update on
what we’re doing but before that I want to give you a little story to tell you what we’re up against in
Washington, D.C.
I grew up on the north side of Chicago, actually, and, like the good son that I am, I decided to have
dinner with my parents last night. So, my dad picked me up from the hotel and said, “How’s Phi Delt?”
I said, “What are you talking about, Dad?”
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“I’m talking about your fraternity? I thought that’s why you were in town.” (I was a Phi Delt when I was in
college.)
I said, “Dad, I’m not here for my fraternity, I’m here for fraterNALS.” And at about this point we’re pulling
off the Edens Expressway at Peterson and we’re going up Cicero and we’re passing the Polish National
Alliance building. And I said, “Dad, that! That’s what a fraternal is.”
And he looked at me and he said, “The Polish National Alliance? Why, we’ve known about them for
years! We’ve lived just a mile away from them. They do wonderful things in our community. I had no
idea that they were a fraternal.”
And THAT is the problem that you guys are having in Washington, D.C. I like to call it the “Wow, You
Do Really Great Things But Nobody Knows It Syndrome.” So what we’ve been tasked to do is help you.
So when we set out to help the association, we had two program goals: Generally, we want to help all
public policy that impacts fraternals.
But, really, specifically, we want to maintain your 501(c)(8) tax-exempt status.
Now, this is going to be difficult, as Mike pointed out before, we are in a VERY turbulent election
season. I think turbulent is my nice, Saturday-morning way of saying it; I’ve heard many worse
descriptions. Elections are November 2. The outlook, again: grim for Democrats; that’s an
understatement. Everyone thinks the country is headed n the wrong direction. Right now there are a lot
of different opinions about whether the Republicans are going to take back the House and/or Senate.
Suffice it to say, it’s going to be a very turbulent November.
The nice thing is, what we’ve really set out to do is to have some fundamental tactics that you guys can
use that won’t change. Won’t change whether Republicans are in power, whether Democrats are in
power or whether you hate both Democrats and Republicans equally.
And so what we’re doing and what we’re working with, not only with the executives but all of your
members, is building out these fundamental tactics. And that includes building out your brand on
Capitol Hill and really explaining what fraternals are, helping people like my father understand: Wow,
you people do great things. We’re doing that through targeting key Members of Congress; we’re
bringing in executives to talk to Members; and we’re also doing In-District Events. So, let me go through
these very quickly.
Building your brand: As Mike said, it’s all about persuasion and power. Luckily, you guys have both.
You have members across the country, members who vote across the country, and you have a great
story, once you tell it. Once you explain what you do and how you do it, it resonates across the party
spectrum, Democrats and Republicans both like you. The key is: we need to target Members of
Congress. As Mike says, you need to build your ammunition. I came from Chicago and we like to say,
you build your stable of support. And how we do that is: by identifying folks in your fraternal footprint, by
targeting leadership and by key Congressional Committees. Let me explain that.
Fraternal Footprint: these are people who represent you. Your part of that upper part of the pyramid
that Mike talked about. You register to vote. You do vote. You may or may not contribute money and
that’s fine. You vote! That’s the most important part. These are people who should be supporting you.
Key Committees: these are folks who write tax laws. They’re going to be directly responsible for writing
the bill that’s either is going to make your happy or make you sad.
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And then there’s Leadership: very self-explanatory. They decide what’s going to be on the floor and
what’s not.
So what we’ve decided to do is to put the plan into action. No more Mr. Smith. Sorry, Stu. We’ve got
Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Annotti going to Washington. This has been an integral part of our plan. And the
reason why is: I’m Gabe. I’m from Washington, D.C. I’m voting next week in our primary because I
have a D.C. voting card. I’m on that bottom part of the voting pyramid for these Members. Yes, I donate
some. Yes, I’m helpful to some and I have relationships with other Members. I don’t vote for them,
though. You do and all of your members do. So what we asked Stu to come in and meet with a whole
variety of Members. And people have heard about his trip and it was extremely productive because
what we are doing is building that bench, filling that stable out with people who are going to understand
fraternals and, hopefully, support you.
So we had Stu meeting with people in the Fraternal Footprint where the Catholic Order of Foresters has
a good presence. We met with folks on Key Committees, both House and Senate. And we met with
people in Leadership.
Joe came to town and we did the same thing. Obviously, this one was geared a little bit more toward
the association. Again, Key Committees. These are people who are writing the laws that directly affect
you. They need to know. We are also doing In-District Events. The Independent Order of Foresters had
an absolutely wonderful August, partnering with Kaboom to build playgrounds. Let me tell you:
Members of Congress/playgrounds/maybe kiss a baby or two—perfect event for a Member of Congress
about to go up for an election. So this was a great chance, we had Betty Sutton out in Akron and we
had Steve Driehaus out in Cincinnati. These are the kind of events that explain to members: this is
what we do. We are in your communities; we vote and, by the way, we have a tax exemption and if you
take that away from us, we can’t do what we were set out to do.
So, what’s next? Jim Alvarez has volunteered to come to DC later this month. We’re going to set up a
program for him doing things very similar to what Stu did, meeting with people that make a difference to
fraternals. We’re also going to be working with many of your organizations as you’re doing events out in
the communities, we need to know this. We really need to work with you; invite Members when we can.
The other thing is that, as you guys talk to Members of Congress, let’s face it, some of them are your
neighbors, you see some in your Giant and Dominick’s stores, you see others at events, we need to
know. It helps us coordinate all of our efforts.
And finally, we’re going to be having the Presidents Section Meeting next may in D.C., which is going to
be extremely helpful.
So what do we need? I’m going to be as much help as I possibly can be but, remember, I vote in D.C.
You guys vote for all these Members who write our laws. No one can tell your story better than you.
I gave my dad the one minute elevator speech, and even he said, “Oh, yeah, that makes complete
sense.” And I think both Stu and Joe, as they’ve been to D.C., will tell you, when you talk to Members
and when you talk to their staff, you have a great story to tell. You do wonderful things in their
community. You have strong membership base, and all-in-all, you want to be helpful to them. BUT you
need their help on your tax exemption. That’s a nice story to tell and I need your help in telling it.
And so with that, I just want to say thank you very much. I know there’s a lot of questions about this
whole process, my job here is to make it easy on you. So as things come up, please feel free to contact
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either the association staff or me. We just want to make this easy for your and just make sure that we
succeed in the next Congress. Thank you.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Gabe.
Now, it is now my pleasure to introduce, the NFCA President and CEO, Joe Annotti, for his annual
report on the activities of the association. Please join me in welcoming, Joe…
Report from the President
MR. JOE ANNOTTI: Thank you, Terry. Good morning, everyone! Thank you for your “Aye” vote on the
name change. Not so much for me but for this organization. I’ll talk about this in a minute. It’s a tremendously
significant development. It’s more symbolic than anything else. But I think it symbolizes great
things.
I’m not going to take up too much of your time today; you’ve been in meetings for a long time. I want to
thank all of you for coming. I know it’s time away from the office; it’s an expense; but you’re here
because you think it’s valuable. You’re here because you want to network and you want to learn; and
you’re here because, at least it’s my impression, that we put on a program that responds to what you
need. I want to thank you for all the wonderful comments, the very kind comments that you’ve made to
me personally over the last couple of days, and more importantly, the terrific suggestions you’re already
making for next year. I know the folks in the Fraternal Field Managers Association have already come
up with for their program for next year. And that’s exciting. If this meeting is that important to you that
you’re already thinking about what you’re going to do next year, I’m thrilled.
There are some very special people that I would like to recognize and thank for their support. First, will
the Board of Directors please stand up, one more time? (Applause) These individuals led by Terry
Rasmussen are enormously courageous. They know what needs to be done. They know what they’re
here for. They take off their fraternal hats and they put on their association hats and tomorrow morning
when you guys are packing up and catching cabs to the airport, at 7:30, these guys will be around a
table, back to work, creating a new brand and a new direction for the American Fraternal Alliance. I
often forget that they all have full-time jobs, running their own societies. And sometimes I talk to them
too much; I communicate with them too much; but they are so responsive. They are everything you
could ask for in a board. As I mentioned about Terry personally, the whole board is like this. Direction.
Guidance. And accountability. You can’t ask for more than that in a board and I thank you all very much
for your efforts.
There are four people that were on a recent task force that we formed. I know two of them are here at
the meeting, I hope they’re here in the room today: Mary Ann Johanek, Joe Hoffman, Tony Martella,
and Albert Amigoni. We had a task force to meet with the Ohio Department of Insurance on some
regulatory changes that they are proposing, which I’ll talk about in a minute. They took the time out of
their schedules; they made the trip to Columbus; they participated on conference calls; they got their
hands dirty in the policy-making process and as a result of their efforts, we’re not to not only change the
way the association makes policy and engages, but we are going to come out with a regulatory system
that’s fair and enhances the credibility of fraternals and protects consumers in Ohio and that can be
expanded. It was ground-breaking and I thank you for your personal commitment to that. (Applause)
There are a million details that go into preparing a meeting like this. And thanks to an incredibly
talented and dedicated staff, they all get taken care of and I don’t have to worry about 999,000 of them.
Would Allison, Rose, Elizabeth, Linda, Alice, Jessica, Terry and Karen, please stand up? (Applause)
The meeting runs seamlessly because of them, not because of me. The meeting runs seamlessly
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ecause of them. They are a tremendous asset to each of you. I hope you think of them as an
extension of your staff. As I mentioned last year, all of us are chocoholics. We’re not doing this for the
money. And last year after I mentioned that, we must have had 15 gift baskets from member societies
and I want to thank you all for sending that chocolate. And I want to remind you again that we still have
that addiction and would love any support that you can provide.
And finally, there’s a very special person in the back of the room, my wife, Jody. (Applause) I’m gone
a lot. I’m gone a WHOLE lot. There are never any complaints. Everything gets taken care of. I have the
ability to dedicate so much time to this organization, which I truly believe in, because of her. Thank you
very much for letting me do this.
You know the new name of this organization, the American Fraternal Alliance, it’s a hood ornament. It
represents an opportunity. The key thing now is to determine what that hood ornament is going to
represent. What’s going to be under the hood. When you see a Mercedes hood ornament, what do you
think of? Quality. Performance. Is it going to be a Mercedes; is it going to be an Edsel? We need to
make it a Mercedes. We need to build that brand around that name. It’s not going to happen overnight.
You’re not going to go back to your offices and the first e-mail you get from us on Monday, and you
probably will get one, is not going to have American Fraternal Alliance with the new tagline and logo
and everything else. There’s going to be a transition period, probably of three to four months. We’re
looking at a January 1 roll-out date. The Task Force, as John Borgen mentioned, he said up here that
there was no pressure or coercion from the staff. And I can assure you, that was the case because
those folks never even told me when they were going to meet. They never told me; they never invited
me; they met in secret. The biggest state secret ever. They kept it all to themselves and they worked
through this issue. They are continuing their work to come up with a tag line and a logo for the
organization. And we’ll do a coordinated roll-out, focusing on January 1. But, until then, we’ve got some
planning time. We’ve got some transition time. Terry and Mark mentioned at the Presidents Section
Meeting that the Board’s been engaged in a strategic planning process. We just started this. Part of
tomorrow’s meeting will be focused on continuing that. And we’re looking at all facets at how we
recreate or how actually we create a brand for this organization, for the American Fraternal Alliance, the
trade association that represents fraternals. Not a brand for your societies. Not a brand for any
individual societies, but a brand for the association.
Two major factors are going to impact the quality of that brand—the Mercedes versus the Edsels. And
those two things are 1) how we run our businesses and 2) how we fulfill our fraternal mission. Both of
those, BOTH of those are equally important. The American Fraternal Alliance’s primary mission, without
question, is public policy and advocacy. It’s to preserve, protect and enhance the fraternal charter. And
notice, I didn’t say tax exemption. Defending the tax exemption is part of what we do. It helps preserve
that fraternal charter. But it’s not all of what we do. You know, when it comes to the tax exemption
battle, I refer to a quote from the coach of Fresno State Football. Fresno State is a Division I school in
California. It doesn’t get much respect. It’s in a small conference, but their coach says, “Any time, any
team, any place.” He’s fearless. And that is what I think about when I think about the tax exemption
battle. I’ll take that issue on any time, any place, against any team, state or federal. We can win that.
We can win that. I’ve met with enough lawmakers in my two and a half years here, I’ve worked close
enough with Gabe and those folks at McBee. I’ve seen you guys in action. I have complete and total
confidence that we can defeat a tax exemption initiative at the state and federal level, any time or any
place
The biggest threat, the biggest threat to our charter is not the repeal of the tax exemption, at least not in
my opinion. The biggest threat to the charter, really the biggest threat to the tax exemption is how we
run our businesses. It’s how solvent we are, how credible we are, how relevant we are, and how we
govern ourselves. This association cannot improve its members’ governance. It cannot improve its
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members’ solvency. That’s not what we’re in business for. We can provide education, information,
advocacy. We can provide you all the tools you need for you in your own societies to take those
actions, to address the holy trinity of challenges we face: solvency, relevance, governance. That’s our
job. That’s part of our job to provide you those tools. But our primary job is influencing public policy.
And creating a public policy environment that allows the fraternal charter to survive and thrive, that
protects consumers, and that enhances our credibility with our key audiences. Our key audiences being
public policy makers at the state and federal level, opinion leaders in the media, and, ultimately, the
next generation of fraternalists.
I know some of you disagree with some of the steps we’ve taken in public policy, particularly on the
RBC issue. We’ve been aggressive in that. We’ve had to be. We were forced with a “take it or leave it”
proposition from New York—guarantee fund or else. That’s how this whole thing started. We managed
to stave off the guarantee fund aspect of it by coming to RBC. And we’ve advanced that and refined
that in other states. Having an RBC requirement, in my opinion, is absolutely critically important
because it’s something that regulators know and understand. Now, it may not be perfect. I would agree
with you and with those folks who say it isn’t perfect. But it’s our job not to complain about the fact that
it’s not perfect. It’s our job to come up with a public policy that works better. If there are tweaks to RBC?
Is there better ways to twist it? Are there better ways to calibrate it? And come back to regulators and
get involved in the process.
Here’s why I think RBC is important. As a consumer, not as your advocate, I own an annuity from a
fraternal benefit society. Now I read that annuity, unlike most folks. I read it and I compared it to the
annuity that I have from a commercial insurance provider. And you know what? It looks a lot alike! It
looks alike; it reads alike; it smells alike. It’s the same product essentially. So, why should a person who
buys from a fraternal benefit society be less protected because that society does not have to comply to
the same regulations as a commercial insurer? I know we’re different. I know we’re tax-exempt. I get it.
But on the insurance side, and on the financial services side, we have to treat like, like, like.
If our products are the same, they need to be regulated the same. If we’re going to sell “big boy and big
girl” products, we need to be prepared to be regulated like big boys and big girls. We’re not the same
organizations we were in 1910. We’re not “pass the hat” organizations any more. If we’re going to
compete, we’re going to compete at the sophisticated level as our commercial peers. Now, I’m not
saying we have to write million dollar policies, I know our niche is smaller than that. But why should we
be less credible in the eyes of regulators and consumers than other folks? That’s the public policy
mission of this organization. That’s the public policy mission! To enhance our credibility so that
regulators, legislators, Members of Congress, folks in the news media and ultimately consumers, and
the consumer message is yours to bring, “look at us as equal or better than others.” We’re treated
differently on the tax exemption side because of our fraternal mission. Because we take the profit and,
if Cynthia Tidwell is out there, I’m going to steal a line from her that I use all the time. Non-profit doesn’t
mean no profit. Profit is good. It’s OK to make money in our insurance business. If we’re not, not only in
our fraternal mission in danger, but our customers are in danger. Our financial services customers.
We’re tax-exempt because we take the profit from our financial services side and we plow it into things
that mean something: member benefits and community service. That’s a tremendous story to tell.
And the Ohio example! You know, we talked a lot about legislation this morning. There’s an old saying
about legislation. Legislation is like sausage. You don’t want to see either one being made. It’s dirty. It’s
grimy. It’s hardball sometimes. Our traditional approach to that as a fraternal benefit system has been
to lie n the weeds. Hide—pretend no one notices us. See if we can fly under the radar.
Those days are over. We can’t do that anymore. We have to raise our profile. We have to become the
sausage maker rather than the ingredient. And the folks in Ohio became the sausage makers because
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Ohio sent us a long list of proposals they’d like to enact, some of which we agreed with; some of which
we were absolutely opposed to; some of which we negotiated. And as we go through this process, if
you’re up front with regulators, they learn about us in this way. We taught them things they didn’t know
about us. They wanted the representative form of governance changed dramatically. We said, “Look,
one size doesn’t fit all.” They’re going to rethink their position. We’re going to rethink our positions on a
couple of things, agent licensing being one. We’re going to work through this and we’re going to come
up with a piece of legislation that’s going to be ground breaking. That’s going to be introduced in Ohio
in 2011 and it’s going to set the tone for fairer, more effective regulation of the fraternal system in 2011
and beyond And we can do this because members came together to do this. Now, you’ll note that the
societies I read off who met with Ohio did not include any of the big four or five or six. This was an
initiative driven by the domestic societies in Ohio with the Department of Insurance in Ohio. And that’s
a tribute to those societies who wanted to get in there and get involved and contribute resources to this.
It’s tremendously effective and it’s the way we’ve got to move in the future. If we’re going to create this
brand for American Fraternal Alliance that means something, these are the levels we have to play at.
This is the aggressiveness we have to play at. I would much rather be the sausage maker than be
ground up in the grinder. There are dangers to this. You get your hand too close, you could lose a
finger. I understand that. But there are more dangers to doing what we’ve been doing for a long, long
time which is sitting on the sidelines and hoping no one notices. We need people to notice. We need
regulators to notice. We need legislators to notice. We need the next generation of fraternalists to
notice. And we can do this, we can do this, but we don’t have a lot of time to do this.
You know in the first Strategic Planning session that we had, we pulled out a document from 2000, I
think, the Fraternal Vision Document. And it laid out precisely. PRECISELY all the same problems we
have today. We’ve known about these for years. We can’t come back in 2018 and revisit that same
document. If we do, the population of this room is going to be greatly diminished. We need to ensure
that there are many healthy fraternals that come back to this meeting, that stay credible, stay sound,
and some of that’s going to come through consolidation, we all know that. And that’s fine. But we need
to ensure that the fraternal system, that the fraternal charter is protected. That’s the charge that has
been given to me personally; that’s the charge that the Board has adopted; and that’s what we intend to
accomplish with your help in 2011 and beyond.
Thanks again very much for attending this meeting. We have a free afternoon now; a few lunches here
and there. Enjoy Chicago. Hopefully the rain will pass. I can’t think you enough. You inspire me every
single day. I love working with you. I love working for you. And I love serving this industry. Thank you.
CHAIR RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Joe. And I don’t have to tell you in the audience how grateful the
board is that we have Joe and his staff. They are terrific and bring us energy as well.
As a reminder, I ask that you please fill out your Annual Meeting evaluation forms before you leave
today. This is the yellow sheet. Please leave them either on your table or in the back of the room. We
use this information in planning your meeting so it’s very important that you fill them out. This is YOUR
Annual Meeting, and we want to be responsive to how you want to spend your time at these meetings.
Is there any unfinished business to come before the Congress? Hearing none… Is there any new
business to come before the Congress? Hearing none… I now will entertain a motion for adjournment.
Thank you, Steve. Is there a second? Thank you, Paul. The motion has been made by and seconded
by to adjourn the 124 th NFCA Annual Meeting. All in favor of the motion to adjourn, say “aye.” Opposed,
“no.” The ayes have it and the motion is carried.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for attending the 124 th NFCA Annual meeting. We’ll see
you tonight at the Closing Dinner.
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CLOSING DINNER
7 p.m.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
ANNOUNCER: And now, please welcome, once again, NFCA President and CEO, Joe Annotti.
MR. JOE ANNOTTI: Hey, folks. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and please take your seats and
we’ll get our evening started. It should be a great one. In order to get it started on the right note, I’d
like to ask Mike McGovern to come up and give the invocation, please.
MR. MICHAEL MCGOVERN, PRESDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, CATHOLID AID
ASSOCIATION: Thank you, Joe. I must say that I am impresses with the ecumenical spirit that Terry
is showing us this week by asking me, a token Catholic, to come up here and say the invocation. It
shows her great openness of mind and probably a little bit of poor judgment on her part, too. But, first
things, seeing that I have the stage I would like to mention that I’m a little disappointed about our new
name. I would have preferred Catholic American Fraternal Life. But I will promise you this. I won’t
refer to any saints that were born after the Reformation in my prayer.
So let’s bow our head.
St. Augustine told us that he had a hole in his heart the size of our Lord. And the prayerful priest,
Jacques Philippe tells us so eloquently that if we want to pray, we must first recognize that our Lord is
in our heart, probably in that spot that St. Augustine spoke of. Let us remember this evening as the
Benedictine monks have taught us, the true celebration in itself can be a form of prayer. Let us pray for
the military, for the selfless lives that they give for us, for the time that they give for us, for being the
guardians of our cherished freedom.
Let us pray for those who have prepared the meal for this evening, the planners, all those who serve
us.
Let us pray for our own families. Let us pray for our societies and for all of our members. And let us
pray for all those who suffer in this world.
And with great fraternal spirit, let us pray together: Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts which we are
about to receive. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Enjoy your evening.
ANNOUNCER: Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is now being served. Please, enjoy
your meal.
(The meal is served.)
MR. JOE ANNOTTI: I hope everyone enjoyed their dinner. To start off this evening’s program, I’d like
to introduce our special guest for this evening… To better introduce him, we have a DVD. So if I can
address your attention to the screens, we will roll that. Tom Dreesen. Tom has made over 500
appearances on national television as a standup comedian, including 61 appearances on the Tonight
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Show, and is a favorite guest of David Letterman. Please welcome your emcee for this evening… Tom
Dreesen.
Tom Dreesen entertains the crowd for many minutes.
TOM DREESEN: I will be back later with a little more stand-up but first, ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome President and Chief Executive Officer, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life
Insurance Society, Danny Cummins, to the stage to serve as tonight’s Installing Officer.
MR DANNY CUMMINS: Thank you, Tom. Madam Chair Rasmussen, delegates, officers, directors,
members and guests, friends of the American Fraternal Alliance. It is indeed an honor and a privilege
to serve as your installing officer this evening.
At this time, on your behalf, I want to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Outgoing Chair of
the Board Rasmussen and all of the 2009-2010 officers and directors for their fine work, contributions
and dedicated service during this past year. A special thanks goes to those officers whose terms of
service are now ending. I would like to commend Terry Rasmussen on a very successful year in light
of two significant accomplishments.
First, the premium tax exemption was defeated in Hawaii and Washington State after a lobbying effort
that was coordinated by the NFCA.
Second, we continued our dialogue as well as the successful efforts to address fraternal capital
adequacy issues with regulators in New York, Minnesota and several other states. Please join me in
giving Chair Rasmussen and all the 2009-2010 officers and directors a hand.
Now, I’m going to apologize before I call the names up. As you can probably tell, I’m not from here; I’m
from the South. There’s not one single Billy Bob or Bubba that’s been elected to any of these offices.
So, in advance, I’m going to apologize for the pronunciation of some of these names but I know you all
heard them this morning so you will know who you are.
Installation of Officers
Members of the American Fraternal Alliance, you have elected as your Chair of the Board for the
coming year, Mark D. Theisen, Executive Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of the World/Omaha
Woodmen Life Insurance Society. I have no doubt that Mark will both serve and lead you well. I would
like to bring to your attention Mark’s activities to date with the American Fraternal Alliance.
Mark was appointed to the NFCA Law Committee in 1995 and served on that committee for 10 years,
serving as chair of the Law Committee from 1997 to 1999. He was a member of the NFCA Law
Section from 1995 to 2004, where he was elected Vice President in 96 and President in 97. Mark
served as the chairman of the Model Fraternal Code Subcommittee of the Law Committee from 2000-
2005. He also served on the Federal Issues Subcommittee of the Law Committee from 1999 to 2002.
Mark currently serves as chairman of the Fraternal Capital Adequacy Task Force up to this present
time. And Mark was elected to the NFCA Board of Directors in 2008 and the position of Vice Chair in
2009.
I know that Mark is the right person for the American Fraternal Alliance. He has the experience and the
energy to take the Fraternal Alliance forward.
When I introduce the new NFCA officers and directors, I would ask that they assemble in front of the
stage, and facing the audience, for the installation.
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For terms of three years each, the following have been elected to serve as directors of the American
Fraternal Alliance:
• JOSEPH E. GADBOIS, Senior Vice President of Fraternal and Marketing, Catholic Financial
Life.
• DAVID GAUTSCHE, Senior Vice President of Products and Services, Mennonite Mutual Aid
Association.
• and HARALD BORRMANN, Senior Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer, The Catholic
Aid Association.
Appointed to a term of one year from societies paying maximum dues is EMILIO B. MOURE, Executive
Vice President, Knights of Columbus.
Also appointed to a term of one year from societies paying maximum dues is DARCY CALLAS, Director
and General Counsel, Modern Woodmen of America.
Advancing to serve a one-year term as Fraternal Alliance Immediate Past Chair of the Board is
TERESA J. RASMUSSEN, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans.
Elected to serve a term of one year as the American Fraternal Alliance Vice-Chair of the Board is:
• STUART B. BUCHANAN, High Secretary-Treasurer, Catholic Order of Foresters.
And your 2010-2011 American Fraternal Alliance Chair of the Board is MARK D. THEISEN, Executive
Vice President, Fraternal, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society.
Let’s give them a round of applause. (Applause.)
I ask that the elected officials please turn around and face me.
Officers and directors-elect:
The members of the American Fraternal Alliance have elected you to assume the responsibilities of
leadership and direction for the coming years. By this decision, the members of the Congress have
delegated to you the very important task of carrying out the objectives of the Alliance, as set forth in its
Constitution. This is a very important assignment and not one to be taken lightly. I would emphasize to
each of you that you no longer will be representing only one society, but will represent all member
societies comprising the Alliance, which is representative of the entire fraternal benefit system.
With the knowledge of this responsibility in mind, do each of you accept the office to which you have
been elected? If so, please answer “I do.” (Affirmative response)
Will you faithfully perform the requested duties to the best of your ability? If so, please answer “I will.”
(Affirmative response)
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Now by your affirmative answers and by the authority vested in me as the installing officer, I declare
you to be duly installed in the office to which you have been elected. I ask the new officers and
directors of the NFCA to turn and face the audience.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are your new officers and directors for the 2010-2011 term. Welcome
them and support them in their work on your behalf.
(Applause).
Mark, if you and Terry would come to the stage, please. Thank you.
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR TERRY RASMUSSEN: Thank you, Mark, and thanks to you all – membersociety
representatives, state fraternal congress officers, NFCA Headquarters Staff, everyone from
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and my husband, Jon. Thanks, Jon. You’ll get me back. I don’t know
if that’s a good thing or not. We’re actually empty nesters this year so it will be an interesting ride. It
has been my great pleasure and privilege to serve you and the entire fraternal benefit system. I can’t
tell you how proud I am to be a part of this system. It’s a wonderful system.
Mark, I now have something very special for you: an official NFCA gavel, engraved with your name and
term of office. Actually, when I was getting my hair done today, I was thinking that I should hide it in my
hair. My hair’s tall enough for it, I gotta tell you.
As you preside over your NFCA Board Meetings and you star tomorrow! This mighty gavel, may it
serve you well. I have served on the NFCA Board for a number of years and I have to say that this is a
great board. We have a tremendous amount of respect for one another. It’s not that we always agree
in the board room but we align like you would not believe. And I could not be prouder of this board.
And I know when Barbara gave me the gavel last year she said this is for when you have to keep the
peace. I am very proud to say that I have never actually had to take it out and bang anybody over the
head. (Laughter) But I give this to Mark with the same message—to keep the peace-- and may I hope
that you never have to use it – for that purpose. Because we are a great board. We have so much
respect for one another. Mark, I know how much you deserve this great honor. It’s been such a
privilege to serve with Mark on the Board and I am so pleased that he is ascending to this title and I
know with full confidence that he will serve this organization very well. You are in very good hands
under his leadership. And so with that I say “congratulations” and God speed and give you a hug.
CHAIR MARK. THEISEN: Thank you very much. Now, don’t go yet. Terry has been a true leader
and has led us through some very difficult challenges on behalf of all fraternals over the last
year, during her term.
To honor and thank Terry for her leadership, we are honored to present her with a gift, that expresses
our gratitude for her work and accomplishment as our chair of the board this past year. Terry, the gift is
actually on that table, if you would like to go and unveil it.
We know, Terry, that you are an avid reader and have plenty of law books in your office. We hope that
these book ends will help organize your favorite books, as well as serve as a reminder of the year that
you served as chair of the board, for all your hard work and your many contributions this year.
Terry, for all your hard work this year, we are pleased to present you with this gift.
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T. RASMUSSEN: Thank you so much, Mark. And now, I’m going to have to say something. I love
reading. What you don’t know is that my husband collect bookends So we have two sets of Abraham
Lincoln bookends in our house because he forgot that he bought one set in a flea market someplace.
And I am so very honored because I do love reading and this will fit in our house like you would not
believe. So thank you.
CHAIR MARK. THEISEN: I just want to thank you, Terry, and I certainly feel the same way about her
and the many contributions she has made.to the NFCA during her time serving both as Vice Chair and
as Chair of the Board. And thank you very much for the gavel, Terry. I will try to use it in the way you
intend and not bang anyone over the head with it.
I want to thank all of you delegates for supporting the slate of nominees that were presented this
morning. And I thank you for your faith and confidence in me.
I want you to know how I am honored to serve as chair of the board of American Fraternal Alliance.
And thanks to all of you who voted in favor of the name change. The fact that the vote was unanimous
added a fitting punctuation mark, an exclamation point, to the work of the Branding Task Force, of
many of our board members, and also certainly the hard work of Joe and our great staff. So thank you
very much. (Applause)
Serving as chair would not be possible without the support of Woodmen of the World’s President and
CEO Danny Cummins, my Board of Directors and my colleagues at Woodmen. I would like all of them
please stand as I thank them for their support. (Applause)
Just as I acknowledged and recognized all that has been achieved this past year under Terry’s
leadership—I thank you again, Terry—we all owe a a big thank you to Joe Annotti and our great
Fraternal Alliance staff for a successful year as well. Thank you. (Applause) And what a year it was.
2010 has been challenging for fraternals. We have been challenged by unsteady financial markets,
increased regulatory scrutiny, and states seeking additional sources of revenue. Under Terry and Joe’s
leadership, the fraternal system did not fall victim to these challenges; we anticipated them, addressed
them proactively, and accomplished significant public policy victories.
We faced serious threats to our tax exemption this past year—not at the federal level, but from the
states. The Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives introduced legislation for the second year
in a row to repeal the fraternal tax exemption. In the State of Washington, legislation to repeal the
fraternal tax exemption was introduced after a committee questioned whether our fraternal exemption
continued to fulfill public policy objectives. Our fraternal members reacted swiftly to these threats and
after successful campaigns coordinated by Joe and Elizabeth Snyder, both pieces of legislation were
defeated.
But that does not mean the threats are over. Our experience tells us that we must be vigilant and
always prepared for future challenges, especially given the tight budgets legislators face and will face
for the foreseeable future. In fact, we are tracking developments in 18 states – including several, like
Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, that have created special committees to determine
whether exempt organizations still fulfill the original public policy objectives that justified their exemption
in the first place. This “early warning system” that monitors legislative developments is one of the most
valuable services our Fraternal Alliance provides.
But it will take more than monitoring and reacting to be successful. We must be prepared to go on the
offense. And, realize that with these challenges comes opportunity—an opportunity to educate
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policymakers on the difference we make in the lives of our members and the quality of life in the
communities and neighborhoods where we live and work every day. Branding ourselves as the
American Fraternal Alliance is an important part of positioning our message to those at the state and
federal levels who don’t know much about us.
Capitalizing on this opportunity is the best way for us to preserve, protect, and enhance the fraternal
charter; and that will be the primary focus of my term as chair.
Another challenge we continue to face is the impact the financial crisis has had on our members. As a
result, regulators have been taking a closer look at all financial services institutions. As a system, we
had a choice: either ignore the solvency issues and react only when regulators begin asking questions,
or take the opportunity to work proactively with regulators to develop standards that benefit consumers
and fraternals alike. I am proud to report that your Fraternal Alliance and its member societies
successfully passed legislation in New York and Minnesota that establishes fair and reasonable capital
reporting standards for fraternals. These new regulatory requirements not only enhance the fraternal
system’s credibility and respect with regulators, they also help ensure that the millions who count on us
for their families’ financial security are better protected. And, we continue to work on solutions to this
issue with public policymakers in Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
A third challenge we face is perhaps our greatest: How do we as individual fraternals reinforce or reestablish
our relevance in the 21 st century—how do we position our respective common bonds to
resonate with current and future generations of potential members? For too many years, we have held
on to tradition at the expense of evolving and growing. Fraternal evolution doesn’t mean that we forget
our roots, but it does mean that we must be willing to change. Once again, we have an opportunity. An
opportunity to introduce new and future generations to the values we espouse; values that DO resonate
in the 21 st century.
Helping others and giving back is not a style or fad, but a way of life. Service is a critical element to
what we are about, and our youth and young adults value serving now more than ever. These young
people give through Kiva, a Website whose mission is to connect people through making small loans to
alleviate poverty; they support local food co-ops; and are savvy about what they do with their money,
not only out of necessity, but out of the desire to be more than a customer – they want to connect.
Sound familiar? That’s exactly what Peter Sheahan was talking about in his comments yesterday. And
discussing with us how to connect with the Millennial Generation. There are millions of “fraternalists” in
their 20s and 30s…they just don’t know it yet. It’s up to us to educate them.
As fraternals, we must come together to preserve our heritage while evolving to embrace new
generations, new ideas, and new strategies to further the fraternal charter. One of the outcomes of our
board’s latest strategic planning effort was an initiative to examine all aspects of fraternalism in the
context of our appeal to current and future generations of members. The fraternal system arose out of
necessity – people needed to protect themselves and their loved ones. It’s up to us to ensure that this
proud tradition evolves and adapts to meet the needs of future generations of members.
As your chair I look forward to working with all of you to address the challenges we face and seize the
opportunities these challenges present. Thank you and God Bless! (Applause)
Tom Dreesen next entertains again with standup comedy, followed by dancing.
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the Closing Dinner. Thank you for attending the
NFCA’s 124 th Annual Meeting, and we’ll see you next year in Denver, Colorado! Good night!
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2009-2010 National Fraternal Congress of America Sections and
Committees
SECTION OFFICERS
Actuaries Section
President Blake Warneke, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance
Society
Vice President Renee Cassel, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Secretary–Treasurer Dean Stiller, Sons of NOrway
Immediate Past President Lyle Van Buer, Modern Woodmen of America
Communications Section
President Patrick S. Korten, Knights of Columbus
Vice President Irene Shimoda, The Independent Order of Foresters
Secretary–Treasurer Rita Toalson, Royal Neighbors of America
Immediate Past President Kathleen Moriarty, Catholic Aid Association
Director Wendy Krabach, Woman’s Life Insurance Society
Director Lori Howard, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance
Society
Fraternal Section
President Keri Rursch, FLMI, Modern Woodmen of America
Vice President Rudi Pakendorf, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Secretary–Treasurer Louise Champigny Boulanger, Catholic Financial Life
Immediate Past President Eivind J. Heiberg, Sons of Norway
Director Jacqueline Douglas, Teachers Life Insurance Society
Director Karen Lynne Orban, National Slovak Society of the USA
Human Resources Section
Acting President/VP Jan Goulart, CSA, Gleaner Life Insurance Society
Secretary–Treasurer Marty Mabe, Catholic Life Insurance
Investment Section
President Craig A. Van Dyke, CFA, Western Fraternal Life Association
Vice President Joseph Mickelson, The Catholic Aid Association
Secretary–Treasurer Jeff Bauman, Catholic Knights
Immediate Past President Benjamin Bailey, CFA, Mennonite Mutual Aid Association
Director Beth McDermott, Modern Woodmen of America
Director Shawn Bengston, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance
Society
Presidents Section
Acting President W. Kenny Massey, FICF, LLIF, CFFM, Modern Woodmen of America
Vice President Jackie Felling, Degree of Honor
Secretary–Treasurer William R. O’Toole, Catholic Financial Life
Immediate Past President David E. Huber, FLMI, Catholic Order of Foresters
Secretaries Section
President Stuart B. Buchanan, FLMI, Catholic Order of Foresters
Vice President Eryna Cvikula Korchynsky, Providence Assn. Of Ukrainian Catholics in America
Secretary–Treasurer John F. Anderson, Jr., Catholic Association of Foresters
Immediate Past President Linda M. Strom, National Slovak Society of the USA
Director Kenneth Arendt, First Catholic Slovak Union of the USA and Canada
Director Helen Gaydusek, CSA Fraternal Life
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Director Jane Tennant, Equitable Reserve Association
State Fraternal Congresses Section
President Sharon Warga, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Vice President Brian Vanicek, SPJST
Secretary/Treasurer Lee Vogel, Order of the Sons of Hermann in the State of Texas
Past President David G. Blazek, FIC, National Slovak Society of the USA
Director Maria Gaulin, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Director Lee Vogel, Order of the Sons of Hermann in the State of Texas
NFCA Committees
BOARD COMMITTEES
Executive
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Mark D. Theisen, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
James R. Stoker, Greater Beneficial Union of Pittsburgh
Joseph J. Annotti, NFCA
Audit
Joseph E. Gadbois, Chair, Catholic Financial Life
Melvin L. Rambo, Equitable Reserve Association
Darcy G. Callas, Modern Woodmen of America
Governance
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Chair, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Mark D. Theisen, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Barbara A. Cheaney, FIC, CSA, Catholic Life Insurance
Howard J. (Jim) Wolfe, Western Fraternal Life Association
Finance
James R. Stoker, Chair, Greater Beneficial Union of Pittsburgh
Stuart B. Buchanan, Catholic Order of Foresters
Emilio B. Moure, Knights of Columbus
Christopher H. Pinkerton, The Independent Order of Foresters
STANDING COMMITTEES
Law Committee
James M. Gleason, Chair, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Les Bohnert, Modern Woodmen of the World
Paul D’Emilio, Esq., Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum
Richard J. Kleven, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Cynthia Maleski, First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association of the USA
John A. Marella, Knights of Columbus
Leslie L. Megyeri, Hungarian Reformed Federation of America
Christopher T. Nowotarski, Catholic Order of Foresters
Bruce R. Peterson, Royal Neighbors of America
Katharine E. Rounthwaite, The Independent Order of Foresters
Peter Thrane, Leonard, Street and Deinard, P.S.
Steve Tokarski, Polish Women’s Alliance of America
AD HOC COMMITTEES/TASK FORCES
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Constitution Committee
JoAnn Abt, Chair, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Bruce Peterson, Royal Neighbors of America
Paul Johnston, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Credentials Committee
Janet Goulart, Chair, Gleaner Life Insurance Society
Marty Mabe, Catholic Life Insurance
John Dias, Luso-American Life Insurance Society
Steve Reindl, National Mutual Benefit
Fraternal Advisory Committee
Katharine E. Rounthwaite, Chair, The Independent Order of Foresters
Brian Casey, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Barbara A. Cheaney, FIC, CSA, Catholic Financial Life
Jackie Felling, Degree of Honor Protective Association
Steve Looten, Western Catholic Union
Cynthia A. Macon, Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum
John S. Manna, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Kathleen Moriarty, Catholic Aida Association
Stephen Van Speybroeck, Modern Woodmen of America
Fraternal Capital Adequacy Task Force
Mark D. Theisen, Chair, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Doug Bearrood, Thirivent Financial for Lutherans
Stuart B. Buchanan, Catholic Order of Foresters
Lynn Espeland, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
James M. Gleason, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
Richard J. Kleven, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Melvin L. Rambo, Equitable Reserve Association
Larry Schreiber, Modern Woodmen of America
Mark Schreier, Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
James R. Stoker, Greater Beneficial Union of Pittsburgh
Membership Benefits Committee
J. Michael Belz, Chair, Catholic Financial Life
Karl Anderson, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
W. Kenny Massey, Modern Woodmen of America
Michael F. McGovern, The Catholic Aid Association
Melvin L. Rambo, Equitable Reserve Association
Mark J. Rannow, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
James Rial, Catholic Holy Family Society
Dean Stiller, Sons of Norway
Cynthia A. Tidwell, Royal Neighbors of America
Richard W. Toth, William Penn Association
Craig A. Van Dyke, Western Fraternal Life Association
Michael J. Wade, Michael Wade Consulting, LLC
Risk Management
Bruce R. Peterson, Chair, Royal Neighbors of America
Karl Anderson, Knights of Columbus
W. Kenny Massey, Modern Woodmen of America
Michael McGovern, Catholic Aid Association
Melvin L. Rambo, Equitable Reserve Association
Mark J. Rannow, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
James Rial, Catholic Holy Family Society
65

Dean Stiller, Sons of Norway
Cynthia Tidwell, Royal Neighbors of America
Richard W. Toth, William Penn Association
Craig A. Van Dyke, Western Fraternal Life Association
66

CONSTITUTION
of
The NATIONAL FRATERNAL CONGRESS of AMERICA
CONTENTS
Article I Name and Location of Headquarters
Article II Vision and Mission of the NFCA
Article III Membership
Article IV Annual Conference and Meetings
Article V Fiscal Year
Article VI Representation
Article VII Quorum
Article VIII Dues
Article IX Board of Directors
Article X Officers
Article XI President and Chief Executive Officer
Article XII Liability and Indemnification
Article XIII Committees
Article XIV Sections
Article XV State Fraternal Congresses
Article XVI Rules of Order
Article XVII Amendments
ARTICLE I
Name and Location of Headquarters
This Association shall be known as the National Fraternal Congress of America, hereafter referred to as
NFCA. Its Headquarters shall be in the state of Illinois.
ARTICLE II
Vision and Mission of the NFCA
The NFCA’s mission is to provide advocacy, information and operational products and services that help
member societies make meaningful contributions to members, individuals, communities and society.
NFCA’s vision is to:
• Be the voice of fraternal benefit societies;
• Succeed in positively influencing regulation and legislation consistent with the interests of fraternal benefit
societies;
• Promote the powerful contributions that fraternal benefit societies make to improve the quality of life for
individuals and communities;
• Educate, establish performance standards, and provide guidance on best practices and governance to
member societies;
• Lead the evolution of the fraternal benefit system.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1. Any fraternal benefit society legally authorized to transact any forms of life, health or accident
insurance business in the United States that meets and agrees to follow the membership standards prescribed by
the NFCA may be admitted to membership as a member society at NFCA’s annual conference and meeting or a
special meeting of the NFCA or by a unanimous vote of those present at any meeting of the Board of Directors.
All applicants for membership shall complete and sign the forms of application provided by NFCA and submit the
application to the NFCA.
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Section 2. The Board of Directors may admit to associate membership individuals and organizations whose
missions and activities are aligned with the NFCA and member societies. Applicants must submit all required
forms and information and may be admitted by a majority vote of those present at any meeting of the Board of the
Directors. Associate members shall have such rights and benefits and shall be subject to such requirements as
determined by the Board of Directors, but shall have no vote in the affairs of the NFCA and shall not be eligible to
hold any office. Associate membership shall include the following classes:
(a) Affiliates comprised of individuals and organizations providing products or services to membersocieties.
(b) Foreign Societies, comprised of fraternal benefit societies legally authorized to transact life,
health or accident insurance business in jurisdictions other than the United States.
(c) Fraternal Friends, comprised of organizations operating under the lodge system that are domestic
fraternal societies described in section 501(c)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code or fraternal benefit
societies described in section 501(c)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code that are not authorized to transact
insurance business.
(d) Non-Profit Partners, comprised of organizations that regularly partner with member-societies to
achieve common charitable/ fraternal goals.
The Board of Directors may terminate any associate membership at any time by majority vote of those
present at any meeting of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV
Annual Conference and Special Meetings
A regular annual conference and meeting of the NFCA shall be held at such time and place as may be
selected by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall send via mail or electronic notice the time and
place of the regular annual conference and meeting to all member societies at least thirty (30) days prior to the
date of such annual conference and meeting.
A special meeting of the NFCA may be called by the Board of Directors and shall be called upon the
written request signed by the Presidents and Secretaries of the majority of the member societies. Notice of such
special meeting shall state the purpose and objects thereof and shall be sent via mail or electronic notice to all
member societies at least thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed for such meeting. Only subjects specified in the
call may be acted upon at the special meeting.
ARTICLE V
Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the NFCA shall run concurrently with the calendar year.
ARTICLE VI
Representation
In all matters before the NFCA at its annual conference and meeting, the voting by member societies and
State Fraternal Congresses shall be as follows:
Section 1. Each member society may designate not more than nine (9) individual members in attendance at
the annual conference and meeting to represent the member society as official delegates. When registered and
accepted by the Credentials Committee of the NFCA, such delegates shall be entitled to one (1) vote each if in
attendance and present at the time of the vote, provided:
(a) No person shall be a delegate for more than one (1) member society, and
(b) Each member society shall designate one (1) of its official delegates to represent the society for
the purpose of determining a voting quorum and may change this designated representative as
necessary during the annual conference and meeting with the consent of the Credentials Committee.
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Section 2. Upon request of delegates from five (5) or more member societies, a roll call shall be ordered. In
the event of a roll call vote, each member society shall be entitled to additional votes determined on a
representative basis as follows:
(a) One (1) vote for each 50,000 (or major fraction thereof) adult benefit certificates in force as of
December 31st last past; provided, however, that each member society shall be entitled to at least one
(1) vote on a representative basis.
(b) The President of each society or other delegate designated by the member society shall be
empowered to cast all votes determined on a representative basis under this section.
Section 3. In all matters before the NFCA, the official delegate of each State Fraternal Congress shall be
entitled to one (1) vote, if registered and present, and if such delegate does not have a vote by virtue of having
been designated an official delegate under the provisions of Section (1) hereof.
Section 4. In all matters before the NFCA, all votes cast shall be by voice, except that at any regular or
special meeting, if a majority of members so requests, any question may be voted upon by the use of ballots.
Immediately prior to the commencement of voting by ballot, the Chair of the Board shall appoint a
committee of three (3) who shall act as “Inspectors of Election” and who shall, at the conclusion of such balloting
certify, in writing, to the Chair of the Board the results. The certified copy shall be physically affixed to the minutes
of that meeting. No inspector of election shall be a candidate for office or shall be personally interested in the
question being voted upon.
ARTICLE VII
Quorum
Whenever there are sufficient designated representatives present pursuant to Article VI, Section (1)(b) to
vote twenty-five percent (25%) of the total voting strength of the NFCA, a quorum shall be constituted. For the
purpose of determining a quorum under this Article, the "total voting strength" of the NFCA shall be established by
assigning one (1) vote to each current member society.
A majority of the members of the Board of Directors or of any other committee shall constitute a quorum
of such committee.
ARTICLE VIII
Dues
The annual dues for each member society and each associate member shall be determined by the Board
of Directors. Dues for member societies shall be determined following adoption of the annual budget by the
Board of Directors at a meeting held prior to the first day of each fiscal year, by prorating among the membersocieties
the amount of the unfunded portion of the annual budget for the ensuing fiscal year.
Section 1. Each member society shall be assessed dues for the ensuing fiscal year based upon factors
approved by the Board of Directors, included but not limited to admitted assets, surplus and/or revenues as
shown in each member society’s NAIC Annual Statement filed in the calendar year immediately preceding the
beginning of the ensuing fiscal year, excluding all amounts of non-U.S. or taxable U.S. business of the society, in
order to achieve fair and equitable dues among the member societies.
Section 2. Annual dues for the Congress shall be due and payable January 1 of each year. If the annual
dues of the member society are not paid on or before March 31 of the year in which due, the member society
shall automatically be suspended. The Board of Directors may, upon petition of a member society suspended for
non-payment of dues, reinstate said member society on such conditions and terms as the Board of Directors shall
determine.
Section 3. The first dues of a newly admitted member society shall be prorated to the
January 1 next following the date of admission, but shall not be less than one-half (1/2) of the annual dues which
would have been paid the preceding January 1 if the newly admitted member society had been a member of the
NFCA at that time.
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ARTICLE IX
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the NFCA shall consist of not more than twelve (12) members. The NFCA shall
elect six (6) Directors who, together with the elected officers of the NFCA, Immediate Past Board Chair and
Appointed Directors shall constitute the Board of Directors and govern affairs of the NFCA between annual
conferences or meetings.
Section 1. At each annual conference and meeting of the NFCA two (2) Elected Directors shall be elected to
serve for a term of three (3) years to succeed the Elected Directors whose terms then expire. Each Elected
Director shall hold office until a successor shall be elected.
Section 2. There shall also be included in the voting membership of the Board such number of Appointed
Directors as designated by each of the three (3) highest dues paying member societies in accordance with this
Section 2 as of January 1 each year. Each of the three (3) highest dues paying member societies under Article
VIII of this Constitution shall annually be given the option of naming one (1) Appointed Director to the Board. On
or before August 1 of each year, the three (3) highest dues paying member societies that choose to name an
Appointed Director to the Board shall notify the NFCA CEO of the name of their representative. Each of the three
(3) highest dues paying member societies shall only be entitled to one (1) representative on the Board of
Directors in any given year. Appointed Directors shall serve a term of one (1) year. If any highest dues paying
member society entitled to designate an Appointed Director under this Section 2 is precluded from designating,
declines or otherwise fails to designate a representative, the NFCA shall elect a Director to fill the position of
Appointed Director for a term of one (1) year.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall have the following powers and duties:
(a) To appoint an independent certified public accountant to audit the financial statements of the
Congress each year.
(b) To fill all vacancies in office.
(c) To remove any Director or officer from office, for cause, by two-thirds (2/3) vote of all members of
the Board.
(d) To determine dues for each member based on the provisions of Article VIII.
(e) To approve and implement recommendations of the Membership Committee concerning
membership standards for the admission of member societies to the NFCA and continuing
eligibility for membership.
(f) To suspend from membership, by two-thirds (2/3) vote of all members of the Board, any membersociety
that does not comply with the membership standards established as herein provided or
otherwise violates the terms and requirements of this Constitution or direction of the Board of
Directors.
(g) To require reports from each member society on any subject or subjects it may deem necessary
for the good of the NFCA and the fraternal benefit system.
(h) To have charge of the funds of the NFCA in the interim between annual conferences and
meetings of the NFCA and to pass upon all expenditures.
(i) To fix the compensation, and determine the benefits and conditions of employment of the CEO of
the NFCA.
Section 4. No expense in behalf of the NFCA shall be incurred by anyone unless authorized by the Board of
Directors. An appeal shall lie to the body of the NFCA from any action of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X
Officers
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The officers of the NFCA shall be a Chair of the Board, a Vice-Chair of the Board, a Secretary-Treasurer
and an Immediate Past Board Chair. The Chair of the Board, Vice-Chair of the Board, and Immediate Past Chair
shall serve a term of one (1) year or until a successor is elected. The Secretary-Treasurer will be appointed to
serve a term of one (1) year or until a successor is appointed. Election of officers shall be the final order of
business of the closing business session of the annual meeting held during the annual conference of the NFCA.
Section 1. The Chair of the Board shall serve as Chair of both the annual conference and meeting and the
Board of Directors; shall serve as a member, ex-officio with right to vote, on all committees and subcommittees
except the Nominating Committee and the Audit Committee; and shall make all required appointments of
members and chairpersons of all committees of the NFCA. At the annual conference and meeting of the NFCA
and at such other times as shall seem proper, the Chair of the Board shall communicate to the member societies
such matters and suggestions as may be deemed necessary to promote the welfare and increase the usefulness
of the NFCA. The Chair of the Board also shall perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the Office
of Chair of the Board or as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. The Vice-Chair of the Board, if otherwise eligible, shall succeed to the Chair of the Board. The
duties of the Vice-Chair of the Board shall be as delegated by the Board of Directors. In the event of the inability
of the Chair of the Board to serve, the Vice-Chair of the Board shall perform the duties of the Chair of the Board.
Section 3. Upon the succession or election of a successor to the Chair of the Board, the outgoing Chair of
the Board shall automatically become the Immediate Past Board Chair. The Immediate Past Board Chair shall
perform such duties as may be prescribed by the Chair of the Board or Board of Directors. In the event of the
death or inability to serve of the Chair of the Board and Vice-Chair of the Board, the Immediate Past Board Chair
shall assume the duties of the Chair of the Board until the next annual conference and meeting.
Section 4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee, shall establish proper accounting
procedures for the handling of the NFCA’s funds and shall report on the financial condition of the Congress at all
meetings of the Board of Directors and at other times when called upon by the Chair of the Board. The Secretary-
Treasurer shall be appointed by the Chair of the Board from among the members of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XI
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Board of Directors shall employ an executive officer that shall have the title of President and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), whose term and conditions of employment shall be specified by the Board. The CEO
shall be chief executive officer of the NFCA who, subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors,
shall be responsible for the conduct of the business of the NFCA. The CEO may employ such other professional
and clerical personnel as may be required. The CEO shall meet with the Board but shall not have the right to vote,
and shall assume such duties as are delegated by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XII
Liability and Indemnification
Section 1. No director or officer of the NFCA serving without compensation, other than reimbursement for
actual expenses shall be personally liable for damages by reason of exercise
of judgment or discretion in connection with the duties or responsibilities of such director or officer, except as
otherwise set forth in the Illinois General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986, or as it may be amended. Any
amendment or repeal of this paragraph shall not adversely affect any right of a director or officer hereunder with
respect to any matter occurring prior thereto.
Section 2. The NFCA shall indemnify its directors, officers and employees to the extent permitted by the
Illinois General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986, or as it may be amended, and may purchase and maintain
liability insurance on behalf of any such person as permitted by that Act. Any amendment or repeal of this
paragraph shall not adversely affect any right of, or protection provided for, any such person for any act occurring
prior thereto.
71

ARTICLE XIII
Committees
Section 1. Board Committees.
(a) Executive Committee. An Executive Committee of the Board of Directors consisting of the Chair,
Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer, with the CEO serving as an ex-officio member, shall, on
behalf of the Board of Directors, be responsible for addressing Board issues between Board
meetings and shall advise the full Board of Directors in a timely way of any decisions or
expenditures made.
(b) The following committees of not less than three (3) members of the Board of Directors shall be
appointed by the Chair of the Board immediately following the annual conference and meeting of
the NFCA to help carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors:
(i) Audit Committee. An Audit Committee shall receive the annual audit report and submit
it and any recommendations of the auditor or the Committee to the Board of Directors.
(ii) Governance Committee. A Governance Committee, chaired by the Chair of the Board,
shall
a. establish and implement corporate governance policies, principles and
practices that help to define the role, structure and operation of the Board of
Directors and set forth standards to ensure that the Board of Directors
functions in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
b. submit its recommendations concerning such matters, at least annually, to
the full Board of Directors.
c. be responsible for oversight of operations of the NFCA Headquarters Office.
d. recruit qualified candidates and otherwise invite suggestions from the
membership for those offices and directorships that are vacant or about to
expire, allowing at least sixty (60) days before the annual conference and
meeting for suggestions from the membership.
e. present its report containing recommendations for officers and directors at
the opening NFCA business session. After the report of the Governance
Committee has been received, further nominations may be made from the
floor.
(iii) Finance Committee. A Finance Committee, chaired by the Secretary-Treasurer, shall
review the assets and holdings, including the investment portfolio, of the NFCA and make
policy recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning the management of such
holdings and the investment of the funds of the NFCA and shall annually consult with the
CEO and recommend membership dues and a budget for the ensuing fiscal year to the
Board of Directors.
(c) The Chair of the Board, with approval of the Board of Directors, shall appoint such additional ad
hoc Committees as may be necessary or desirable.
Section 2. Member Committees. Committees shall submit a report to the Congress at the annual
conference and meeting, as specified by the Board of Directors. All Committees shall report to the Board of
Directors and shall be composed of between six (6) and nine (9) members, in addition to a chair and an optional
Board Liaison, who shall be a nonvoting, ex-officio member. The Chair of the Board shall appoint all Committee
members for staggered terms of no longer than three (3) years. The chair of a Committee is appointed by the
Chair of the Board to serve a one (1)-year term as chair and may be re-appointed at the discretion of the Chair of
the Board. Committee chairs may create one or more subcommittees to fulfill a Committee’s annual charges, as
provided by the Chair of the Board. Upon creation of one or more subcommittees, the Committee chair shall
promptly advise the Chair of the Board. The Committees of the Congress shall be:
(a) Law Committee. The Law Committee shall be responsible for identifying, analyzing and making
recommendations on appropriate action to the Board of Directors on judicial, legislative,
regulatory and policy initiatives at the state and federal levels that affect the fraternal benefit
system. The Law Committee shall have such other powers and duties as delegated to it by the
Chair of the Board or the Board of Directors.
(b) The Chair of the Board, with approval of the Board of Directors, shall appoint such additional ad
hoc Committees as may be necessary or desirable.
72

ARTICLE XIV
Sections
The Board of Directors of the Congress may designate any number of Sections to focus on specific
disciplines or areas of activity common to member societies. The Board of Directors of the NFCA shall
adopt guidelines regarding the operational authority granted to, or otherwise withheld from, the Sections.
Each designated Section may adopt bylaws for its own governing and may amend the same from time to
time. Such bylaws and amendments shall not become operative until approved by the Board of Directors
of the NFCA. A Section may hold a meeting during the period of the annual conference of the NFCA,
subject to the advance approval of the Chair of the Board or the Board of Directors. The time of any such
meeting shall not conflict with the time of the annual meeting or main platform sessions of the NFCA.
ARTICLE XV
State Fraternal Congresses
State Fraternal Congresses composed of representatives appointed by various fraternal benefit
societies doing business in each state shall be organized and conducted under rules and regulations
adopted by the Board of Directors of the NFCA. The Board of Directors shall adopt guidelines regarding
the authority granted to, or otherwise withheld from, the State Fraternal Congresses. The basis of
representation to any meeting of the State Fraternal Congress of each member society of the State
Fraternal Congress shall be fixed by the State Fraternal Congress. The annual dues charged by each
State Fraternal Congress shall be fixed by its governing body, provided the amount of such dues does not
exceed a maximum amount established by the NFCA Board of Directors. Each State Fraternal Congress
shall file a copy of the minutes of its convention and report its activities to the NFCA headquarters,
together with a list of its officers and their addresses.
ARTICLE XVI
Rules of Order
The Board of Directors shall adopt formally recognized parliamentary rules to guide all parliamentary
proceedings of the NFCA.
ARTICLE XVII
Amendments
The Constitution may be amended at any annual meeting of the NFCA by two-thirds (2/3) of the
votes cast on the question of such amendment. However, notice of the proposed amendment shall be
read in an open business session of the NFCA at least one (1) day before a vote is taken thereon.
As amended September 27, 1997, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
As amended September 19, 1998, Atlanta, Georgia
As amended September 18, 1999, Arlington, Virginia
As amended September 30, 2000, Chicago, Illinois
As amended September 22, 2001, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
As amended September 28, 2002, Indian Wells, California
As amended September 27, 2003, Washington, D.C.
As amended September 26, 2004, Saint Louis, Missouri
As amended September 10, 2005, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
As amended September 6, 2008, Washington DC
As amended September 19, 2009, San Antonio, Texas
73
* * *

PAST MEETINGS of the ASSOCIATED FRATERNITIES of AMERICA
City State Meeting Location Dates Meeting
Chicago Illinois Great Northern Hotel March 21, 1901 First Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Grand Pacific Hotel Sept. 10-11, 1902 Second Annual Meeting
Montreal Quebec St. Lawrence Hall August 4-6, 1903 Third Annual Meeting
St. Louis Missouri Temple of Fraternity, World’s Fair Sept. 20-24, 1904 Fourth Annual Meeting
Milwaukee Wisconsin Hotel Pfister August 29-31, 1905 Fifth Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Elk’s Temple August 21-23, 1906 Sixth Annual Meeting
Buffalo New York Genesee Hotel August 20-23, 1907 Seventh Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Palmer House August 24-27, 1908 Eighth Annual Meeting
Omaha Nebraska Hotel Rome Sept. 20-23, 1909 Ninth Annual Meeting
Atlantic City New Jersey Rudolf Hotel August 22-25, 1910 Tenth Annual Meeting
Niagara Falls New York International Hotel August 21-24, 1911 Eleventh Annual Meeting
St. Paul Minnesota St. Paul Hotel August 19-22, 1912 Twelfth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Sherman August 18-21, 1913 Thirteenth Annual Meeting
PAST MEETINGS of the NATIONAL FRATERNAL CONGRESS
City State Meeting Location Dates Meeting
Washington D.C. Riggs House November 16, 1886 Organizational Meeting
Philadelphia Pennsylvania O.U.F. Hall November 15, 1887 First Annual Meeting
New York New York Murray Hill Hotel Nov. 20-21, 1888 Second Annual Meeting
Boston Massachusetts Hotel Vendome Nov. 12-13, 1889 Third Annual Meeting
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Monongahela House Nov. 11-13, 1890 Fourth Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. Willard’s Hotel Nov. 10-12, 1891 Fifth Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. Willard’s Hotel Nov. 15-17, 1892 Sixth Annual Meeting
Cincinnati Ohio College Hall Nov. 15-18, 1893 Seventh Annual Meeting
Buffalo New York Music Hall Nov. 20-22, 1894 Eighth Annual Meeting
Toronto Ontario St. George’s Hall Nov. 19-21, 1895 Ninth Annual Meeting
Louisville Kentucky Music Hall Nov. 17-19, 1896 Tenth Annual Meeting
Port Huron Michigan Auditorium October 19-21, 1895 Eleventh Annual Meeting
Baltimore Maryland Heptasoph’s Hall Nov. 15-18, 1898 Twelfth Annual Meeting
74

Chicago Illinois Auditorium Hotel August 22-25, 1899 Thirteenth Annual Meeting
Boston Massachusetts Vendome Hotel August 28-31, 1900 Fourteenth Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Hotel Cadillac August 27-30, 1901 Fifteenth Annual Meeting
Denver Colorado Brown Palace Hotel August 26-28, 1902 Sixteenth Annual Meeting
Milwaukee Wisconsin Masonic Temple Building August 26-28, 1903 Seventeenth Annual Meeting
St. Louis Missouri Temple of Fraternity, World’s
Fair
September 27-30, 1904 Eighteenth Annual Meeting
Mackinac Island Michigan Grand Hotel August 23-25, 1905 Nineteenth Annual Meeting
Montreal Quebec Karn Hall August 15-17, 1906 Twentieth Annual Meeting
Buffalo New York Conley Hall August 21-23, 1907 Twenty-first Annual Meeting
Put-In-Bay Ohio Hotel Victory August 17-20, 1908 Twenty-second Annual Meeting
Boston Massachusetts Hotel Somerset August 16-19, 1909 Twenty-third Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Hotel Pontchartrain August 15-19, 1910 Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting
Cambridge Springs Pennsylvania Hotel Vanadium July 24-26, 1911 Twenty-fifth Annual Meeting
Mackinac Island Michigan Grand Hotel August 28-29, 1912 Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Sherman August 19-21, 1913 Twenty-seventh Annual Mtg
PAST MEETINGS of the NATIONAL FRATERNAL CONGRESS of AMERICA
City State Meeting Location Dates Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Sherman August 21, 1913 Organization
Niagara Falls New York International Cataract Hotel August l8-20, 1914 First Annual Meeting
Minneapolis Minnesota West Hotel August 23-27, 1915 Second Annual Meeting
Cleveland Ohio Statler Hotel August 21-25, 1916 Third Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Sherman August 20-23, 1917 Fourth Annual Meeting
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Bellevue-Stratford Hotel August 26-29, 1918 Fifth Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Statler Hotel August 26-28, 1919 Sixth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Sherman August 24-26, 1920 Seventh Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Sherman Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 1921 Eighth Annual Meeting
Montreal Quebec Windsor Hotel August 29-31, 1922 Ninth Annual Meeting
French Lick Indiana French Lick Hotel August 28-30, 1923 Tenth Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. Raleigh Hotel August 26-29, 1924 Eleventh Annual Meeting
Duluth Minnesota Hotel Duluth August 11-13, 1925 Twelfth Annual Meeting
75

Buffalo New York Hotel Statler August 16-19, 1926 Thirteenth Annual Meeting
Boston Massachusetts Hotel Statler August 15-l8, 1927 Fourteenth Annual Meeting
Toronto Ontario Edward Hotel August 20-23, 1928 Fifteenth Annual Meeting
Rochester New York Hotel Seneca August 19-22, 1929 Sixteenth Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Book-Cadillac Hotel August l8-21, 1930 Seventeenth Annual Meeting
Montreal Quebec Mount Royal Hotel August 17-20, 1931 Eighteenth Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. The Mayflower August 8-11, 1932 Nineteenth Annual Meeting
Milwaukee Wisconsin Hotel Schroeder August 28-31, 1933 Twentieth Annual Meeting
Atlantic City New Jersey Hotel Ambassador August 20-23, 1934 Twenty-first Annual Meeting
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania William Penn Hotel August 26-29, 1935 Twenty-second Annual Meeting
New York New York Hotel Waldorf-Astoria August 24-27, 1936 Twenty-third Annual Meeting
Columbus Ohio Deshler-Wallick Hotel Aug. 30-Sept 2, 1937 Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting
Toronto Ontario Royal York Hotel August 22-25, 1938 Twenty-fifth Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Hotel Statler August 15-l8, 1939 Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting
Baltimore Maryland Hotel Lord Baltimore August 27-30, 1940 Twenty-seventh Annual Meeting
San Francisco California St. Francis Hotel Sept. 22-25, 1941 Twenty-eighth Annual Meeting
The National Fraternal Congress (NFC) was organized on November. 16, 1886. On Dec. 8, 1941, in New York City,
the NFCA Executive Committee decided to recognize 1886 as the official date of organization, rather than 1913,
the merger date of the NFC and the Associated Fraternities of America. The annual meetings were renumbered
accordingly from that date on
Chicago Illinois Morrison Hotel Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 1942 Fifty-sixth Annual Meeting
Cleveland Ohio Hotel Cleveland Sept. 28-30, 1943 Fifty-seventh Annual Meeting
St. Louis Missouri Hotel Jefferson Sept. 25-28, 1944 Fifty-eighth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Morrison Nov. 28-30, 1945 Fifty-ninth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Morrison October 22-24, 1946 Sixtieth Annual Meeting
Detroit Michigan Hotel Statler Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 1947 Sixty-first Annual Meeting
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Hotel William Penn Sept. 27-30, 1948 Sixty-second Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. Hotel Statler Sept. 26-29, 1949 Sixty-third Annual Meeting
New York New York Hotel Statler Sept. 25-28, 1950 Sixty-fourth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois Hotel Morrison Sept. 24-27, 1951 Sixty-fifth Annual Meeting
Boston Massachusetts Sheraton-Plaza Hotel Sept. 22-25, 1952 Sixth-sixth Annual Meeting
Dallas Texas Baker Hotel Sept. 14-17, 1953 Sixty-seventh Annual Meeting
Atlantic City New Jersey Haddon Hall Sept. 27-30, 1954 Sixty-eighth Annual Meeting
76

Toronto Ontario Royal York Hotel Sept. 26-28, 1955 Sixty-ninth Annual Meeting
Cleveland Ohio Hotel Statler Sept. 17-19, 1956 Seventieth Annual Meeting
Los Angeles California Hotel Statler Sept. 23-25, 1957 Seventy-first Annual Meeting
Miami Beach Florida Hotel Fontainebleau Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1958 Seventy-second Annual Meeting
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Sheraton Hotel Sept. 21-23, 1959 Seventy-third Annual Meeting
Montreal Canada The Queen Elizabeth Sept. 26-28, 1960 Seventy-fourth Annual Meeting
Cincinnati Ohio Netherland Hilton Hotel Sept. 25-27, 1961 Seventy-fifth Annual Meeting
New York New York Statler Hilton Hotel Sept. 24-26, 1962 Seventy-sixth Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois The Conrad Hilton Hotel Sept. 23-25, 1963 Seventy-seventh Annual Meeting
Seattle Washington Olympic Western Hotel Sept. 28-30, 1964 Seventy-eighth Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. The Statler Hilton Sept. 27-29, 1965 Seventy-ninth Annual Meeting
Minneapolis Minnesota The Radisson Hotel Sept. 26-28, 1966 Eightieth Annual Meeting
Hollywood Florida The Diplomat Hotel Sept. 24-27, 1967 Eighty-first Annual Meeting
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel Sept. 22-25, 1968 Eighty-second Annual Meeting
Boston Massachusetts The Statler Hilton Hotel Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 1969 Eighty-third Annual Meeting
Atlanta Georgia The Marriott Motor Hotel Sept. 27-30, 1970 Eighty-fourth Annual Meeting
Denver Colorado The Denver Hilton Hotel Sept. 26-29, 1971 Eighty-fifth Annual Meeting
Dallas Texas The Statler Hilton Hotel October 1-4, 1972 Eighty-sixth Annual Meeting
New Orleans Louisiana The Fairmont Hotel Sept. 23-26, 1973 Eighty-seventh Annual Meeting
Las Vegas Nevada The Las Vegas Hilton Sept. 22-25, 1974 Eighty-eighth Annual Meeting
Cincinnati Ohio The Netherland Hilton Sept. 21-24, 1975 Eighty-ninth Annual Meeting
Hollywood Florida The Diplomat Hotel Sept. 26-29, 1976 Ninetieth Annual Meeting
Minneapolis Minnesota Radisson Downtown Hilton Sept. 18-21, 1977 Ninety-first Annual Meeting
Toronto Ontario The Royal Oak Sept. 17-20, 1978 Ninety-second Annual Meeting
St. Louis Missouri Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 1979 Ninety-third Annual Meeting
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Hilton Sept. 21-24, 1980 Ninety-fourth Annual Meeting
San Diego California Town & Country Hotel Sept. 27-30, 1981 Ninety-fifth Annual Meeting
Hollywood Florida Diplomat Hotel Sept. 26-29, 1982 Ninety-sixth Annual Meeting
Denver Colorado Denver Hilton Hotel October 9-12, 1983 Ninety-seventh Annual Meeting
Hollywood Florida Diplomat Hotel Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 1984 Ninety-eighth Annual Meeting
Las Vegas Nevada Riviera Hotel Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 1985 Ninety-ninth Annual Meeting
Washington D.C. J.W. Marriott Hotel Sept. 25-27, 1986 One hundredth Annual Meeting
77

Chicago Illinois Chicago Hilton & Towers October 1-3, 1987 One hundred first Annual Mtg
New Orleans Louisiana Sheraton Hotel Sept. 22-24, 1988 One hundred second Annual Mtg
Scottsdale Arizona Hyatt Regency Sept. 21-23, 1989 One hundred third Annual Mtg
Portland Oregon Marriott Hotel October 4-6, 1990 One hundred fourth Annual Mtg
Washington D.C. Grand Hyatt October 3-5, 1991 One hundred fifth Annual Mtg
Nashville Tennessee Opryland Hotel Sept. 24-26, 1992 One hundred sixth Annual Mtg
San Antonio Texas Marriott at Rivercenter Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 1993 One hundred seventh Annual Mtg
Scottsdale Arizona Hyatt Regency September 7-10, 1994 One hundred eighth Annual Mtg
Washington D.C. Washington Hilton and Towers Sept. 20-23, 1995 One hundred ninth Annual Mtg
Nashville Tennessee Opryland Hotel Sept. 25-28, 1996 One hundred tenth Annual Mtg
Toronto Ontario Sheraton Centre Sept. 24-27, 1997 One hundred eleventh Annual Mtg.
Atlanta Georgia Atlanta Hilton and Towers Sept. 16-19, 1998 One hundred twelfth Annual Mtg
Arlington Virginia Hyatt Regency Crystal City Sept. 14-18, 1999 One hundred thirteenth Annual Mtg
Chicago Illinois Sheraton Chicago Hotel &
Towers
Lake Buena
Vista
Florida Hilton in the Walt Disney World
Resort
78
Sept. 27-30, 2000 One hundred fourteenth Annual Mtg
Sept. 19-22, 2001 One hundred fifteenth Annual Mtg
Indian Wells California Renaissance Esmeralda Resort &
Spa
Sept. 26-28, 2002 One hundred sixteenth Annual Mtg
Washington D.C. Hilton Washington & Towers Sept. 24-27, 2003 One hundred seventeenth Annual
Mtg
St. Louis Missouri Hyatt Regency Sept. 23-26, 2004 One hundred eighteenth Annual Mtg
Milwaukee Wisconsin Hilton Milwaukee City Center Sept. 8-10, 2005 One hundred nineteenth Annual Mtg
Scottsdale Arizona Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Sept. 7-9, 2006 One hundred twentieth Annual Mtg.
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania The Westin Convention Center Sept. 6-8, 2007 One hundred twenty-first Annual Mtg.
Washington D.C. Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill Sept. 4-6, 2008 One hundred twenty-second Annual Mtg.
San Antonio Texas Grand Hyatt San Antonio Sept. 17-19, 2009 One hundred twenty-third Annual
Mtg.

Past Presidents of the National Fraternal Congress
1886-1887 Leroy Andrus 1902-1903 J. A. Langfitt
1887-1889 John Haskell Butler 1903-1904 E. O. Wood
1889-1890 D. H. Shields, M.D. 1904-1905 F. A. Falkenburg
1890-1891 A. R. Savage 1905-1906 A. R. Talbot
1891-1892 Adam Warnock 1906-1907 D. D. Aitken
1892-1893 M. G. Jeffries 1907-1908 A. L. Hereford
1893-1894 N. S. Boynton 1908-1909 C. E. Piper
1894-1895 S. A. Will 1909-1910 Thomas H. Cannon
1895-1986 W. R. Spooner 1910-1911 John J. Hynes
1896-1897 J. G. Johnson 1911-1912 D. P. Markey
1897-1898 J. E. Shepard 1912-1913 J. D. Clark
1898-1899 D. E. Stevens �M. W. Sackett
1899-1900 Oronhyatekha, M.D. �C. A. Gower
1900-1901 Charles E. Bonnell �W. E. Futch
1901-1902 H. A. Warner, M.D. � Made life member with rank of Past President by vote of
Congress
Past Presidents of the Associated Fraternities of
America
1901-1903 C. H. Robinson 1908-1909 J. C. Root
1903-1904 Lee W. Squier 1909-1910 E. W. Donovan
1904-1905 W. R. Eidson 1910-1911 W. E. Davy
1905-1906 George R. McKay 1911-1912 A. R. Talbot
1907-1908 T. B. Hanley 1912-1913 W. A. Fraser
1908-1909 J. C. Root
The National Fraternal Congress and the Associated Fraternities of America merged August 21, 1913, to
form the National Fraternal Congress of America.
Past Chairs of the Board
of the National Fraternal Congress of America +
1913-1914 W. H. Powers
1914-1915 J. F. Taake
1915-1916 Geo. W. Miller
1916-1917 I. I. Boak
1917-1918 Dr. R. H. Gerard
1918-1919 A. C. McLean
1919-1920 Hill Montague
1920-1921 George P. Kirby
1921-1922 Henri Roy
1922-1923 Harry Wade
79

1923-1924 W. R. Shirley
1924-1925 Thos. F. McDonald
1925-1926 Bina M. West
1926-1927 John C. Snyder
1927-1928 Sidney H. Pipe
1928-1929 E. J. Dunn
1929-1930 Frances Buell Olson
1930-1931 Tom L. McCullough
1931-1932 George R. Allen
1932-1933 Mary E. LaRocca
1933-1934 Bradley C. Marks
1934-1935 John C. Karel
1935-1936 Peter F. Gilroy
1936-1937 S. H. Hadley
1937-1938 Dora Alexander Talley
1938-1939 C. L. Biggs
1939-1940 Frances D. Partridge
1940-1941 Alex O. Benz
1941-1942 Thomas R. Heaney
1942-1943 Norton J. Williams
1943-1944 Grace W. McCurdy
1944-1945 Farrar Newberry
1945-1946 Walter C. Below
1946-1947 Clara B. Bender
1947-1948 T. W. Midkiff
1948-1949 Jeanie Willard
1949-1950 Geo. C. Perrin
1950-1951 John P. Stock
1951-1952 Luke E. Hart
1952-1953 Ernest R. Deming, Sr.
1953-1954 Lendon A. Knight
1954-1955 Agnes E. Koob
1955-1956 George H. Crowns
1956-1957 Louis E. Probst
1957-1958 Howard M. Lundgren
1958-1959 W. Cable Jackson
1959-1960 R. George Ransford
1960-1961 Walter L. Rugland
1961-1962 Arthur J. Barrett, Jr.
1962-1963 Edna E. Dugan
1963-1964 Joseph H. Sudimack
1964-1965 Frank H. Lee
1965-1966 Louise Patrick Stepanek
1966-1967 Harold J. Lamboley
1967-1968 T. W. Cheney
1968-1969 Louis E. Caron
1969-1970 B. C. Hallum
1970-1971 Robert R. Bryant
80

1971-1972 Nick T. Newberry
1972-1973 K. T. Severud
1973-1974 Michael F. Ettel
*1974-1975 Henry F. Scheig
1975-1976 John H. Griffin, M.D.
1976-1977 William J. Wenger
*1977-1978 David L. Springob
1978-1979 George E. Owen
*1979-1980 Geraldine Towner
1980-1981 Arley R. Bjella
1981-1982 John A. Gorski
1982-1983 Edgar J. Martel
1983-1984 Virginia E. Farmer
*1984-1985 Peter Daly
*1985-1986 William B. Foster
1986-1987 Louis B. Engelke
*1987-1988 F. L. Spanier
*1988-1989 Edward A. Lindell
1989-1990 John G. Bookout
1990-1991 W. Patrick Donlin
*1991-1992 Jacqueline J. Sobania-Robison
*1992-1993 J. Michael Belz
*1993-1994 William R. Heerman
*1994-1995 William L. Eimers
*1995-1996 Thomas E. Sheehan
*1996-1997 James R. Opie
*1997-1998 Wayne Graham
*1998-1999 Vera A. Wilt
*1999-2000 David J. Larson
*2000-2001 Leroy Muehlstein
*2001-2002 John C. Andrzejewski, III
*2002-2003 Michael F. McGovern
*2003-2004 Frederick A. Ohlde
*2004-2005 Michael Stivoric
*2005-2006 Michael J. Wade
*2006-2007 Janice U. Whipple
*2007-2008 Katharine E. Rounthwaite, J.D.
*2008-2009 Barbara A. Cheaney
*Living Chairs of the Board
+ Known as “Past Presidents” until 2001, when officer structure was changed.
81

MEMBER SOCIETIES
American Fraternal Union, Ely, Minn.
American Mutual Life Association, Cleveland, Ohio
Association of the Sons of Poland, Carlstadt, N.J.
Baptist Life Association, Buffalo, N.Y.
The Catholic Aid Association, St. Paul, Minn.
Catholic Association of Foresters, Braintree, Mass.
Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas, Austin, Texas
Catholic Financial Life, Milwaukee, Wis.
Catholic Holy Family Society, Belleville/Joliet, Ill.
Catholic Ladies of Columbia, Columbus, Ohio
Catholic Life Insurance, San Antonio, Texas
Catholic Order of Foresters, Naperville, Ill.
Catholic Union of Texas (The KJT), La Grange, Texas
Croatian Fraternal Union of America, Pittsburgh, Pa.
CSA Fraternal Life, Oak Brook, Ill.
Degree of Honor Protective Association, Saint Paul, Minn.
Employes’ Mutual Benefit Association, Milwaukee, Wis.
Equitable Reserve Association, Neenah, Wis.
First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association of the USA, Beachwood, Ohio
First Catholic Slovak Union of the USA & Canada, Independence, Ohio
Gleaner Life Insurance Society, Adrian, Mich.
Grand Court Order of Calanthe, Houston, Texas
Greater Beneficial Union of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Greek Catholic Union of the USA, Beaver, Pa.
Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, Washington, DC
The Independent Order of Foresters, Toronto, ON, Canada
Knights of Columbus, New Haven, Conn.
Knights of Peter Claver, Inc. New Orleans, La.
KSKJ Life, American Slovenian Catholic Union, Joliet, Ill.
Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union, Wilkes Barre, Pa.
Loyal Christian Benefit Association, Erie, Pa.
Luso-American Life Insurance Society, Dublin, Calif.
Mennonite Mutual Aid Association, Goshen, Ind.
Modern Woodmen of America, Rock Island, Ill.
National Catholic Society of Foresters, Mount Prospect, Ill.
National Mutual Benefit, Madison, Wis.
National Slovak Society of the USA, McMurray, Pa.
North American Swiss Alliance, North Olmsted, Ohio
Order of the Sons of Hermann in the State of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
The Order of United Commercial Travelers of America, Columbus, Ohio
Police and Firemen’s Insurance Association, Carmel, Ind.
Polish Falcons of America, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America, Chicago, Ill.
Polish National Union of America, Scranton, Pa.
82

Polish Roman Catholic Union of America, Chicago, Ill.
Polish Women’s Alliance of America, Chicago, Ill.
Portuguese Fraternal Society of America, San Leandro, Cal.
Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics in America, Philadelphia, Pa.
Royal Neighbors of America, Rock Island, Ill.
Russian Brotherhood Organization of the USA, Philadelphia, Pa.
Serb National Federation, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Slovak Catholic Sokol, Passaic, N.J.
Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of the USA, East Orange, N.J.
Slovene National Benefit Society, Imperial, Pa.
Sons of Norway, Minneapolis, Minn.
SPJST, Temple, Texas
Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, Boston, Mass.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Minneapolis, Minn./Appleton, Wis.
The Travelers Protective Association of America, Saint Louis, Mo.
Ukrainian National Association, Inc., Parsippany, N.J.
United Transportation Union Insurance Association, Cleveland, Ohio
Western Catholic Union, Quincy, Ill.
Western Fraternal Life Association, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
William Penn Association, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Woman’s Life Insurance Society, Port Huron, Mich.
Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society, Omaha, Neb.
Workmen’s Benefit Fund of the USA, Farmingdale, N.Y.
WSA Fraternal Life, Westminster, Colo.
69 Member-Societies
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
AFFILIATES
AAM (Asset Allocation Management), Chicago, IL
Affinion Group, Inc., Norwalk, CT
Allen Bailey & Associates, Austin, TX
AQS Asset Management, LLC, Austin, TX
askAFS, Maple Grove, MN
CalSurance Associates, Orange, CA
Clinical Reference Laboratory, Lenexa, KS
Conning Asset Management Company, Hartford, CT
CPS Actuaries, Stamford, CT
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, New York, NY
Ed Carroll and Associates, Woodworth, LA
EXL LifePRO, Indianapolis, IN
Griffith, Ballard and Company, Cedar Rapids, IA
Guggenheim Life & Annuity Company, Schererville, IN
Heidorn Consulting, Inc., Schiller Park, IL
83

Heritage Labs International, LLC, Olathe, KS
Insurance Administrative Solutions "IAS", Orlando, FL
Inter-Company Marketing Group (ICMG), Ashburn, VA
IPI-AAM, Boerne, TX and Quincy, IL
Johnson Lambert & Co. LLP, Arlington Heights, IL
Leonard, Street and Deinard, P. A., Minneapolis, MN
Life Line Screening, Independence, OH
Marsh Affinity Group Services, Philadelphia, PA
Miller & Newberg, Inc., Overland Park, KS
Optimum Re Insurance Company, Dallas, TX
Parkway Advisors L.L.P., Abilene, TX
Prime Advisors, Inc., Windsor, CT
Problem Solving Enterprises, West Dundee, IL
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Madison, WI
RSM McGladrey/McGladrey & Pullen, Des Moines, IA
se 2 , Topeka, KS
StoneRiver Insurance Solutions, Carlsbad, CA
Strohm Ballweg, LLP, Madison, WI
Superior Mobile Medics, Inc
The Karis Group, Austin, TX
TruHearing, West Jordan, UT
Universal Conversion Technologies, L.P., Addison, TX
UTG, Inc., Springfield, IL
Wexford Partners, Inc., Land O Lakes, FL
Your Wellness Partners LLC, New York, NY
FRATERNAL FRIENDS
US Letter Carriers Mutual Benefit Association, Washington, DC
FOREIGN SOCIETIES
FaithLife Financial, Waterloo, ON
Sons of Scotland Benevolent Association, Toronto, ON
Teachers Life Insurance Society, Toronto, ON
NON PROFIT PARTNERS
Special Olympics Illinois, Normal, IL
45 Associate Members
84

STATE FRATENRAL CONGRESSES
Arizona Fraternal Congress
Arkansas Fraternal Congress
California Fraternal Congress
Chesapeake Fraternal Congress
Florida Fraternal Congress
Georgia Fraternal Congress
Illinois Fraternal Congress
Indiana Fraternal Congress
Iowa Fraternal Congress
Kansas Fraternal Congress
Kentucky Fraternal Congress
Louisiana Fraternal Congress
Michigan Fraternal Congress
Minnesota Fraternal Congress
Missouri Fraternal Congress
Nebraska Fraternal Congress
New England Fraternal Congress
New Jersey Fraternal Congress
New York Fraternal Congress
North Carolina Fraternal Congress
North Dakota Fraternal Congress
Ohio Fraternal Congress
Oregon Fraternal Congress
Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress
South Carolina Fraternal Congress
South Dakota Fraternal Congress
Tennessee Fraternal Congress
Texas Fraternal Congress
Virginia Fraternal Congress
Washington Fraternal Congress
West Virginia Fraternal Congress
Wisconsin Fraternal Congress
32 State Fraternal Congresses
85