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Employee Updates

Tim Ryder to become Head of Field Services

The Customer Innovation Group is hard at work creating a transformative Customer Experience for our buying and selling customers!

When it comes to our selling customers, one of the first experiences an agent has with National Life is in Field Services. It starts with the agent licensing and contracting process, and the journey continues as agents receive their compensation. With the recent departure of Caitlin Hull, who headed up our Field Services team, we had the opportunity to look for new leadership. It gives us great pleasure to announce that effective April 8th, Tim Ryder will become the Head of Field Services. Tim currently serves as the Head of Operations for ESI.  An announcement will follow shortly about Tim’s replacement in ESI.

Tim brings with him nearly 25 years of experience building and leading high performing teams, leading large projects and has a broad industry background in Operations, Trading, Service & Wealth Management Consulting. As the head of Operations for ESI (National Life’s broker dealer), Tim led the Trading, Client Service, Product Suitability, Account Maintenance & Commissions teams. Concurrently, he has served as Sentinel’s Head of Investment Operations since October in an effort to help reposition the team and core processes for the future. Tim says that service to others has always been a core value of his and we are confident he will bring the same level of leadership, passion and innovation to his new role.  Originally from St. Louis, Tim has spent time living in both Texas and Vermont, and will continue to be located in our Addison, Texas office. When he isn’t working, Tim can be found with his wife and 4 children spending time outdoors, often under the lights at a high school or college game if he’s not coaching a youth team himself.

Given the timing of Tim’s arrival and the planned retirements this summer of Greg Woodworth and Susan Jennings, this is the perfect time to contemplate a transition in the leadership of the Agency Customer Experience (ACE) initiative. ACE is heading into the final stages of field payroll transformation and is about to shift its attention to the commissions platform. We are incredibly thankful for Kerry Jung’s ACE project leadership, so it is both exciting and bittersweet that we announce her return to the Law team full time, effective May 1st.  Kerry and Tim will work to ensure a smooth transition of this important project.

Please join us in thanking Tim and Kerry for their accomplishments and focus on developing the people around them, and wishing them well as they make the next step in their careers.

– Vesta, Lance and Greg