James (Jim) T. Lindell is the president of a Wisconsin based provider of strategic and financial consulting and executive coaching. Jim has an extensive background in senior management including positions as CFO and corporate assistant controller. He has worked with a variety of industries including: manufacturing, health care, non-profit, distribution and food processing. Jim has been involved in more than 50 M&A projects. He is a CPA with experience at several local and regional accounting firms. He is a TEC Chairman (The Executive Committee), a member (and instructor) for the American Institute of CPA's, the Wisconsin Institute of CPAs and a member of Wisconsin Chapter of National Speaker Association. Jim a 11-time recipient of the AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award. Jim has received the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and is one of less than 10 CPAs to hold this credential.

Connie Jasper Woodroof began her career in the insurance industry in 1984 completing statutory filings for both Life and Property/Casualty companies. Ms. Woodroof spent nine years with the NAIC where she served in various capacities; reviewing of statements for quality, testing of RBC formulas and software during formula development, and assisting with the development and teaching of an industry educational series.

Connie completed 18 years as the NAIC Liaison for Fiserv/StoneRiver/Sapiens, where she helped both Sapiens and its clients keep abreast of events at the NAIC, responded to statutory reporting and accounting information requests and provided educational opportunities. Currently, Ms. Jasper Woodroof is serving as a statutory insurance industry consultant for FORVIS as well as offering consulting services to the insurance industry. Connie remains active on several industry interested parties groups working with NAIC issues.

Woodroof holds a FLMI, a B.S. in Accounting and a M.A. in General Psychology

Robin Anderson is the State Chief Economist and Division Administrator for the research and policy division at the Iowa Department of Revenue. In her role as Division Administrator, Robin oversees four policy directors, who lead and drive tax policy administration within the Department. She also oversees the Research team. The Research Bureau produces fiscal estimates, reviews and administers tax credits, and produces economic and tax forecasts for the Revenue Estimating Conference. In her role as State Chief Economist, Robin oversees revenue and economic forecasting provided to the Revenue Estimating conference. Robin also provides counsel on the Iowa, U.S., and global economy to the executive branch including the Governor’s office, meeting regularly with the Governor and providing briefings.

Robin worked at Principal Financial Group as a senior economist, reporting to the Chief Global Economist, from 2011 and 2020. Prior to that, she worked as an economist at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Robin has numerous speaking engagements in the U.S., from Deadwood, South Dakota to New York. In her role at Principal Financial Group, Robin did a variety of print interviews for news agencies including Bloomberg, CNBC, and the Wall Street Journal.

Doug Ommen was appointed by Governor Terry Branstad as Insurance Commissioner in January 2017, after serving as Interim Commissioner since December 2016. Ommen has a strong and varied public service background. Ommen’s dedication and desire to serve the public began in seeking justice for victims of fraud in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, where as an assistant attorney general and then as chief counsel, he led the fight to protect consumers over the course of three decades.

Ommen served as Deputy Insurance Commissioner at the Iowa Insurance Division from August 2013 to December 2016. Ommen also served in the Missouri Department of Insurance during 2005 – 2008, and as Missouri’s Insurance Director was instrumental for several key regulatory reforms.

Ommen obtained his law degree in 1985 from the Saint Louis University School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in both Iowa and Missouri. Ommen and his wife, Sharon, have two married children and four grandchildren.

Brandon Honnold is a director in KPMG’s accounting advisory services practice with over 11 years of relevant experience auditing and providing accounting advice to privately and publicly held companies in the financial services industry. Brandon leads accounting change projects for the adoption of new accounting standards and supports transactional accounting for corporate acquisitions and sales. Brandon’s experiences have provided technical knowledge in buy-side accounting, sell-side accounting, initial public offerings, stock compensation, financial instruments, LDTI, CECL, and other SEC/regulatory reporting matters.

Nicole Gunderson is the managing director of the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA), headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Nicole is responsible for the overall growth, development and success of the programs as well as ongoing support of all of the accelerator’s portfolio companies since its 2014 start.

Prior to joining GIA, Nicole’s career spanned finance, technology, startups and investing. She completed MBA coursework at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.B.A in finance from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippe College of Business.

Christopher D. Payne is Vice President and Head of Government Relations at the Principal Financial Group®, a retirement and global asset management leader. Having joined the Principal® in 2012, Mr. Payne is responsible for the execution of the company's comprehensive Government Relations function including direct engagement with lawmakers, regulators, and global policymakers.

Mr. Payne is a member of several insurance and financial services industry related technical and policy committees for organizations such as the American Council of Life Insurance (ACLI), American Bankers Association (ABA), Investment Company Institute (ICI), Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF).

Prior to joining the Principal®, Mr. Payne served as Vice President for External Affairs with Prudential Financial. As an 11-year member of the External Affairs team, Mr. Payne oversaw the company's advocacy before the House Financial Services, Energy and Commerce and the Veteran's Affairs committees. Mr. Payne joined Prudential Financial in 2000 as a member of the Prudential leadership development program, a rotational program designed to provide exposure to multiple business/product lines in an effort to challenge and enhance an employee's technical, business, and interpersonal skills.

On behalf of Principal®, Mr. Payne serves on the Board of Governors for Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. and is a member of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. He is also a member of the Board of Directors to the PrinPAC and National Association of Dental Plans PAC. Mr. Payne is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA where he received his B.A. in Government and Business Administration. He currently resides in Olney, MD with his wife and three daughters.

Beth Wood is executive vice president and chief marketing officer (CMO) with Principal Financial Group®. As CMO, Beth leads the Global Brand & Experience team, serving as the architects and stewards of the Principal brand. The team creates and amplifies the branded stories that invite customer curiosity and participation in our financial educational and planning narrative. Beth and her team are accountable for aligning the global organization around the customer; utilizing data insights, analytics and technology to deliver compelling customer experiences and measurable results to support business growth. In her role, Wood also serves as Chair of the company’s ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Task Force and Chair of the Principal Foundation. Wood joined Principal® in July 2019. Prior to Principal, Beth was vice president and chief marketing officer of the individual businesses for Guardian Life Insurance in New York City. Her responsibilities included leading digital marketing transformation across the life, disability, annuity, and wealth management businesses in support of the company’s general agency system, its 3,000 financial representatives and their respective clients. She held this role since 2016. Before that, she served as second vice president, life, and agency marketing at Guardian since 2010.

Beth has more than 30 years’ experience as a brand and marketing leader. She’s held numerous marketing leadership roles in the consumer-packaged goods, healthcare, and financial services industries, with companies such as Frito-Lay, Johnson & Johnson, and MassMutual.

Beth earned her BS in marketing communications from Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. She’s also earned her digital marketing certification from Cornell University and a data and digital transformation certificate from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Xavier Crepon is a partner, Global Insurance ESG Lead, with PwC in Chicago. He has 20+ years of experience advising large and complex insurance carriers across many functional areas including risk, reporting and sustainability. Xavier is a Certified Public Accountant in the U.S. and France with extensive experience in leading financial and non-financial audits of large/global public companies.

Xavier’s role consists mainly of supporting client service teams with leading expertise located throughout the PwC network, anticipating trends and needs from our clients and looking for relevant partnerships/collaboration with industry groups. He has significant experience with the development and assessment of sustainability/climate strategies, risk assessment and reporting processes gained in connection with various ESG engagements delivered to (re)insurers ranging from large/global organizations and regional leaders to smaller/specialized carriers.

Xavier also provides PMO and technical support to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting working group at the European CFO Forum giving him intimate knowledge of the challenges and opportunities that industry leaders in Europe are focused on.

Alexa Adrian is a Director for ESG Trust Solutions with PwC in Chicago. She has 12 years of experience in consulting, internal and external assurance services. Alexa serves as a financial services sector Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) specialist, helping clients in their ESG journey, from initial strategy and governance, to supporting processes, controls and ESG disclosures. She helps clients navigate evolving ESG trends and regulations, bringing industry knowledge as well as expertise in risk management, controls effectiveness, and external reporting.

In addition, Alexa has experience executing and managing various business process and IT audits, controls compliance assessment (including ICFR, SOX and MAR), enterprise and operational risk management, third party assurance services, and external audit support. Alexa’s experiences have been largely focused on the financial services sector, including a combination of insurers, asset managers, banks and professional services.

John O’Neill has nearly three decades of experience in federal government affairs and law practice. Prior to co-founding Harbinger Strategies, John served as Partner at various lobbying practices,including Capitol Counsel and Ogilvy Government Relations.On Capitol Hill, John served on both the Senate Republican Leadership staff under former Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) and the staff of the Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA). During his tenure with Senate Republican leadership, he was Policy Director and Counsel in the Office of the Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott. In the Whip Office, John assisted in the development and coordination of the Senate Leadership floor strategy with respect to all legislation considered by the United States Senate. John supported Senator Lott’s efforts as Senate Republican Whip by providing advice and counsel on policy matters and legislation before the Senate. He also worked closely with Senate Committee and Member offices in developing legislative and policy initiatives, as well as with senior White House officials and House Leadership offices.

Prior to his service in the Republican Whip Office, John served as Tax Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance under Chairman Charles Grassley. During his time at the Finance Committee, John played a central role in the enactment of several major pieces of tax legislation affecting corporate tax law, pension reform, international tax reform, energy tax policy, and the taxation of health care and other employee benefits.

Earlier in his career, John was in private law practice, including as a partner in the firm of Venable LLP. John is a frequent speaker and lecturer on public policy issues, and he has authored a number of articles in professional and scholarly publications. John received a B.A. from Skidmore College in 1994 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999.

A.J. Wojciak is a principal at PSW, where he leads the firm’s healthcare practice and advises clients on matters relating to tax and trade, financial services, insurance, retirement services, and energy. Prior to joining PSW, Wojciak was a partner at Capitol Hill Strategies.

Previously, Wojciak worked in-house for the BlueCross BlueShield Association, serving as the senior Democratic lobbyist. Before that he served as senior legislative aide to then-Congressman Earl Pomeroy from North Dakota. In that capacity Wojciak served as the Congressman’s principle advisor for health care and energy matters before the House Ways and Means Committee.

Early in his career, Wojciak worked as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton Administration. Performing a variety of duties for the Secretary, he finished his tenure at Interior as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary, managing various issues for the Department. A native to the Washington, DC area, Wojciak holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Villanova University and is also an alumnus of the George Washington University, where he earned a Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs.

Jason Bui is a Director in KPMG’s Accounting Advisory Services practice with over 12 years of relevant experience auditing and providing accounting advice to privately and publicly held companies in the financial services industry. Jason is a key member of KPMG’s Digital Assets practice and has assisted a number of native crypto companies and asset managers with technical accounting and financial reporting matters specifically related to the industry.

Carrie Mears is the Chief Investment Specialist for the Iowa Insurance Division. She joined the Division in 2018. Her responsibilities include setting Iowa Insurance Division policy, providing expertise on insurance company investment portfolios and hedging programs, and representing Iowa on related National Association of Insurance Commissioners working groups.

Prior to joining the Division, Carrie worked for Principal Global Investors and Ernst & Young. Her experiences spans investment management and accounting, including working with insurance company general accounts and mutual funds. Carrie holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and a BA and MS in Accountancy from the University of Illinois. She is a CFA charterholder since 2011.

Lou Raiola is a Strategic Advisor and the Practice Leader of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) for ethOs. He is also a recognized cause marketing pioneer and ESG thought leader who has consistently and passionately been at the forefront of social impact innovation since the mid 1980s.

As the ethOs Practice Leader of ESG, Lou is uniquely experienced to consult with clients to adopt ESG as a strategic imperative in both their organizational evolution towards mitigating risks and innovating solutions advocating ESG as good for business.

Lou and the ethOs team work to align each organization with its stakeholders and industry ESG priorities as well as adopt standards and frameworks as guiding forces of transformation. They also advise clients on the measurement, disclosures, and reporting aspects of ESG.

Lou is a visionary, having embraced and led the “Do Well By Doing Good” mantra beginning in the 1980s long before it became popular in recent years. Today, his vision is focused on the ESG impact on privately held, mid market companies that are about to face what he terms “The ESG Ripple Effect,” whereby public ESG reporting organizations will demand their value chain partners adopt organizational ESG alignment.

Prior to joining forces with ethOs, Lou spent more than 30 years championing causes that inspire social change through sports, entertainment, and pop culture, and he’s still the known go to resource when it comes to uniting stakeholder groups in collective efforts to drive positive social impact. He provides ESG advisory support within the Commercial Real Estate sector (with Nova Group, GBC), the commercial print sector (with The Vomela Companies), and across the sports and entertainment sector (with Green Sports Alliance).