David Woods Is Named CEO Of NAIFA

"We havent done a tremendous job of coordinating our activities to provide value to the producer," he explains. "I think under common leadership, we can do a lot better."

Woods takes the helm at NAIFA at a particularly difficult time for the association. Over the last few years, the membership level dropped to 75,000, down from a high of 145,000 in the mid-1980s. Additionally, revenues from NAIFAs member magazine were down, and budget cuts resulted in a reduction in NAIFA staff. NAIFAs "cash crunch" also led to a temporary increase in membership dues.

But Woods feels that his biggest challenge is restoring confidence in the association among its members, staff and the industry. "We need to make believers again out of all the constituencies–that NAIFA will be strong, viable and continue to play the essential role that it does in the industry," he says.

The other challenge Woods faces is the goal the organization has set for itself of rebuilding its membership to 100,000 by year-end 2005.

This is an aggressive goal, he admits, but the work to reach this goal has already begun. A special "Transformation Task Force" of handpicked NAIFA constituents was to have met last weekend.

Going into the meetings, Woods notes they will be "beginning a process of transforming NAIFA from something that was not working very well to something that will be responsive to the needs of its members."

"Were going to take an in-depth look at how we do things and how we can do them better," adds Koob.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Life & Health/Financial Services Edition, December 16, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.