Barbara Turner to Take Over as Ohio National President

The board of Ohio National Financial Services has named Barbara Turner to succeed Chris Carlson as its president, effective Nov. 30.

Chris Carlson will be retiring for personal reasons after 25 years with the company, the company announced earlier this week.

Gary “Doc” Huffman, the Cincinnati-based company’s chairman and chief executive officer, will continue to be the chairman and CEO, the company said.

In September, Ohio National startled agents by announcing that it was withdrawing from the variable annuity market and ending its variable annuity broker compensation arrangements. Broker-dealers have taken the company to court over the compensation changes.

The company did not mention that move in the announcement of Carlson’s retirement.

Chris Carlson

Carlson said in a statement included in the announcement that retiring was a difficult personal decision.

“It in no way diminishes the confidence I have in Ohio National’s team, strategy and future,” Carlson said in the statement.

Carlson began working for the company in 1993 as an investment manager for mortgages and real estate. He has worked in many posts at Ohio National over the years. He became vice chairman for strategic businesses in 2014, and he became president and chief operating officer in August of this year, according to his LinkedIn entry.

Barbara Turner

Turner, who attended the University of Cincinnati, got her start in banking in the Cincinnati area.

Turner began working for Ohio National in 1997, as vice president, ONESCO operations, advanced to president and chief operating officer of ONESCO in 1999, and president and chief executive officer of ONESCO in 2013.

She was appointed senior vice president, annuities strategic business in January 2015, executive vice president and chief administrative officer in January 2016, and vice chairman and chief administrative officer in August of this year.

Turner has served as a FINRA district and nominating committee member, and as an arbitrator and arbitrator chairperson and FINRA disciplinary hearing panelist.

She will be the 2019 chair of the Go Red for Women campaign in Cincinnati for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.