Our People
The Academy of Life Underwriting (ALU) is staffed by 64 volunteers—62 professional underwriters, most with many years of experience, and two talented medical directors. All of them can serve because of support provided by the companies for whom they work. These volunteers produce the educational program specifically designed for the professional home office underwriter.
They develop and maintain current and appropriate courses of study for use in underwriting education. In addition, they prepare and administer the ALU exams which test students’ underwriting knowledge. In the area of continuing education, the committee members provide several webinars annually which provide training on underwriting topics and they also facilitate an annual underwriting forum which provides a venue for senior underwriting personnel to discuss topics of interest.
ALU Board of Directors
The 2021-2022 ALU Board of Directors:
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Chair
Jennifer Johnson, FALU, CLU, FLMI, FLHC
RGA Reinsurance Company
ALU Past President
Jodi McDonald, FALU, FLMI, ACS
Hannover Life Reinsurance Co. America
ALU President
Secretary
Susan Hutchison
PartnerRe
Representative of CIU
Treasurer
Tim Ranfranz
Northwestern Mutual
Representative of AHOU
Catie Muccigrosso, FALU, FLMI, ARA, ACS
RGA Reinsurance Company
Representative of OTR
Doreen Brynga, FALU
Voya
ALU Treasurer
Tanya Trachenko, MD, FALU
Wawanesa Life Insurance Company
ALU Secretary
Irina Butler
AMS
ALU Managing Director
Kevin Cunningham, FALU, FLMI, CLU, ChFC
Lincoln Financial Group
OTR Manager, Publishing and Circulation
ALU Executive Group
The 2021-2022 ALU Executive Group:
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ALU President
Jodi McDonald, FALU, FLMI, ACS
Hannover Life Reinsurance Co. America
ALU Past President
Jennifer Johnson, FALU, CLU, FLMI, FLHC
RGA Reinsurance Company
Secretary
Tanya Trachenko, MD, FALU
Wawanesa Life Insurance Company
Treasurer
Doreen Brynga, FALU
Voya
Meeting Planner
Ann Day, FALU, FLMI
Woodmen Life
Website Manager
Andrew Langemeier, FALU, FLMI
Assurity
Director of Curriculum
Norm Leblond, FALU
Sun Life Financial
Director of Exams
Michael R. Hill, FALU, FLMI
RGA Reinsurance Company
Director of Underwriting Development and Education Committee
Julia Wysong, FALU, FLMI
New York Life
Director of Marketing
Angie Reedy, FALU, FLMI
Country Financial
ALU Coordinators
The 2021-2022 ALU Coordinators are:
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| ALU 101 | ALU 201 |
| Sabrina Porter, FALU, FLMI, ACS | Debbie Dias, FALU, FLMI, ARA, BA |
| Swiss Re | Canada Life Reinsurance |
| ALU 202 | ALU 301 |
| Marcel Padilla, FALU, FLMI, FLHC, ACS, MBA | Sandy Jenum, FALU, CLU, HIA, RICP |
| iA Financial Group | Riversource Life Insurance Company |
| MRAP 2 | |
| Roberta Scott, FALU, FLMI, ACS | |
| Woodmen Life |
ALU Past Presidents
There have been 15 presidents of the Education Committee. The past ALU presidents are:
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- Art Taylor (1974)
- Ben Currier (1977)
- Bill Phillips (1980)
- Bob Hale (1983)
- Dale Johnson (1987)
- Joe Dahl (1990)
- Barb Lutz (1993)
- Gloria Flattum (1996)
- Roland Paradis (1999)
- Brian Pray (2002)
- Marty Meyer (2005)
- Lee Janecek (2008)
- Margaret Taff (2011)
- Frank Goetz (2014)
- Jennifer Johnson (2017)
In 2012, the Education Committee incorporated as a separate organization. Jodi McDonald (2020) is the current ALU President.