MUTUAL OF OMAHA INSURANCE COMPANY - Key Persons


Brad Buechler

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President, Senior Health Solutions

Daniel P. Neary

Job Titles:
  • New Chairman of the Board
Daniel P. Neary is named president of Mutual of Omaha. Daniel P. Neary is named chairman and CEO. He is only the fifth chairman of the company.

Derek R. McClain

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Executive and Governance Committee
  • Chairman of Executive and Governance Committee
  • Chief Underwriting & Risk Officer With CBRE Real Estate Investments
Mr. McClain serves as Chief Underwriting & Risk Officer with CBRE Real Estate Investments. Prior to assuming that position in July 2022, he was an investor and a financial and management consultant. He began his career with the law firm of Vinson & Elkins LLP, where he practiced corporate finance and securities law from 1981 through 1997. In 1998, he joined Trammell Crow Company as its General Counsel after having served as the company's lead outside counsel in connection with its initial public offering in late 1997. In 2000, he was named Chief Financial Officer of Trammell Crow and served in that position until late 2006, when the company was sold to CBRE. Mr. McClain has significant experience providing legal counsel with respect to financings, merger and acquisition transactions, and general corporate matters, as well as extensive experience in financial leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer of a public company for over six years, in which he supervised accounting and audit functions and had primary responsibility for Trammell Crow's investor relations, information technology and human resources functions. He serves as Lead Independent Director of Mutual of Omaha's board and is chair of the Executive and Governance Committee of the board.

Dr. C.C. Criss - Chairman, Founder

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Founder
  • President of Mutual Benefit

Edward J. Bonach

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Audit Committee
  • Member of the Executive and Governance Committee
  • Member of Executive and Governance Committee
Mr. Bonach has over 40 years of experience in the financial services and insurance industries. He retired as the Chief Executive Officer of CNO Financial in 2017, a position he held since 2011. He joined CNO as Chief Financial Officer in 2007 and prior to that, was with National Life Group where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Before 2002, Mr. Bonach was with Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America for 23 years, where his positions included President of Special Markets and Chief Financial Officer. He has had a significant career in the insurance industry, is knowledgeable and experienced in the areas of actuarial, accounting, mergers & acquisitions, capital management, risk management, strategy, treasury, tax and facilities. Mr. Bonach holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst. He is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive and Governance Committee of the board.

Jack Weekly - CEO, Chairman

Job Titles:
  • CEO
  • Chairman
Jack Weekly is elected chairman and CEO, capping a career with the company that began with an entry-level data processing position in 1950.

James R. Boyle

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Audit Committee
  • Insurance Industry Leader
Mr. Boyle is an insurance industry leader who has served as President and CEO of both Foresters Financial and John Hancock. In his most recent role as President and CEO of Foresters Financial, he led the strategic repositioning of the company, rebranding a mid-sized fraternal insurer as a market-leading disruptor, rationalizing its product line to include innovative wellness focused benefits, expanding omni-channel distribution and enabling same-day transaction processing. Prior to leading Foresters Financial, Mr. Boyle was President and CEO of John Hancock, the U.S. subsidiary of Manulife Financial. Over his 20-year career at John Hancock, he led multiple businesses, culminating in the leadership of the U.S. business as Chairman, President and CEO. Mr. Boyle graduated with honors from Boston College, earning a bachelor's degree in Accounting. He also serves as a trustee of John Hancock Mutual Funds and is a senior advisor to Blackstone Insurance Services. He is a member of the Audit Committee of the board.

James T. Blackledge - CEO, Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Member of the Executive and Governance Committee
  • Member of Executive and Governance Committee
James Blackledge is appointed president of Mutual of Omaha. Mr. Blackledge is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mutual of Omaha. He joined the company as an actuary in 1989 and was elected president in November of 2014, with the board appointing him Chief Executive Officer in April 2015 and Chairman of the board in 2018. Prior to his election as President, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer/Chief Risk Officer, where he was responsible for technology applications and systems infrastructure as well as enterprise risk management. In addition, he has previously held leadership roles in Mutual of Omaha's individual and group business units. Mr. Blackledge has extensive leadership experience and a thorough understanding of Mutual's business, strategy and operations, including a strong background in actuarial, technology and cybersecurity matters. He is a member of the Executive and Governance Committee of the board.

Jason Coyle

Job Titles:
  • Chief Internal Auditor

Kimberly N. Ellison-Taylor

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Audit Committee
  • Member of the Talent Committee
  • Chief Executive Officer of KET Solutions
  • Member of Investment and Risk Committee
Since April 2021, Ms. Ellison-Taylor has served as Chief Executive Officer of KET Solutions, LLC. Prior to this, she served as Executive Director, Finance Thought Leadership, at Oracle Corp. She joined Oracle in 2004 and held several leadership positions including Global Strategy Leader; Global Accounting Strategy Director; and Executive Director and Global Leader for Health, Human and Labor Industry Solutions. Ms. Ellison-Taylor has held leadership roles at numerous organizations, including the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Motorola, KPMG and Maryland's Prince George's County government, where she served as Chief Information Technology Officer. She is member of the U.S. Bancorp and EverCommerce boards, AICPA's Assurance Services Executive Committee as well as Chair of the AICPA's National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. Ms. Ellison-Taylor brings expertise in information technology leadership, digital transformation, innovation, accounting and finance to the board. She is a member of the Audit and Talent Committees of the board.

Liz Mazzotta

Job Titles:
  • Chief Administrative Officer

Mabel L. Criss

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder of Mutual of Omaha, Dies on March 19
  • Vice President and General Manager of Mutual Benefit

Michael Lechtenberger - CIO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Information Officer

Nancy Crawford - Chief Legal Officer

Job Titles:
  • General Counsel

Niki Manby

Job Titles:
  • Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer

Paula R. Meyer

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Talent Committee
  • Member of the Investment and Risk Committee
  • Chairman of Investment and Risk Committee
Ms. Meyer has spent more than 38 years working in the financial services industry. Her career began at the Vanguard Group in 1982 and she retired in 2006 from Ameriprise Financial, Inc. where she was President of RiverSource Funds and Ameriprise Certificate Company. Since 2007, Ms. Meyer has served on the boards of directors of four companies in the financial services industry. She is a member and co-founder of the Minnesota chapter of Women Corporate Directors and is a NACD Board Leadership Fellow. In addition to her career in the mutual fund industry, Ms. Meyer has extensive knowledge of compensation packages, as well as investment, securities and banking experience. She is Chair of the Talent Committee and a member of the Investment and Risk Committee of the board.

Peter Gros

Job Titles:
  • Reporter

Richard Hrabchak - CFO, Chief Investment Officer

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Chief Investment Officer

Rodrigo López

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Investment and Risk Committee
  • Chairman of Investment and Risk Committee
Mr. López has over 40 years of experience in the financial services and real estate industries, most recently as Chairman of AmeriSphere Companies, LLC and, until 2017, as Executive Chairman of NorthMarq Capital Finance, LLC, a mortgage banking company dedicated to providing capital solutions for the multifamily industry. Mr. López was President and Chief Executive Officer of AmeriSphere, a company he founded in 1997, and which was acquired in 2015 by NorthMarq Capital, LLC. Prior to founding AmeriSphere, a company engaged in commercial real estate investment and development, he was Chief Lending Officer for a life insurance company. Mr. López has several years of experience serving as a director of several financial industry boards, as well as extensive leadership experience in investments and in the real estate and mortgage banking industries. He is Chair of the Investment and Risk Committee of the board.

Scott Ault

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President, Workplace Solutions

Stacy Scholtz

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President, Strategic Solutions and Departing Well

Tamara Franklin

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Investment and Risk Committee
  • Member of Investment and Risk Committee
Ms. Franklin has more than 25 years of experience leading digital businesses, with a focus on strategic planning, digital transformation, data analytics, business development and customer acquisition. She most recently served as Chief Digital, Data and Analytics Officer at global professional services firm Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. In addition to her role at Marsh & McClennan, Ms. Franklin has held senior leadership positions at IBM, Scripps Network Interactive (now Discovery, Inc.) and Time Warner, Inc. She is a member of the Investment and Risk committee of the board.

Tracy DeWald - Chief Risk Officer

Job Titles:
  • Chief Risk Officer

V.J. Skutt

V.J. Skutt is named chairman of the board and president of Mutual of Omaha. V.J. Skutt becomes chairman emeritus of Mutual of Omaha. Skutt leads Mutual of Omaha to diversify its offerings during a period of soaring health care costs and national legislation, which threatened the future of private health care. Former Chairman and CEO V.J. Skutt dies on Feb. 23. His career with the company spanned 69 years.

W. Gary Gates

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Talent Committee
  • Member of Investment and Risk Committee
Mr. Gates retired in 2015 as President and Chief Executive Officer of Omaha Public Power District, one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the United States. He served as Lead Independent Director of Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company's board from 2013 to 2022. Mr. Gates has extensive management experience with publicly owned organizations, as a director of community and national nonprofit organizations, as well as risk mitigation experience in the electric utilities industry. He is a member of the Talent Committee of the board.