Woodmen of the World Announces Board of Director and Executive Management Changes
Omaha, Neb. – Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society announces multiple leadership appointments continuing the company’s 123 years of financial strength and stability.
| Schreier |
| Mellor |
| Maher |
| Bengtson |
Mark Schreier, Executive Vice President, Finance/Treasurer will retire July 1, 2013. Schreier will remain on the Board of Directors in a Non-Executive Officer role, succeeding Steve Mellor who will retire from the Board effective July 1, 2013.
Schreier began his Woodmen of the World career in 1977 in the Actuarial Department. He was named Actuarial Assistant in 1981 and promoted to Assistant Actuary in 1985. Schreier was appointed an Assistant Vice President in 1988 and Associate Actuary in August 1990. In 1994, he was named Actuary. In 2000, he was appointed Vice President, Chief Actuary and Actuarial and Accounting Division Manager; in 2008, he was named Executive Vice President, Finance and Treasurer.
Schreier has been active in the American Fraternal Alliance (formerly the NFCA) Actuaries Section since the early 1980s, holding all officer chairs and finishing as President in 1989. He was named the recipient of the 16th annual Luther College Jacobson-Rugland Award at the 122nd annual conference of the National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA). He has been a member of the Nebraska Actuaries Club since the late 1970s and served as President from 2005 to 2006. Schreier is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Schreier’s many community service activities include Paint-A-Thon, JOIN HANDS DAY, Boy Scouts and coaching basketball and baseball for various organizations. Schreier and his wife, Diana, have two sons: John and wife, Samantha; and Michael.
Mellor retired from the position of Executive Vice President, Finance and Treasurer of Woodmen of the World in 2004 and continued to serve on the Board of Directors from 2004 to 2013. He previously served as President of WFS Holdings, Inc., and was a member of the Board of Directors of Woodmen Financial Services, Inc.
Mellor is a Certified Mortgage Banker and Chartered Financial Analyst. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Salvation Army, a Past President of the Investment Section of the American Fraternal Alliance (formerly the NFCA) and past chairman of the AFA Investment Management and Evaluation Committee. Mellor and his wife, Meriel attend Lifegate Church in Omaha, NE, and First Presbyterian Church in Gulf Shores, AL. They have a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Elizabeth Holliday, and five grandchildren.
Robert Maher has been elected Executive Vice President, Finance and Treasurer, effective July 1, 2013. Maher started his career with Woodmen of the World in 1981 in the Systems and Planning Department. In 1986, he moved to the Investment Division, where he worked as a Mortgage Loan and Real Estate Analyst and later, Portfolio Manager. In 1997, he began working in the Securities Department, and in 1999 he was appointed an Assistant Vice President. In 2001, Maher was named Investment Division Manager. In 2002, he was appointed Vice President, Investment. In addition, Maher is Chairman of the Board of Woodmen Financial Services, Inc.
Maher is a past Board Chairman of Junior Achievement, and is a member of the Great Plains Board of Realtors. He holds membership in the CFA Institute, the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, and St. Vincent de Paul.
Maher received a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1981 and added a second degree in Real Estate in 1989. He also holds the following professional designations: Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB), and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He is also a licensed Real Estate Broker and holds Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.
He and his wife, Christina, have two children, Luke and Madison.
Shawn Bengtson has been appointed to Vice President, Investment, effective July 1, 2013. In 2001, she began her career with Woodmen of the World as Securities Analyst. She was promoted to Portfolio Manager in 2002 and became Senior Portfolio Manager in 2007. In 2011, Bengston was promoted to Director, Securities.
Bengtson is active with the Fontenelle Nature Association (FNA) as well as with Junior Achievement of the Midlands, and is now serving as a member of the Junior Achievement Board. She also volunteers as treasurer of the Bellevue Chapter of Helping Hands for York College.
She is a member of the Chicago Quantitative Alliance, Financial Management Association, Eastern Finance Association, American Financial Association, American Statistical Association, and American Risk and Insurance Association. Bengtson also serves as Treasurer of the Bellevue Chapter of Helping Hands for York College, and is a reviewer of and contributor to the Journal of Environmental Investing.
Bengtson received her Associate of Science degree from York College in 1980 and attended Abilene Christian University in 1981. She went on to earn the following degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln – a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics (1982), a Master of Science in Actuarial Science (1990) and a doctorate in the Interdepartmental Area of Business, with focuses in corporate finance, investments and banking (1996). A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder since 2004, she earned her Chartered Insurance Operations Professional (CIOP) designation in 2009.
Woodmen of the World was founded in 1890 as a not-for-profit. We give back to our member-customers and the communities we live in. Today, Woodmen of the World offers insurance, annuities, mutual funds,* and 529 College Savings Plans.* More than 700,000 Woodmen of the World member-customers across the country share a commitment to family, community and country. To learn more about Woodmen of the World, visit woodmen.org.