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Insurance Industry Conference (WEBCAST ATTENDANCE)

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Live Virtual Conference

8.00 Credits

Member Price $300.00

Price will increase by $50 on 6/5

Non-Member Price $360.00

Price will increase by $50 on 6/5

Overview

 IGR

Discover fresh trends and top-notch practices shaping the insurance sector. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the field, this conference promises to arm you with valuable insights and expertise to level up your understanding of the insurance world.

Thank you to the ISCPA Insurance Industry Committee! We appreciate your time and commitment to developing a top-notch program for your peers. View the committee members.

Highlights

See the agenda tab above for the full conference agenda. Session descriptions will be added late Spring.

Designed For

CPAs and financial professionals working in or with the insurance industry.

Objectives

To provide the latest information on current issues affecting the insurance industry.

Notice

  • You may also attend this conference in person at The Meadows Events & Conference Center in Altoona. Register for in-person attendance HERE
  • Login information and eMaterials will be distributed to attendees via email 3-5 days prior to the conference and posted in the My Upcoming CPE section of the ISCPA website.

Wednesday, June 18

Optional Session

- Optional Bonus Session: Navigating Ethical Leadership - Strategies for Making the Right Call

Attend this session and receive one (1) additional hour of CPE credit (8 hours total).

Leadership comes with tough decisions, some of which test ethical boundaries. This session explores examples of ethical failures and the consequences they bring. Learn practical strategies for making sound, values-driven decisions while balancing competing interests. Walk away with a stronger ethical framework to lead with confidence and integrity.

Speaker: Boz Bostrom, CPA | College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

Session field of study: Behavioral Ethics (Nontechnical)

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Welcome comments

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Iowa Department of Insurance Update

Discover the latest advancements, regulatory shifts and essential insights crucial for navigating the evolving insurance landscape in the upcoming year.

Speaker: Kevin Clark, Iowa Department of Insurance

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Economic Update and Insurance Industry Outlook

Speaker: Michael Wolf, Deloitte

This session is available to registrants only.

Breakout Session

- NAIC Update

What’s new at the NAIC this year in statutory reporting and accounting? This session will cover key updates from the 2024 NAIC Spring National Meeting held in March, including highlights relevant to insurers and preparers. It will also provide an overview of the finalized risk-based capital formula reporting formats released in April, as well as the 2025 annual statement reporting format changes finalized in late May. Gain guidance to help companies navigate internal process adjustments in response to these changes.

Speaker: Connie Jasper Woodroof

Session field of study: Accounting (Technical)

This session is available to registrants only.

- Tax Update

Speakers: Brandy Shy, FORVIS and Mary Beth Zajicek, Deloitte

Session field of study: Taxes (Technical)

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Global Insurance Accelerator Partnerships and Trends

Speaker: Dan Israel, Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA)

Session field of study: Specialized Knowledge (Technical)

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Current Issues in Business Ethics 2025

Stay up to date on the latest business ethics issues impacting accounting and finance professionals. Explore key laws and regulations shaping the profession, analyze real-world ethical violations and their consequences, and gain practical strategies for navigating complex ethical challenges with confidence.

Speaker: Boz Bostrom, CPA | College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

Session field of study: Behvorial Ethics (Nontechnical)

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Artificial Intelligence and Finance Transformation

Speaker: David Fourie, KPMG

Session field of study: Information Technology (Technical)

This session is available to registrants only.

Breakout Session

- GAAP & SEC Update

Speaker: Andrew Pidgeon, Deloitte

Session field of study: Accounting (Technical)

This session is available to registrants only.

- Insurance Operation Trends and Hot Topics

Speaker: Joshua Schwartz, PwC

Session field of study: Specialed Knowledge (Technical)

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Stretch Break

This session is available to registrants only.

General Session

- Industry Leaders Hot Topic Panel

In this interactive panel discussion, we will explore some of the hottest topics shaping the insurance industry today. This engaging session will provide a unique opportunity to hear key insights from leading experts on important trends and developments. Don't miss this chance to stay ahead of the curve and gain valuable perspective into the future of insurance.

Panelists:

  • Ken McCullum, EVP & CRO, Principal
  • Elisabeth Sandersfeld, CFO, Merchants Bonding Company
  • Wendy Young, Chief Liability Officer, Fidelity & Guaranty Life
  • Moderator: Chris Yuska, Partner, EY

Session field of study: Specialed Knowledge (Technical)


This session is available to registrants only.

Leader(s):

Leader Bios

Andrew Pidgeon

Andrew is an audit and assurance partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP in the Accounting and Reporting Services group within the firm’s national office. He assists attest and non-attest engagement teams and clients with technical accounting matters. Andrew focuses on the accounting for financial instruments, derivatives and hedging, debt and equity capital transactions, transfers and securitizations, financial instrument and derivative valuation, and consolidation, including special purpose entities (SPEs) and variable interest entities (VIEs).

Andrew’s career has included a Professional Accounting Fellowship (PAF) at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA), and various roles in Deloitte’s audit and advisory practices in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco. He is a CPA in California and a member of the AICPA and California Society of CPAs, and a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of San Francisco.

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Boz Bostrom, Accounting Professor

Boz Bostrom, CPA, is a professor of accounting and finance at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Boz teaches a variety of accounting and finance courses and speaks nationally on the topics of ethics and leadership. Boz is the author of three books and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Society of CPAs. Prior to becoming a professor, Boz was a senior manager in Deloitte’s international tax practice.

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Brandy Shy, Director, Forvis Mazars LLP

Brandy Shy is a member of BKD National Insurance Services Practice. She has 13 years of professional experience in income tax accounting, tax compliance and tax process improvement for insurance companies. Brandy co-authored BKD’s SSAP 101 Resource Guide. Brandy manages income tax provision preparation, tax reviews, deferred tax inventory reconciliations and federal and state income tax compliance engagements for various types of insurance companies. She has significant experience with life and property and casualty returns, as well as the complex life and nonlife tax return consolidation rules. In addition to tax compliance, Brandy has assisted audit teams with tax provision interim and annual audits on both GAAP and statutory bases. Brandy has been involved with a variety of tax consulting engagements, most significantly with tax process improvements. She has assisted insurance companies with the transition to technology-based provision processes, through both design and configuration phases, as well as user acceptance testing. Brandy was the 2018 employee recipient of BKD’s PRIDE Award, which honors individuals who exemplify the firm’s values of passion, respect, integrity, discipline and excellence.She ispresident of the Insurance Accounting & Systems Association, Inc. (IASA) Show-Me Chapter and is a frequent speaker at IASA’s regional and national conferences. Brandy is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Missouri Society of CPAs. She is a graduate of University of Missouri, Columbia, with an M.Acc. degree.

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Connie Jasper Woodroof

Connie Jasper Woodroof began her career in the insurance industry in 1984 completing statutory filings for both Life and Property/Casualty companies. Ms. Woodroof spent nine years with the NAIC where she served in various capacities; reviewing of statements for quality, testing of RBC formulas and software during formula development, and assisting with the development and teaching of an industry educational series. Connie completed 18 years as the NAIC Liaison for Fiserv/StoneRiver/Sapiens, where she helped both Sapiens and its clients keep abreast of events at the NAIC, responded to statutory reporting and accounting information requests and provided educational opportunities. Currently, Ms. Jasper Woodroof is serving as a statutory insurance industry consultant for FORVIS as well as offering consulting services to the insurance industry. Connie remains active on several industry interested parties groups working with NAIC issues. Woodroof holds a FLMI, a B.S. in Accounting and a M.A. in General Psychology.

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Dan Israel, Managing Director

As Managing Director for the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA), Dan is responsible for the overall operations of the organization - emphasizing the growth, development, and success of the programs, as well as ongoing support of all of the accelerator’s portfolio companies. His goal is to bring together strategic and forward-thinking investors with innovative founders who can enhance both groups’ opportunities for growth and the insurance space overall.
Prior to the GIA, his career has spanned roles in innovation, management and strategy, finance, and operations within a number of industries. He has an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business.

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Elisabeth Sandersfeld, CFO, Merchants Bonding Company (Mutual)

Elisabeth Sandersfeld, CPA, is the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Treasurer and Secretary with Merchants Bonding Company. She joined the company in 2023, after serving as Chief Financial Officer for three operating units of W.R. Berkley Corporation. Elisabeth was Chief Financial Officer at GuideOne Insurance until 2021, after more than a decade in various strategy, innovation and finance roles at Thrivent Financial in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elisabeth began her career at Ernst & Young, working in both Des Moines and Minneapolis.  Elisabeth serves on the Board of Trustees of EveryStep and as President of the Luther College Alumni Council. She earned her B.A. at Luther College in Accounting, Economics and Spanish and obtained a Master of Business Administration degree in Strategy and Finance from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Elisabeth is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and a certified Mutual Insurance Director (MID).  She is a member of the ISCPA and AICPA, and is active in the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) and Women in Surety (WIS).

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Ken McCullum, Principal

Ken McCullum is senior vice president and chief risk officer of Principal Financial Group. He is responsible for helping the company identify and successfully manage risk across the company to deliver the best value to customers, employees, shareholders, and communities where they do business. McCullum joined Principal in April 2015 as vice president and chief actuary. He was promoted to his current position in September 2020. Prior to joining the company, he served as executive vice president responsible for business development and in force management at Delaware Life Insurance Company. Before Delaware Life, McCullum was a senior vice president responsible for managing the life and annuity businesses at Sun Life. He helped lead the transaction which created Delaware Life, when Sun Life sold its closed life and annuity blocks to a group of private investors arranged by Guggenheim Partners. Earlier in his career McCullum spent 15 years with The Hartford where he held several positions including leading their institutional investment products division and chief actuary of their legacy holdings division.

McCullum earned his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He is Vice Chairman on the board of directors for By Degrees, a Des Moines based charity that partners with entire schools to increase high school graduation and postsecondary readiness rates while engaging community partnerships to uplift students, families, and whole neighborhoods.

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Michael Wolf, Global Economist, Deloitte

Michael Wolf is a global economist at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. He provides written commentary and analysis on global economic issues that affect the firm and its clients. He has been quoted by various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and NPR. Wolf began his career as an economist at the US Labor Department and has since held economist positions at Moody’s Analytics, Wells Fargo Securities, and PwC. He has two graduate degrees, one in economic policy from Columbia University, and the other in statistics from Baruch College. He also has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland.

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Non-Member Price $360.00

Member Price $300.00