Our Partners

Delivering Results, Not Theories.

FRED JONSKE | Founding Partner

Fred Jonske is the Managing Partner for Insurex and the founder of FHJ Capital Partners. Jonske Chairs the Origin8Cares Board, a transformational life distribution company focused on generating leads from social media. Jonske is formerly President and CEO of M Financial Group, the nation’s premier financial services design and distribution company, serving the ultra-affluent and corporate markets through an exclusive network of 140 of the nation’s most successful and innovative financial services firms. Jonske led M Financial’s reorganization from a partnership to member-owned holding company. Jonske also served as Chairman of M Holdings Securities. Previously, Jonske was President, Chief Operating Officer and a Board Member of Lincoln Benefit Life Insurance Co. of Lincoln, Nebraska and Surety Life Insurance Co. of Salt Lake City, Utah. Both companies were subsidiaries of Allstate Insurance Co., where Jonske also was Vice President and a Board Member. Jonske spearheaded the transformation of Lincoln Benefit Life into one the country’s leading life insurance brokerage companies. Jonske’s leadership in the insurance industry was recognized by being one of only eighteen people chosen by Insurance Newscast’s list of the “100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry-North America” for eight consecutive years from 2004 to 2011 representing the years the list was assembled. Jonske has also been featured in a number of business magazine articles including LEADERS Magazine, Private Wealth, and Broker World. Jonske is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Member of the Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). He is a Member of the American College Foundation Board of Trustees and a former Life Trustee of the American College Board. He is a recipient of The American College Huebner Gold Medal. Jonske also serves on the University of Portland Board of Regents. Jonske previously served on the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) Board of Directors and the Catlin Gabel School Endowment Committee. Jonske holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Michigan.

LARRY BARTON, Ph.D. | Partner

Dr. Larry Barton is considered one of the world’s leading experts with proven success in crisis prevention, managing highly sensitive business challenges, and creating resiliency solutions for Boards, executives and employees after critical incidents. At the age of 27, he became the youngest person ever appointed to the faculty of Harvard Business School and went on to serve on the faculties of Boston College, UNLV, Penn State, and The American College of Financial Services, where he served as President and CEO from 2003-2013. A widely regarded risk management expert, Dr. Barton has authored five acclaimed books on crisis management, workplace threats, and risk. He is also the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles addressing risk, crisis, and violence liability for the legal, HR, retail, healthcare and insurance/financial communities. Dr. Barton has worked with 68 members of the Fortune 100 and has assisted clients in grappling with the complex demands created by issues such as workplace assaults, stalking of executives and employees, intimate partner violence, brand damage inflicted by malicious individuals, and AI. He has worked in 17 countries on these issues and is the past recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Security Management Association (ISMA); other past recipients include the Director of the FBI, Director of the CIA, and the U.S. Secretary of State. Larry holds an AB, magna cum laude from Boston College, the MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts/Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies/Public Policy and International Law from Boston University.

RON COLBY | Founding Partner

Ron Colby helped lead UnitedHealth Group to become one of the largest companies in healthcare by holding a number of positions including CEO of UnitedHealth Group Specialized Care Services, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, and Senior Vice President of UnitedHealthcare Product Management. Previously, Colby was a Vice President for Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and a Member of the Health Association of America (HIAA) Board of Directors. Colby is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA), holds a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan, and serves as Secretary, Treasurer and Board Member of The Concerned Actuaries of the United States organization.

MIKE COREY | Founding Partner

Mike Corey is Senior Managing Partner of Corey Search Group and MJC Ventures. Corey was previously the Head of US Operations for Caldwell partners and the Insurance Practice for Heidrick & Struggles, Vice Chairman and Global Financial Services Practice Leader for Hudson, Global Head of Business Development and Leader of Financial Services Practice Leader for TMP Worldwide (Parent of Monster.com), Global Financial Services Head for Lamalie and Associates, Founding Partner of NxtStar Ventures, Member of Irish Life Board of Trustees, and Member of Irish Life Assurance Board of Trustees. Corey is a Member of the American College Foundation Board of Trustees, Founder and Director of Funding for the American College Veterans Center Clambake, and Trustee Emeritus of The Actuarial Foundation Board. Previously, Corey was a Member of The American College of Financial Services Board of Trustees, and Member of Actuarial Foundation Board of Trustees. Corey holds a B.A. degree from Northern Illinois University.

PETER LYNCH | Partner

Peter Lynch is a global insurance advisor with over 30+ years of experience in the insurance industry. His expertise includes strategic and global business development; product management; new product launch execution; and deep knowledge of sales, marketing, operations, finance and customer service. Lynch brings a key understanding of data and insights in the insurance workflow from marketing through claims. He has brokered key partnerships and acquisitions as well as developed a global network of insurance contacts. He has led high growth organizations throughout his career. In his most recent role Lynch was executive vice president at Transunion and led their global insurance product strategy. Previous roles included president of the LexisNexis Insurance Exchange as well as additional senior executive positions at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, ChoicePoint, AIG Technologies (AIGT), and Cover-All Technologies, all focused on insurance data, analytics and technology. In his role as advisor, Lynch has guided such companies such as MotorDNA, Urbanico, Blue Pond and Bridge My Return as they navigate delivering platforms and data to the market. Lynch holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Houston, Bauer College of Business.

JIM MEEHAN | Partner

Since graduating from the Naval Academy in 1986 and then launching a career in the financial services industry, Jim has been passionate about the value of teaming with others to achieve common goals through building strong relationships. After 22 successful years with Creative Financial Group, Jim joined Penn Mutual in 2011 as Managing Partner of 1847Financial, based in Conshohocken, PA. He has since received recognition for several outstanding achievements, including the GAMA International Management Award and the prestigious Penn Mutual Chairman’s Award. Jim has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, ThinkAdvisor, Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, and RIA Central Advisor Newsletter. In the past, Jim served as Chairman of the the Board of The American College and The American College Center for Veterans Affairs, which partners with Penn Mutual to award scholarships to military veterans and their spouses interested in pursuing a career in the insurance and financial services industry. In 2008, Jim earned a Master of Science in Management (MSM) degree from The American College. He continues to be an advocate of the College and their efforts to partner with veterans. In addition, Jim is a member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, The Philadelphia Union League, and Overbrook Golf Club. He is a founding member of FINSECA, formally known as the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU) and the General Agents and Managers Association (GAMA).

RANDY O'CONNOR | Partner

Randy is a partner with Insurex which specializes in advising clients about the insurance industry. In addition, he is the CEO and Founder of Origin8cares. Origin8cares distributes life insurance using machine learning to target clients via social media advertising using life agents to assist clients in completing their transaction. He is also adjunct faculty with Portland State University’s School of Business Administration. Randy served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of M Financial Holdings since May 2000 Randy’s extensive experience and areas of consulting includes: Strategic planning, including change management, business succession planning, company culture evaluation, compensation analysis, company valuations, mergers and acquisitions. Management experience including improving team efficiency as well as developing, coaching, and mentoring staff. Financial reporting and management including GAAP and statutory reporting, financial projections, financial modeling, capital management, and asset/liability management. Chief Risk Officer including enterprise risk management, compliance/market conduct, creation of risk tolerance analysis and corresponding creation, and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Global sales distribution management including the recruitment and successful integration of new advisors as well as the measurement of the effectiveness of the distribution system. Actuarial analysis including reinsurance, reserve and capital adequacy, financial modeling, and product development. President of a hybrid Broker/Dealer RIA with an understanding of the compliance, supervision, operations required to provide FINRA/SEC regulated products to clients. Previously, Randy served as the North American Practice Leader of the Integrated Risk and Capital Management Practice for Tillinghast-Towers Perrin (currently Willis Tower Watson) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to joining Tillinghast-Towers Perrin in 1990, Randy worked for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as an actuary. Randy holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and mathematical methods in the social sciences from Northwestern University. He is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of both the American Academy of Actuaries.

BUD SCHIFF | Founding Partner

Albert “Bud” Schiff is Managing Director and CEO of Alvarez & Marsal Executive Compensation and Benefits. Formerly, Schiff served as CEO of NYLEX Benefits, the executive benefits consulting arm of New York Life Insurance Company. Before that, he served as Senior Executive Vice President and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (MONY). Schiff has served in numerous insurance industry leadership roles, including: President of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), Chairman of the International Million Dollar Round Table Top of the Table, president, New York City Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. Schiff is a Life Trustee of The American College and served as Chairman of The American College Foundation Board of Directors. Schiff is a recipient of The American College Distinguished Alumni Award, a recipient of The American College Huebner Gold Medal and has testified in Congress as an expert numerous times before the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees and before the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the life insurance industry. Mr. Schiff is a Captain, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy (Retired), is a member of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Foundation Board and is a recipient of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Distinguished Alumni Award. Schiff holds a BSBA degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds Pension Actuary (MSPA), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP), and Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) professional designations.

GABE SHAHEEN | Founding Partner

Gabe Shaheen is President, CEO, and Principal of GLS Capital Ventures. Shaheen is currently a Board Member of Steel Dynamics. Shaheen was previously a Member and Chairman of the Horace Mann Insurance Company. Shaheen previously held Board positions with M Financial Holdings, Steel Dynamics, and Doxa Insurance Holdings. Shaheen also held positions with Lincoln National Life including President and CEO of Direct Operations, Managing Partner of Lincoln UK, President and CEO of Lincoln Re. Shaheen was also a Founding Partner of NxtStar Ventures. Shaheen is a retired Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). Shaheen holds B.A. and MAS degrees from the University of Michigan.