West Des Moines, Iowa — Homesteaders Life Company President, CEO and Board Chair Steve Shaffer announced today the election of three new members to its Board of Directors. Elected by policy owners during their annual meeting held at company headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa, they are:
Miriam De Dios Woodward, Global CEO of ViClarity and SVP of Affiliates Management Company: Miriam has been working with service and technology-oriented organizations in a variety of industries, including financial services and healthcare for nearly 20 years. She formerly served as CEO for Coopera Consulting where she provided oversight on operations and set and implemented strategic objectives for B2B organizations focused on Hispanic growth strategies. Miriam holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa. 
Steve Marlow, FLMI, CPA, former VP/CFO and Treasurer of Care Initiatives: Steve has been active in the financial services sector for more than four decades, including 30 years spent on the audit team at Ernst & Young. Upon his retirement in 2016, Steve joined the Board of Directors of NI Holdings, Inc, where he currently serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee, the Nominating/Governance Committee and the Management/Executive Committee. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants. 
Ted Nickel, owner of Bodilac Strategies, LLC: Ted has been active in the insurance industry for 30 years, with extensive focus on insurance regulation and governance. He has served as Insurance Commissioner for the State of Wisconsin and President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, during which time he created NAIC’S Innovation and Technology Taskforce. Ted is a frequent international speaker and panelist on insurance regulation, including testifying as a subject matter expert before Congress. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University, where he also attended law school.
“We’re very excited to welcome these qualified and experienced members to our Board of Directors,” said Shaffer. “Each brings complementary skills to those of our existing Board members. We are confident each of them will help us continue the momentum we’ve built up over the last few years as we continue to identify and invest in innovative tools that enhance our infrastructure, profitability and value offering.”
Board members Peter Brown, Steve Lang and Katie Roth were also re-elected during this week’s policy owner meeting. They will each serve an additional five-year term.
Pictured above (L to R): Homesteaders Board members Steve Marlow, Peter A. Brown, Mary K. Roth, Mirian De Dios Woodward, John W. Chandler, Jr., Maria Ferrante-Schepis, John M. Paule, Ted Nickel, Steve Lang and David E. Watson with Steve Shaffer, Homesteaders President, CEO and Board Chair.
Homesteaders Life Company, a mutual company owned by its policy holders, is a national leader providing products and services to help people design a better farewell.
