NFCA Announces New President and CEO

Association Executive Joseph Annotti Accepts Position as Permanent President and CEO.

02/22/08

OAK BROOK, IL – The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Joseph J. Annotti as its new President and CEO, effective March 31, 2008.

“The NFCA and its Board of Directors are delighted to welcome Mr. Annotti as the new President and CEO,” said Katharine E. Rounthwaite, NFCA Chair of the Board.  “We are confident that Mr. Annotti’s experience and expertise will help drive the association’s strategic planning and lead the evolution of the fraternal benefit system.”

Annotti fills the President and CEO position vacated by Frederick H. Grubbe, who resigned on May 24, 2007.  Since that time, the management of the NFCA has been overseen by Interim President and CEO Bob Huxel.  Annotti will work together with Huxel to ensure a smooth transition into this office, as Huxel will resume his position of NFCA Director of Government Affairs. 

“I am honored to have been selected by the NFCA Board,” said Annotti.  “Fraternal benefit societies play an important and often overlooked role in the social fabric and financial strength of our nation.  Working with the NFCA members and staff, I hope to contribute to the expansion of the fraternal system and to make certain that public policymakers at all levels understand the important altruistic and economic contributions made by these organizations.”

The hiring of Annotti follows an extensive search, overseen by a special committee of the NFCA Board of Directors and the executive search firm of Heidrick & Struggles.  The process involved a series of interviews, professional evaluation by the search firm and a final decision by the NFCA Board of Directors on February 19, 2008.

With more than 20 years experience in association management, Annotti joins the NFCA after serving as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI).  At PCI, he was responsible for the overall management of the association’s public affairs and media relations activities, and developed and delivered public policy messages on the association’s key issues to the trade, business and consumer media.

Prior to joining PCI, Annotti served as Vice President of Marketing Communications for American Business Insurance, a major national insurance broker.  He spent more than eight years with Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of California as vice president of public affairs.  He has authored a variety of articles for insurance and business publications and has made presentations on media relations and grassroots political advocacy to groups across the country.

Annotti lives with his wife, Jody, and their two sons in Golf, Illinois.

About the NFCA
The 122-year-old NFCA unites 74 not-for-profit fraternal benefit societies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.  The association represents 10 million fraternalists in 37,000 local chapters, making it one of America’s largest member-volunteer networks.  Fraternal benefit societies provide their members with leadership, social, educational, spiritual, patriotic, scholarship, financial and volunteer-service opportunities.  Combined, the NFCA’s member-societies maintain more than $329 billion of life insurance-in-force and, in 2006 alone, contributed almost $410 million to charitable and fraternal programs, and volunteered nearly 95 million hours for community-service projects.  These statistics demonstrate the commitment that fraternals make to those in need and exemplify the true meaning of the NFCA signature phrase:  Joining Hands to Touch Lives.