Janice U. Whipple Advances to Immediate Past Chair of the
NFCA Board
Woman’s Life Insurance Society National President advances to Past Chair of the Board.

09/18/07

OAK BROOK, IL – The National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) announced that Janice U. Whipple, National President, Woman’s Life Insurance Society, Port Huron, Michigan, has advanced to the position of Immediate Past Chair of the NFCA Board of Directors.  Whipple was installed in the NFCA post at the 121st NFCA Annual Meeting, September 6-8, at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“The NFCA and its 75 member-societies congratulate and thank Mrs. Whipple for her dedication and commitment to the fraternal benefit system during her year as NFCA Chair of the Board,” said NFCA Interim President and CEO Bob Huxel.

As Immediate Past Chair, Whipple, who was the 2006-2007 NFCA Chair of the Board, will continue as an officer of the NFCA and continue to represent the association’s 75 member-societies.

In her acceptance speech, 2007-2008 NFCA Chair of the Board Katharine E. Rounthwaite praised Whipple by saying, “Holding the chairmanship while carrying on as the President of her society is no mean feat.  During Janice’s tenure, the NFCA continued with its strategic direction of protecting the tax exemption, monitoring legislative developments, providing member education, and enhancing our members’ solvency through work on membership standards.”

When Whipple became national president of Woman’s Life Insurance Society in 1990, she enthusiastically embraced the original vision of this Society: to excel at enabling women to become personally and financially empowered and independent.  Fueled with a passion to offer women practical and relevant information about how to take control of their financial futures, she enhanced the sales distribution system, updated the organization’s financial product offerings, and improved internal operations to better serve the needs of members today and into the future.  With these and many other changes, Whipple has successfully positioned Woman's Life to be the premier provider of information, products and services to help women protect themselves and their families, as well as make a real difference in the lives of others.

Whipple’s fraternal roots run deep.  She was the first woman, and youngest person ever, to serve as president of the Association of Fraternal Benefit Counsel.  She also served as president of the Law Section of the NFCA and was the first person to ever hold the positions simultaneously.  From 1995 to 2002, Whipple served on the Law Committee of the NFCA.  She is a member and past president of the President’s Section of the NFCA and was elected to a three-year term on the NFCA Board of Directors in 2002, becoming vice-chair of the board in September 2005.

She has been with the Woman’s Life Insurance Society since 1979, serving as legal counsel before becoming its national president.  Before joining the Society, she served as legal counsel to the Legislative Service Bureau for the State of Michigan and as a legal editing assistant for that same government agency.

She is an honors graduate of Central Michigan University and holds a Juris Doctor degree (cum laude) from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Whipple’s leadership and business acumen is reflected in the board positions she holds outside of Woman's Life.  She serves on the Citizens First Savings Bank, Port Huron, board of directors.  She served for many years on the advisory boards of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County and the Salvation Army, reviewing these organizations’ outreach programs and advising on how each could meet the greatest needs of the community.  She currently sits on the Steering Committee and Education Committee for the Women’s Initiative of St. Clair County Community Foundation where she is encouraging philanthropy from a women’s perspective.

She is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) and most recently a newly designated Fraternal Insurance Counselor (FIC).

About Woman’s Life Insurance Society
Based in Port Huron, Michigan, Woman’s Life Insurance Society is a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society created to help women gain personal and financial independence for themselves and their families.  To achieve that, Woman’s Life provides affordable family life insurance protection and annuity products.  Additional benefits like scholarship programs and cancer and disaster benefits further protect families from unplanned or extraordinary financial burdens.  And, through local chapters, members participate in fundraising, service projects and social events, as well as educational and leadership programs.

Since it was founded in 1892, Woman’s Life has assisted its local units financially by contributing millions of dollars in matching funds for their volunteer efforts throughout the United States and Canada.  For more information, visit www.womanslife.org.

About the NFCA
The 121-year-old NFCA unites 75 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.