Fred H. Jonske, FSA, will receive the 2019 Solomon S. Huebner Gold Medal from The American College of Financial Services in recognition of his leadership and innovation in the financial services industry and dedication to furthering the mission of The College.
The Huebner Gold Medal is The College’s highest honor and will be presented during the annual President’s Dinner in Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 6.
“Fred has been an advocate for continuing education and an outstanding industry leader for many years. As a member of our Board of Trustees, he has helped us take enormous strides as an evolving institution while staying true to our core values,” says George Nichols III, President and CEO of The American College. “This honor symbolizes the high regard in which Fred is held by his peers.”
Since 1975, the Huebner Gold Medal has been awarded annually to honor the special individuals whose support of The College and its programs, and whose dedication to education and professionalism, have been of particular meaning to the mission and progress of the institution. The award is named after Dr. Solomon S. Huebner, who founded The American College in 1927.
“I am honored and humbled to be receiving this prestigious accolade from The American College,” says Jonske. “Ever since my first encounter with The College, they have played a significant role in educating financial services professionals and their faculty represents some of the industry’s foremost thought leaders.”
Jonske has spent 50 years in the insurance industry, starting out with 25 years at Allstate initially as an actuary. At age 34, Jonske was named President of Allstate’s subsidiary, Lincoln Benefit Life (LBL) in Lincoln, Neb., in addition to Vice President and Board Member of Allstate Life.
Jonske spearheaded the transformation of LBL into one of the country’s leading life insurance brokerage companies. Subsequently, he also assumed the responsibilities as President and Chief Operating Officer of another Allstate subsidiary, Surety Life in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In 1996, Jonske joined the M Financial Group as President and CEO of the nation’s premier life insurance distribution company. Jonske oversaw M Financial Group’s complex reorganization to a member-ownership structure over M’s combined marketing and reinsurance operations. The restructuring resulted in M’s unprecedented sales growth while continuing M’s thought leadership in the life insurance industry.
Upon his retirement from M in 2017, Jonske helped form an advisory company, Insurex, and serves as its Managing Partner. Insurex provides strategic advice to CEOs and Boards of insurance and retail financial services businesses.
Jonske is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). His is a Life Trustee of The American College’s Board, serves on the University of Portland’s Board of Regents, and the Catlin Gabel School’s Endowment Fund Committee.
Jonske previously served on the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) Board of Directors. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in mathematics from the University of Michigan. Fred and his wife Nancy reside in Scottsdale, Ariz., and have two married sons, Kurt and Dirk, who reside in Manhattan, N.Y.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE: The American College of Financial Services was founded in 1927 and is the nation’s largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated one in five financial advisors across the United States and offers two master’s degrees in management and financial services and prestigious financial planning designations such as the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP) and education leading to the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. The College’s faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders of the financial services profession. For more information, visit TheAmericanCollege.edu.
