White and Griffin Honored

Charity is the topic of this issue and comes to our cover just as we receive notice that scholarships and financial aid awards, providing students the best academic opportunities available regardless of financial means, will be the subject of a dinner honoring two outstanding friends.

The College of Mount Saint Vincent, long an organization that has recognized insurance leaders for doing great work (Rivera, Casillas, De Carlo, Walsh, Flynn, Decaminada, Fishlinger, Menzies, Newman, among many others), will honor two remarkable individuals at its 2019 Tribute Dinner—individuals whose lives reflect a profound dedication to the values set out in the College’s mission and the charism of the Sisters of Charity. This year, the College will recognize Richard A. White and Mary A. Griffin.

Richard White (pictured left) is the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company, New York’s largest insurer of both Disability Benefits Law and Paid Family Leave, with over 168,000 employer groups and covering 1.7 million insured employees. Mr. White has over 30 years of experience in creating and implementing effective strategies for business growth, diversification, product development, sales expansion, and operational excellence for several leading insurance companies. Prior to joining ShelterPoint in 2009, Mr. White was Executive Vice President of Domestic Markets with Pan American Life Insurance Company in New Orleans. He also spent nearly 20 years with The Guardian Life Insurance Company—the same organization where he began his career in 1984 as a group sales representative—culminating as Senior Vice President, Group Insurance. He is an officer of the Board of Directors of The Insurance Federation of New York and serves on the Board of Directors for the Life Insurance Council of New York (LICONY). He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska and holds certificates in Marketing Management from Columbia University, as well as in Organizational and Executive Coaching from New York University.

Mary Griffin, President and Chief Executive Officer of LICONY, oversees New York’s leading life insurance organization, representing over 75 life insurer member companies and more than 20 allied professional firm members. Prior to joining LICONY in 2016, Ms. Griffin served as Senior Vice President with Citigroup’s Government Affairs Department. Her career also includes leadership positions at the American Insurance Association, the New York Department of Insurance under the administration of Governor Mario Cuomo, and on the staff of the New York State Assembly. A notable leader, Ms. Griffin has had a remarkable impact throughout the insurance and government industries—she has been named Outstanding Woman in Government for her significant contributions to New York State and is a past two-time recipient of the Outstanding Government Affairs Representative award from the Northeast Financial Services Association. She attended Newton College of the Sacred Heart and earned a B.A. in American History from Boston College.

Proceeds from the event directly support scholarships for talented and deserving students, an objective like those outlined in our feature on the IICF that makes good sense for the industry and for the society we serve.