Board of Directors and Leadership Team at Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha is committed to providing outstanding service to policyholders. Our Corporate Governance program stands in support of that commitment.

For more information or questions, contact Jay Vankat, Corporate Secretary.

Mutual of Omaha's board of directors has adopted these Corporate Governance Standards (PDF) for the benefit of policyholders.

Board of Directors Senior Officers Board Committees

James T. Blackledge

Mr. Blackledge is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mutual of Omaha. He joined the company as an actuary in 1989 and was elected president in November of 2014, with the board appointing him Chief Executive Officer in April 2015 and Chairman of the board in 2018. Prior to his election as President, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer/Chief Risk Officer, where he was responsible for technology applications and systems infrastructure as well as enterprise risk management. In addition, he has previously held leadership roles in Mutual of Omaha’s individual and group business units. Mr. Blackledge has extensive leadership experience and a thorough understanding of Mutual’s business, strategy and operations, including a strong background in actuarial, technology and cybersecurity matters. He is a member of the Executive and Governance Committee of the board.

Edward J. Bonach

Mr. Bonach has over 40 years of experience in the financial services and insurance industries. He retired as the Chief Executive Officer of CNO Financial in 2017, a position he held since 2011. He joined CNO as Chief Financial Officer in 2007 and prior to that, was with National Life Group where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Before 2002, Mr. Bonach was with Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America for 23 years, where his positions included President of Special Markets and Chief Financial Officer. He has had a significant career in the insurance industry, is knowledgeable and experienced in the areas of actuarial, accounting, mergers & acquisitions, capital management, risk management, strategy, treasury, tax and facilities. Mr. Bonach holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst. He is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive and Governance Committee of the board.

James R. Boyle

Mr. Boyle is an insurance industry leader who has served as President and CEO of both Foresters Financial and John Hancock. In his most recent role as President and CEO of Foresters Financial, he led the strategic repositioning of the company, rebranding a mid-sized fraternal insurer as a market-leading disruptor, rationalizing its product line to include innovative wellness focused benefits, expanding omni-channel distribution and enabling same-day transaction processing. Prior to leading Foresters Financial, Mr. Boyle was President and CEO of John Hancock, the U.S. subsidiary of Manulife Financial. Over his 20-year career at John Hancock, he led multiple businesses, culminating in the leadership of the U.S. business as Chairman, President and CEO. Mr. Boyle graduated with honors from Boston College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He also serves as a trustee of John Hancock Mutual Funds and is a senior advisor to Blackstone Insurance Services. He is a member of the Audit Committee of the board.

Kimberly N. Ellison-Taylor

Since April 2021, Ms. Ellison-Taylor has served as Chief Executive Officer of KET Solutions, LLC. Prior to this, she served as Executive Director, Finance Thought Leadership, at Oracle Corp. She joined Oracle in 2004 and held several leadership positions including Global Strategy Leader; Global Accounting Strategy Director; and Executive Director and Global Leader for Health, Human and Labor Industry Solutions. Ms. Ellison-Taylor has held leadership roles at numerous organizations, including the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Motorola, KPMG and Maryland's Prince George's County government, where she served as Chief Information Technology Officer. She is member of the U.S. Bancorp and EverCommerce boards, AICPA's Assurance Services Executive Committee as well as Chair of the AICPA's National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. Ms. Ellison-Taylor brings expertise in information technology leadership, digital transformation, innovation, accounting and finance to the board. She is a member of the Audit and Talent Committees of the board.

Tamara Franklin

Ms. Franklin has more than 25 years of experience leading digital businesses, with a focus on strategic planning, digital transformation, data analytics, business development and customer acquisition. She most recently served as Chief Digital, Data and Analytics Officer at global professional services firm Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. In addition to her role at Marsh & McClennan, Ms. Franklin has held senior leadership positions at IBM, Scripps Network Interactive (now Discovery, Inc.) and Time Warner, Inc. She is a member of the Investment and Risk committee of the board.

W. Gary Gates

Mr. Gates retired in 2015 as President and Chief Executive Officer of Omaha Public Power District, one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the United States. He served as Lead Independent Director of Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company’s board from 2013 to 2022. Mr. Gates has extensive management experience with publicly owned organizations, as a director of community and national nonprofit organizations, as well as risk mitigation experience in the electric utilities industry. He is a member of the Talent Committee of the board.

Rodrigo López

Mr. López has over 40 years of experience in the financial services and real estate industries, most recently as Chairman of AmeriSphere Companies, LLC and, until 2017, as Executive Chairman of NorthMarq Capital Finance, LLC, a mortgage banking company dedicated to providing capital solutions for the multifamily industry. Mr. López was President and Chief Executive Officer of AmeriSphere, a company he founded in 1997, and which was acquired in 2015 by NorthMarq Capital, LLC. Prior to founding AmeriSphere, a company engaged in commercial real estate investment and development, he was Chief Lending Officer for a life insurance company. Mr. López has several years of experience serving as a director of several financial industry boards, as well as extensive leadership experience in investments and in the real estate and mortgage banking industries. He is Chair of the Investment and Risk Committee of the board.

Derek R. McClain

Mr. McClain serves as Chief Underwriting & Risk Officer with CBRE Real Estate Investments. Prior to assuming that position in July 2022, he was an investor and a financial and management consultant. He began his career with the law firm of Vinson & Elkins LLP, where he practiced corporate finance and securities law from 1981 through 1997. In 1998, he joined Trammell Crow Company as its General Counsel after having served as the company's lead outside counsel in connection with its initial public offering in late 1997. In 2000, he was named Chief Financial Officer of Trammell Crow and served in that position until late 2006, when the company was sold to CBRE. Mr. McClain has significant experience providing legal counsel with respect to financings, merger and acquisition transactions, and general corporate matters, as well as extensive experience in financial leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer of a public company for over six years, in which he supervised accounting and audit functions and had primary responsibility for Trammell Crow's investor relations, information technology and human resources functions. He serves as Lead Independent Director of Mutual of Omaha’s board and is chair of the Executive and Governance Committee of the board.

Paula R. Meyer

Ms. Meyer has spent more than 38 years working in the financial services industry. Her career began at the Vanguard Group in 1982 and she retired in 2006 from Ameriprise Financial, Inc. where she was President of RiverSource Funds and Ameriprise Certificate Company. Since 2007, Ms. Meyer has served on the boards of directors of four companies in the financial services industry. She is a member and co-founder of the Minnesota chapter of Women Corporate Directors and is a NACD Board Leadership Fellow. In addition to her career in the mutual fund industry, Ms. Meyer has extensive knowledge of compensation packages, as well as investment, securities and banking experience. She is Chair of the Talent Committee and a member of the Investment and Risk Committee of the board.