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Rock Island, Ill. (December 19, 2022) – Royal Neighbors of America, a fraternal benefit society located in Rock Island, Ill. has announced the appointment of Zarifa Reynolds as Royal Neighbors of America’s next CEO and President.

“Ms. Reynolds is a mission-driven, transformational executive,” said Suzy Riesterer Chair, Royal Neighbors Board of Directors. “She is known as an authentic and inspiring leader, team builder, and talent developer and her vision for organizational and membership growth powered by a strong employee culture aligns with that of Royal Neighbors.”

Ms. Reynolds possesses a strong background in developing and executing complex growth and business strategies across financial services, insurance, and healthcare organizations. Formerly with Guardian Life Insurance Company where she was responsible for leading a national sales, distribution, and underwriting team focused on supporting small businesses, Ms. Reynolds attended Brown University, Oxford University, and Harvard Law School.

“Royal Neighbors has an incredibly strong history as well as an outstanding track record for financial strength and stability,” said Ms. Reynolds. “I will be joining a passionate, forward-thinking leadership team who have a genuine love for their organization, its members, and its employees. I look forward to working with this incredible team towards digital innovation, the optimization of customer experience, embedding DEI into the fabric of the Society, and leading the next generation to new heights.”

“The Board has expressed great confidence in Ms. Reynolds and her leadership team,” added Ms. Riesterer.

Ms. Reynolds will begin her tenure at Royal Neighbors on January 9, 2023.

About Royal Neighbors of America

Royal Neighbors was founded in 1895 as a membership organization by nine pioneering women who recognized the need to insure the lives of women and children. Now, with more than 250,000 members nationwide, Royal Neighbors of America offers life insurance and annuity products to its members and is driven by its mission of supporting women and serving communities. The organization’s employees, members, and chapters across the country drive the mission through localized volunteerism and philanthropy programs making social impact the cornerstone of their work. In 2020, Royal Neighbors was upgraded to “A Excellent” (3rd highest out of 13) by the AM Best Company for overall financial strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to certificate holders. The rating was affirmed as of November 30, 2021. In 2021, Royal Neighbors delivered $20.5 million in social good impact, record revenue and received an all-time high score from the Great Place to Work® employee survey, achieving their fifth Great Place to Work Certification. For more information about Royal Neighbors of America, go to royalneighbors.org.