COSSConference ’05 Industry Speaker Biographies

Jeff Thredgold, CSP
The future course of the U.S. economy, the value of education, the direction of interest rates, and the competitive position of U.S. companies are just some of the topics that will be addressed by keynote speaker Jeff Thredgold, CSP.

Mr. Thredgold is President of Thredgold Economic Associates, an economic consulting and professional speaking company based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

He is the only economist in the world to have ever received the designation of CSP, or Certified Speaking Professional, the highest earned designation in professional speaking.

Mr. Thredgold’s career includes 23 years with $91 billion banking giant KeyCorp, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. He now serves as economic consultant to $29 billion Zions Bancorporation, which has banks in eight states. He also serves as economic consultant to various other clients.

Mr. Thredgold has appeared dozens of times on CNBC-TV…the nation's business network, as well as numerous appearances on CNN, and is quoted regularly in the nation’s financial press. He is a monthly contributor for the national publication Blue Chip Financial Forecasts and quarterly USA TODAY economic forecast surveys.

He has been writing a weekly economic and financial newsletter, now entitled the Tea Leaf, for 30 years. His book, Economy by Thredgold, was released in 2001. His latest book, On The One Hand…The Economist’s Joke Book, was also released in 2001.

Mr. Thredgold served as an adjunct professor of finance at the University of Utah for 16 years. He is a former member of both the Economic Advisory Committee of the American Bankers Association and the Economic Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Douglas I. Friedman, J.D., CLU
Mr. Friedman is the founding partner of the firm of Friedman and Downey, P.C., a law firm with offices in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Friedman received his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. He received the designation of Chartered Life Underwriter from the American College. He is certified as an independent assessor by IMSA.

Mr. Friedman has been retained as National Counsel for Estate and Business Planning for insurers such as AIG, American General Financial Group, Protective Life, Midland National Life, Cincinnati Life, and Farmers New World Life. He also advises on related issues, including market conduct, regulatory compliance and the development and introduction of special products. Mr. Friedman conducts market conduct assessments under IMSA.

Mr. Friedman is a nationally known author and speaker. His column appears in the National Underwriter and his articles are published in industry periodicals and law reviews, such as the Journal of Financial Service Advisors (where he advises as an editor). He leads seminars at national sales conferences, such as MDRT, about life insurance considerations in estate and business planning and marketing/legal areas. Mr. Friedman is the editor and leader for the interactive Web-based advanced sales training series offered by COSS Development Corporation.

Mr. Friedman is a member of the New York State, Alabama, and local Bar Associations. He is an associate member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, the National Association of Life Underwriters, and the Birmingham Association of Life Underwriters.

Paul Dolbec
Mr. Dolbec is Worldwide Manager for Insurance at Sun Microsystems, Inc. Mr. Dolbec's insurance and technology experience includes both field and home office processing from both a US and international perspective.

Mr. Dolbec has been involved in all major insurance segments, including Life, P&C, Reinsurance, and the Lloyd's market. Prior to joining Sun, Mr. Dolbec held senior positions with UNUM, AIG, Wang, and Cap Gemini.

As Worldwide Manager for Insurance, Mr. Dolbec’s primary mission is to establish the company's strategic direction in the insurance market. Aligning this strategic direction into field operations, and establishing relationships with key solution partners are key elements toward enhancing customer value.

Scott J. Cipinko, Of Counsel
Mr. Cipinko is an attorney in Lord, Bissell & Brook LLP’s financial services insurance group with 18 years of experience in the area of corporate and regulatory insurance.

Mr. Cipinko started his law career as an Insurance Consultant, specializing in coverage and loss analysis determination. He also served as Associate General Counsel of the Office of the Special Deputy Receiver, the liquidator of insurance companies in Illinois. From 2002-2005, he served as Executive Director for the Life Insurers Council (LIC) and Vice President for Life Office Management Association (LOMA), where he had primary responsibility for all activities and services to the LIC Membership by the staff. During this time, Mr. Cipinko testified as an expert witness before state regulatory and legislative bodies; represented the industry in Washington, D.C. before Congress and Federal Regulators, the NAIC and the NCOIL; and drafted pleadings, including amicus curiae briefs for the LIC Board of Directors.

From 1993 to 2002, Mr. Cipinko was Executive Director of the National Alliance of Life Companies (NALC). Prior to that, he was General Counsel and Association Secretary for the Consumer Credit Insurance Association (CCIA). He is also a former insurance agent with a large life and health insurer and is co-founder of MSC & Associates, Inc., an insurance agency in Illinois. As an agent, Mr. Cipinko specialized in the sale of individual and group life and health insurance and annuities.

In the legislative and regulatory areas, Mr. Cipinko has worked on behalf of insurers to solve problems in the states and Capitol Hill. He has specialized in solving compliance problems by working directly with insurance commissioners, senior staff, state legislators and Members if Congress and staff to fashion changes in laws and regulations to provide relief from compliance-related challenges.

Mr. Cipinko has earned the designation of Associate of Insurance Regulatory Compliance (AIRC) from Life Office Management Association.   Experience [PDF]

Scott R. Harrison, J.D.
Mr. Harrison is a Principal in the Harrison Law Office P.C., a Washington, D.C. based law firm that provides regulatory, risk management, corporate governance, compliance, and state and federal affairs services to financial services institutions. Clients of this national practice include stock and mutual insurance companies, banks, and trade associations.

Mr. Harrison has extensive experience advising clients on regulatory and transactional matters, business process and operational risk, Sarbanes-Oxley, corporate governance, and compliance matters including the USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC, and privacy and security. Mr. Harrison also assists clients with regulatory and legislative solutions. He represents clients before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, state insurance departments, and the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Harrison’s prior government experience includes serving as Deputy Superintendent of the New York State Insurance Department and Deputy Commissioner of the Delaware Insurance Department. In the private sector, he was a partner in the Financial Services Practice at KPMG LLP. Mr. Harrison also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Unity Mutual Life Insurance Company. Committee assignments include the Audit and Finance committees. Mr. Harrison is a frequent speaker to industry groups on regulatory, corporate governance and compliance issues.

Mr. Harrison also serves as the Executive Director of the Affordable Life Insurance Alliance. He is admitted to practice law in Washington DC, Delaware, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Register online by Friday, August 19.