Zarifa Reynolds will be the next president and CEO of Royal Neighbors of America, the Rock Island-based fraternal benefit society announced Monday, Dec. 19.
Her tenure at Royal Neighbors will begin Monday, Jan. 9, Royal Neighbors officials said in a news release. She will succeed interim President and CEO Curt Zeck.
“Ms. Reynolds is a mission-driven, transformational executive,” said Suzy Riesterer, chair of the 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, according to Royal Neighbors.
“Upon former President and CEO Cynthia Tidwell’s retirement earlier this year, the board of directors appointed Curt Zeck to interim president and CEO,” said Ms. Riesterer. “Mr. Zeck has decided to depart the organization next month.”
“During his 15 years at Royal Neighbors, he has led Royal Neighbors to new heights and positively impacted many employees. We are extremely grateful to Mr. Zeck for his dedication and leadership, especially during this time of transition,” she added.
Ms. Reynolds formerly worked at the Guardian Life Insurance Co., 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 toward digital innovation, the optimization of customer experience, embedding DEI into the fabric of the Society, and
leading the next generation to new heights.”
The Royal Neighbors board has expressed great confidence in Ms. Reynolds and her leadership team, added Ms. Riesterer.
According to womenofcolorandcapitol.com, Ms. Reynolds was also the head of corporate development at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). Prior to joining TIAA, she was a partner at Greenberg Traurig, an international law firm. In the 10 years that she worked at Greenberg in New York City and Miami, Florida, Ms. Reynolds worked on numerous U.S. and cross-border financing transactions. She began her legal career at Shearman & Sterling in New York City.
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, it offers life insurance and annuity products to its members and is driven by its mission of supporting women and serving communities.
