Skip to content

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) announced election results for its Board of Directors.

IRI welcomed a new member to its board, Sean Baker, Director, Head of Retirement Insurance within BlackRock’s Retirement Group. Baker leads a team that is responsible for driving BlackRock’s strategy with life and annuity insurance companies across sub-advised and index-based crediting solutions. Additionally, he is also charged with developing and maintaining relationships with insurance companies, serving as a thought leader on industry trends, and being a consultative partner to clients.

Additionally, the following members have been re-elected to new three-year terms.

  • Jacob Armstrong, Senior Vice President, Head of Insurance Strategic Distribution, Franklin Templeton Distributors
  • Graham Day, President, Eagle Life Insurance Company (for American Equity Investment Life Insurance Co.)
  • Marci Green, Managing Director, Head of Retail Insurance, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
  • Eric Henderson, President, Nationwide Annuity, Nationwide Financial
  • Robert Jameison, Senior Vice President, Head of Institutional Insurance and DCIO Relationship Management, Fidelity Institutional Asset Management
  • John Kennedy, Executive Vice President, Chief Distribution and Brand Officer, Lincoln Financial Group
  • Kevin Kennedy, Senior Vice President, Sales and Chief Marketing Officer, Retirement Solutions Division, Pacific Life Insurance Company
  • Melissa Kivett, Executive Vice President, Corporate Retirement Solutions and Business Development, TIAA
  • Wesley Severin, Executive Vice President, Retirement Division, Symetra Financial
  • Michael Sturm, Managing Director, Annuity Product Executive, Bank of America
  • Dylan Tyson, President, Prudential Retirement Strategies, Prudential Financial

“I want to welcome Sean Baker from Blackrock as the newest member of the IRI Board of Directors,” said Wayne Chopus, President and CEO of IRI. “I look forward to his contributions.”

He continued, “Our Board is a deeply motivated and highly-engaged group of industry leaders who are laser-focused on championing retirement security for workers and retirees and to improving our industry. I’m incredibly grateful for their ongoing commitment and contributions to guide our organization.”

# # #

Contact: Dan Zielinski

 

Stay Informed

Latest News

September 30, 2025

IRI: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GUIDANCE SHOULD SUPPORT FLEXIBLE, ACCESSIBLE POOLED EMPLOYER PLANS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on a proposed…

Read more
September 25, 2025

IRI VISION: COLLABORATION IS THE NEW INNOVATION

Reliable data sharing is what makes integrations work, and consistency across the industry is what allows them to be reused…

Read more
September 22, 2025

IRI SUPPORTS DRAFT REGULATORY GUIDANCE FOR NAIC BEST INTEREST MODEL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) supports revised regulatory guidance drafted for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’…

Read more
Scroll To Top