Join fellow NAIFA-Maine members to elect the 2023 Board of Directors and to plan for a spectacular 2023. Is there a program or event that you would like to see? This is the time to let your voice be heard.

He was a man of rare, enduring qualities and he will be remembered affectionately as “Put”. Mr. Stevens was known throughout the entire industry. He was a prominent figure an annual insurance conventions which he attended without fail.

Mr. Stevens was active in many fields. In addition to his great contribution to the life insurance industry, for many years he was the only Imperial Potentate of the Mystic Shrine to come from New England. He had been the President of the Quarter Century Traveling Men’s Association, President of the Maine Commercial Travelers Association, Past Exalted Ruler of the Portland Lodge of Elks, member of all the Masonic bodies in Portland, the Boston City Club, the Woodfords Club and the Venerable Gunners and Propellers Association. He was also past President of the Maine Sportsman Fish and Game association and served as a director for the Institute for the Blind.

Mr. Stevens was one of the real pioneers in the life insurance industry. Not only did he exemplify all that is great and good in life insurance, he also demonstrated how worthwhile a good life insurance agent can be to their community.

The State of Maine can justifiably be proud of this great humanitarian and anyone receiving the J. Putnam Stevens’ Award gains with it a rich heritage.

Congratulations to our 2020 and 2022 J. Putnam Stevens Award Recipients! NAIFA-Maine is proud of your accomplishments. 

Aprilyn Chavez Geissler, LACP hails from New Mexico and now serves as a NAIFA National Trustee.  She has worked in many aspects of the insurance and financial services industry including multiline, employee benefits, fixed insurance, and financial services.  She is MDRT Court of Table and First Executive Vice President for Gateway Insurance and Financial Services along with running her own practice.  She is the recipient of 2019 NAIFA National Diversity Champion Award.  She was recognized by Investment News as 2020 Top Women to Watch in the country.  Because of her story, which you will hear in her presentation, Insurance News termed her “the Phoenix of Albuquerque”.  She enjoys spending time giving back and helping others overcome their challenges and plan their financial future.  As a result of following her passion, she was named the top 3 insurance agents in her community.  She has a 10-year-old daughter Kambria that Aprilyn hopes to inspire to be her best self.

Barbara S. Schlictman is the chair of Trusts and Estates at Perkins Thompson PA in Portland, Maine. She also practices with the specialty practice of Maine Center for Elder Law, which merged with Perkins Thompson in 2019. Her office assists families with long-term care planning and MaineCare, whether the need is pre-planning or crisis planning. Ms. Schlichtman also works with the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance health care directives and any needed conservatorships and guardianships. She is a member of the Elder Law Section of the Maine State Bar Association, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and ElderCounsel, LLC, a national organization of attorneys specializing on elder law issues. She has taught elder law as an adjunct professor at University of Maine School of Law, and she regularly presents material on estate planning and long-term care planning. She earned her Bachelor's of Journalism degree and her J.D. degree from the University of Missouri. 1 Hour of CE Pending with the Maine Bureau of Insurance. 

Dan Bernier earned his B.A. degree from The George Washington University in Washington, DC and his J.D. degree from The New England School of Law in Boston, MA. NAIFA-Maine chose Dan Bernier as the 2009 recipient of the prestigious J. Putnam Stevens Award for his contributions to Insurance Law in the State of Maine. The Maine State Legislature joined NAIFA-ME in recognizing Dan's achievements in Insurance Regulation. Dan Bernier was appointed a Dedimus Justice by the Governor of the State of Maine in 2014.

Mark Roberts is a Senior Fire Investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) and an Accelerant Detection K9 handler.

The mission of the Office of State Fire Marshal is to prevent loss of life and property for those that live, work, and visit in the State of Maine. Their goal is to protect against the devastation of fire, explosions and life safety hazards with integrity and fairness through fire prevention, public education, planning, research, investigation and enforcement of enacted laws and rules.

As an agency, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for determining the cause of fires statewide and the investigation of arsons, explosions, and fatalities. Mark has been with the office since 2008 and worked as a patrol officer in both Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth prior to that. He and his canine partner, four-year old Deacon, are one of only two K9 teams in the state and have worked together for two years. Deacon is a second career dog, having been acquired from a service dog agency in Michigan.

Mark will be addressing Maine’s Arson K-9 Program.

Trish Kauker started in the mortgage business in 1985 and migrated to the reverse mortgage space (retirement financing) in 1995 and it has been her passion ever since. Having originated thousands of loans, she became state certified instructor offering continuing education classes to the Board of Realtors and the CPA Association. She also provided continuing legal education classes the Real Estate, Elder Law and Estate Planning divisions of the Delaware State Bar. She then spent the next 6 years as the National Sales Trainer for the largest reverse mortgage company in the country. Trish also started a reverse mortgage division for a regional bank, establishing internal policies and procedures as well as training, marketing, seminar presentations and expanded to a nationwide platform.

As an Account Executive for MetLife Home Loans, she worked exclusively with Banks & Credit Unions providing training for third party originations. As an Account Executive at Fairway, she provides guidance in business development and building relationships for the Retirement Mortgage Loan Officers.

Her presentation will give you a very different perspective. She often asked her clients and professional partners, “If what you thought you knew about mortgages and financial planning was wrong, when would you want us to tell you?” 1 Hour of CE Pending with the Maine Bureau of Insurance. 

Ben Yardley has been at the Maine Bureau of Insurance since 2004, first as the Life/Disability and Property/Casualty attorney and second, since mid-2018, as Senior Staff Attorney. Among other tasks, he coordinates development of rules, conducts administrative proceedings, investigates violations of insurance laws, handles enforcement matters, participates in NAIC cybersecurity, insurance innovation and technology activities, and coordinates Bureau legislative matters. Before joining the Bureau, he was with the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board for seven years. Earlier in his career, he was in private practice in Manchester, New Hampshire and in-house counsel with a group of higher education finance companies in St. Paul, Minnesota. 1 Hour of CE Pending with the Maine Bureau of Insurance.