AFBA and 5Star Life Insurance Company Name Erica L. Jenkins Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary
Jenkins brings deep legal knowledge and expertise to position
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA), and its affiliate, 5Star Life Insurance Company (5Star Life), announced today the promotion of Erica L. Jenkins to Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, effective March 14, 2025.
“In her new role, Erica will lead our legal and compliance teams, and I am confident that under her leadership, the teams will continue to positively impact the enterprise while upholding the highest standards of professionalism and service,” said General Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.), President of AFBA and 5Star Life.
Erica joined 5Star Life in June of 2023 with more than 20 years of insurance industry experience. She began her legal career working for State Farm Insurance as a litigation attorney. She transferred her analytical and problem-solving skills to Nationwide as in-house counsel where she honed her regulatory and advisory skills and advised on regulatory, procedural, product and claims matters impacting the organization. Continuing the growth in her legal career, Erica transitioned to a role within the legal department of Erie Insurance where she advised on legal issues with organizational, litigation, compliance, internal audit, and regulatory impact, including advising her primary client, Erie Family Life, on various issues affecting their product development, contracting, litigation, claims, and other impactful legal matters.
“I am deeply honored to assume this new position with AFBA and 5Star Life,” stated Jenkins. “I look forward to supporting enterprise strategies and driving our mission forward.”
About AFBA
With the support of the General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) was established in 1947 in the basement of the Pentagon to ease the strain on military members and their families who, at the time, could not purchase life insurance that would pay a death benefit if the member was killed in combat. Today, headquartered in Alexandria, VA, AFBA continues to honor its mission, in war and peace, promoting the welfare of its members by providing survivor and other benefits to those who serve this great nation, including members of the uniformed services, first responders, government employees, and their families. AFBA has 915,000 members with $57 billion of death benefits in force and has paid $2 billion of death benefits since inception. AFBA death benefits are primarily underwritten by its affiliate, 5Star Life Insurance Company (a Lincoln, Nebraska domiciled company).
About 5Star Life Insurance Company
5Star Life Insurance Company (5Star Life) is the primary underwriter of the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) member policies and is also a growing provider of group and worksite voluntary products. Its business model enables 5Star Life to serve the needs of a diverse clientele as an insurance advisor to individuals and organizations, and as a trusted partner to brokers. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, 5Star Life is currently licensed in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.
Chief Fox, a 5Star Life board member, wrote the following article inspired by his recent visit to the 5Star Life office in Lincoln, Nebraska. This article is published online in a local Long Island newspaper, which can be found here.
“Change, or Transition? Our Choice”
A couple of weeks ago I did a leadership seminar in Lincoln Nebraska, with a company I am honored to be part of, 5Star Life Insurance. 5StarLife offers affordable insurance, geared toward the needs of our US Soldiers, National Guard and first responders. Our motto is, “We serve those who serve our nation.” This particular team, whose contributions play an integral role in the company’s mission, is taking on significant changes in their operating systems.
In this session we thought it would be best to talk about a part of life that we are each sometimes challenge with, professionally and personally, managing change. We did a workshop, in which each member shared a challenging or unwanted change that they are going through. One member shared that she was struggling with the death of her dog, which was compounded by the unsettling thought that life is moving too fast.
Her sharing moved our group into a discussion of how change is not only inevitable, but constant. I shared how struck I was by a recent visit to the American Museum of Natural History. I walked through the spiral “Cosmic Pathway.” The exhibit is about the evolving of our universe, from the Big Bang theory, 13 billion years ago, to today. The walking exhibit chronicles the creation of our galaxy, our planet, as well as the first signs of life, up to the relatively very recent presence of our humanity. Of course the changes in our planet continue. The cliffs of Niagara Falls recede north every moment, because of the force of the water flowing over them. The mountains we drive by are constantly reshaping. As far as our civilization changing, just reading a history book or even looking back a decade and seeing all that has changed in our world can make our heads spin.
So yes, change is constant, and nothing in our existence is stagnant. However, that realization may not bring us much comfort when we are experiencing change in our lives, especially change that we are either unprepared for, or unwilling to go through. Two concepts that are used interchangeably are change and transition. There is actually a significant difference between each.
Change is something that happens to us, usually not our choice. A parent passing away, being laid off from a job, or a change in the leadership team of the company we work in are things we do not choose. But we have to go through them. Transition is when we accept or come to terms with a change, and adjust our lives accordingly. When a parent dies we go through the stages of grieving, one of them being acceptance, and we redefine our lives. To some extent, our relationships with our surviving family members are realigned. Being laid off is a change no one would choose, but we get ourselves through that pain with the help of others, and possibly professional help. Getting a résumé together and finding another job is the transition that follows the layoff.
There are steps to better manage change, and make that change a transition. Acceptance is first – the most important. Coming to terms with the fact that a particular change is unavoidable is the beginning of the transition. Staying angry because you would rather not be reporting to the new boss in your company will not end well. Letting the sadness of a layoff, and the bitterness that you feel because of how you were treated consume you, will not help you find a new job.
Another important step is to try the change on for size. What can you bring to the change, to make it a transition? This requires confidence and believing in yourself. No change in life, personally or professionally, is more than you can handle. You have a new boss? You worked hard at your position and you built a great reputation before she got there. Continue to do that! Embrace the new beginning, the new relationship. You had to move because your company relocated? Try to focus on what could work in your new surroundings. Look for the exciting things the new city you will be living in offer, what you did not have where you are moving from.
If you’re going through a challenging transition now, I hope some of these concepts help. I would also like to share a practice that works well for me. Now and then I look back in my life and I think of all of the changes I have been through. There are some I have excitedly chosen, and there are some I did not. Each of those changes better prepared me for the next one to come. Each of those transitions better equipped me for life. This practice better prepares me for changes – transitions – to come. And here is my personal favorite, a reminder for myself I came up with a few years ago:
“When I was being born, I cried. And yet, what a wonderful experience this life has been. I try not to make the same mistakes twice.” – Joe Fox
Dual military and law enforcement career aligns with enterprise mission
ALEXANRIA, VA – 5Star Life Insurance Company (5Star Life) announced today the appointment of Lieutenant General A.C. Roper, USA (Ret.) to its board of directors, effective July 1, 2024.
“We are pleased to welcome Lt. Gen. A.C. Roper to the board. His extensive experience in the military and law enforcement will galvanize our efforts as we deepen our presence in those markets,” said General Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.), Chair and President of 5Star Life.
Lieutenant General A.C. Roper retired in 2024 after a distinguished 42-year career in the U.S. Army where he last served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command, and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command.
In his civilian capacity, Lieutenant General Roper has more than 33 years of law enforcement experience culminating with his 10-year tenure as the Chief of Police of the Birmingham Police Department. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice.
“I am excited to join the 5Star Life Insurance Company board of directors and further its noble mission of serving those who serve, defend, and protect our nation,” added Lt. Gen. A.C. Roper.
About 5Star Life
5Star Life Insurance Company (5Star Life) is the primary underwriter of the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) member life insurance benefits. In addition, it extends the enterprise’s mission to civilians serving our country in the workplace. As a growing provider of group and worksite voluntary products, 5Star Life serves a diverse clientele as an insurance provider to individuals and organizations and as a trusted advisor to brokers. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, 5Star Life (a Lincoln, NE company) is currently licensed in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. 5Star Life was awarded on the Forbes World’s Best Insurance Companies 2024 list.
Earlier this morning, the US Department of the Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services published their anticipated tri-agency report focused on proposed rule changes affecting short-term medical and indemnity-based supplemental products. We applaud the efforts of these agencies in keeping our industry a vital part of the insurance landscape. We fully support their intent to ensure an environment that can provide clarity about employee benefits and to adopt effective consumer protections to those that we serve.
We are in the process of reading the 237-page report to fully understand the changes and their implications to our business. While the early consensus is that the changes to any Accident, Healthcare Indemnity, or specified disease products made available by 5Star Life Insurance Company are extremely limited, it is clear the regulators intend to continue discussions on these ‘excepted benefit plans’ which indicates other changes may be forthcoming. We are committed to and will continue to diligently work on our end to remain a valuable and active participant in our industry. As such, please be assured that 5Star Life remains committed to maintaining a suite of products that is both of value to the consumer and in compliance with regulatory changes. To this end, we began product development efforts earlier this year with a view of launching them ahead the effective dates of any changes to applicable regulatory requirements.
At 5Star Life Insurance Company, our goal remains to protect the consumer and deliver best-in-class service to our brokers, which, of course, means adhering to all pertinent rules and regulations. Working in partnership with you, we are confident in our ability to address all changes by their prescribed timelines which begin in 2025. We will keep you fully informed of the improvements we make that both respond to these regulations and, of at least equal importance, better serve you and your clients.
We will have more to share with once we have considered the implications of the regulations. In the interim, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the 5Star Life team.
Michael R. Moser
Chief Distribution and Legal Officer
Sal Campanile
Vice President, Worksite Voluntary Benefits & Group Sales
Recognition validates growth and customer experience strategy
ALEXANDRIA, VA. – 5Star Life Insurance Company (5Star Life) has been awarded on the Forbes list of World’s Best Insurance Companies 2023. This prestigious award was presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list can be viewed on the Forbes website.
“Forbes’ recognition validates our years-long strategy focused on growth and on delivering the best customer service experience,” said General Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.) President of 5Star Life. “We are thankful to the customers who helped put 5Star Life on the list and to the dedicated employees who have worked hard to bring about this award.”
The World’s Best Insurance Companies 2023 were determined based on an independent survey of over 30,000 consumers in 15 different countries. The survey considered customers’ overall recommendation, general satisfaction, loyalty, and five subdimensions: Advice, Customer Service, Price-Performance, Transparency, and Damage/Benefit Service.
Based on the study’s results, 5Star Life is ecstatic to be recognized on Forbes’ list of the World’s Best Insurance Companies in 2023.
“We are honored to be recognized by Forbes,” said Kimberley E. Wooding, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of 5Star Life. “It is a tribute to the deployment of efforts to our long-term strategic plan and our team’s unrelenting focus on profitable growth and commitment to providing a best-in-class consumer experience for our brokers, employers, and individual policyholders.”
About 5Star Life
5Star Life Insurance Company (5Star Life) is the life insurance underwriter of the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) member benefits and a growing provider of group and worksite voluntary insurance products. Its business model enables 5Star Life to serve the needs of a diverse clientele as an insurance provider to individuals and organizations and as a trusted partner to brokers. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, 5Star Life is currently licensed in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
New look, same mission
Welcome to the new 5Star Life website! Our overarching goal was to improve your experience, and as you peruse through the site, you will notice many changes: new content, intuitive navigation, and an enhanced support section.
Throughout this project, one thing has not changed: our mission. 5Star Life is proud of our unique dual purpose. First, we promote the Armed Forces Benefit Association’s (AFBA) mission by underwriting its members’ benefits protecting those who serve, defend, and protect our country – military, National Guard, first responders, government employees and contractors. In parallel to that noble purpose, we serve strategically aligned markets – delivering benefits for those who keep our communities running and thriving.
Founded in 1996 to provide coverage tailored to the unique needs of service life, I encourage you to review the timeline below showing our growth and evolution in the employer group and worksite benefits markets. Today, 5Star Life enjoys financial strength and stability ensuring we’ll be here with our customers need us.
General Larry Spencer, USAF (Ret.)
Chair and President, 5Star Life Insurance Company