Karl H. Kreder, CLU, was honored as the recipient of the Life Management Institute’s third Insurance Education Award at LOMA’s 61^st Annual Conference. A plaque acknowledging Kreder’s contributions to the FLMI Insurance Education Program was presented by Kenneth Otis, Executive Vice President of Colonial Penn Group and Chairman of LOMA’s Life Management Institute Council.

According to Otis, "Kreder’s greatest contribution has been his insight concerning the future of the FLMI Program. Always a strong defender of education for home office employees, Kreder recognized in the early 1960s that participation in the program provided a very valuable education. Though his work on the Institute’s Education Committee, he set the direction for today’s highly successful FLMI Program.

A member of the Education Council (now the Life Management Institute Council) from 1962 to 1964, Kreder served as chairman in 1965. It was during this time that the FLMI Program underwent significant revisions.

As recommended by Kreder, the FLMI Program was streamlined from 13 to 8 Parts, curriculum was updated to reflect changes in the industry, new Part 1 and 2 texts were published, the FLMI Program was actively marketed for the first time, and more professional staff members were employed.

In 1965, the results of such revitalization became apparent. The FLMI Program began the surge in enrollments that was to continue for the next two decades. Enrollments increased by 23% in one year with the number of Fellows earned by the class of 1965 up 250% over the previous year.

Kreder was the first to vigorously push for direct marketing of the FLMI Program. As Senior Vice President of Personnel at Metropolitan Life, he had staff members develop an audio-visual presentation explaining the FLMI Program. This presentation was used in meetings throughout the country to encourage enrollments.

Throughout his career, Kreder was active in a number of other LOMA committees, served on the LOMA Board of Directors for several years, was board Vice President in 1965 and President in 1966. He was also a member of the Board of Directors for the College of Insurance in New York, and an active force in the New York Boy Scouts.

A graduate of Princeton, Kreder began his career as an agent at Metropolitan Life in 1931. He held a variety of sales and sales/management positions, became Director of Agent/Sales Training, served as Senior Vice President of Personnel, and finally was appointed the government affairs liaison. He retired from Metropolitan in 1970. Throughout his long career, he received numerous industry awards.

Kreder is the third recipient of the LMI Insurance Education Award. Previous awards went to Dr. William T. Beadles, CLU and Janice E. Greider, FLMI, CLU, both authors of important Institute texts.