2025 LIC Preneed Forum Agenda
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Continental Breakfast Hosted by Pekin Insurance
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. - Welcome
Jocelyn Duncan, Chief Operating Officer, Pekin Insurance
Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Keynote Presentation: Peter Shankman
Peter Shankman is a top keynote speaker in marketing, social media, customer service, and neurodiversity in the workplace. The New York Times has called Peter "a rock star who knows everything about social media and then some." He is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and corporate speaker recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, and the new Neurodiverse Economy.
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. - Networking Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Attendee Round Robin: Current Initiatives, Challenges, and Opportunities
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Networking Luncheon Hosted at the Pekin Insurance Cafeteria
1:00 p.m. - 1:40 p.m. - Preneed and Funeral Home Market Update
Laurie Covington, Senior VP, Homesteaders Life Company
1:40 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Networking Break
2:00 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. - Obitdata: An Untapped Business Intelligence Source
John Heald, Chief Growth Officer, Legacy.com
Obitdata’s compiled data is used by companies for environmental scans ahead of strategy planning, forecast opportunities and challenges presented by population shifts, and staying ahead of compliance demands related to unclaimed property. Mr. Heald heads Legacy.com’s growth programs such as Obitdata, MarketIQ, and Genealogy partnerships, among others.
2:40 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Networking Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Preneed Case Study: Pekin Insurance
John Campbell, AVP - Preneed Sales, Pekin Insurance
4:00 p.m. - Sessions Adjourn for the Day
4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Hosted Networking Cookout Dinner
Join us across the parking lot at The Pekin Insurance Lodge for snacks and drinks after the meeting, followed by a casual cookout at 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 6, 2025
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast Hosted by Pekin Insurance
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Preneed Survey Review
John Campbell, AVP-Preneed Sales, Pekin Insurance; Pam Kleese, Director-Research & Insights, Homesteaders Life Company; and Andrea Rouleau, SVP, Chief Actuary, National Guardian Life Insurance Company
John Campbell will lead a panel of members of the 2025 LIMRA/LIC Preneed Survey Task Force, providing a review and discussion of highlights from the latest preneed sales data, published in September 2025.
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Networking Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Preneed Motivators: A Policyowner View of the Preneed Customer Journey
Danielle Burmeister, Vice President - Marketing & Communications, Homesteaders Life Company
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. - Preneed Hot Topics: Facilitated Discussion
A discussion of topics requested by attendees, including any remaining questions or insights from our presenters.