2026 LIC Preneed Forum Agenda

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast Hosted by TruStage (Carpools leave Springhill Suites at 7:30 am)

8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Lighthouse Tour (Optional)

The TruStage Events Team will showcase the Lighthouse, TruStage’s LEED Gold–certified, sustainable, and inclusive workplace designed to foster collaboration and community engagement.

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Welcome to the 2026 LIC Preneed Forum, Hosted by TruStage!

Speakers: Fernand LeBlanc, President, Preplanning Solutions, TruStage; Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Adapting in Real Time: Lessons from Improvisation, Change, and Uncertainty

Who says you can't laugh and learn?

LIC is ecstatic to address the topic of change, adaptation, and innovation through the experiences of acclaimed sketch and improv comedy duo Andy Eninger and John Loos. Eninger and Loos have founded the Pinquelton Group, which has helped Fortune 500 companies and other organizations apply the techniques of ideation, collaboration and storytelling to address challenges and uncertainty in business. Oh, this is going to be FUN! 

Speakers:  John Loos and Andy Eninger, Pinquelton Group

11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Networking Break

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - The End Game: Consumer Preferences and Planning U.S. and Canada Industry/Consumer Research

Speakers:  Heather Kiteley, President & CEO, Guaranteed Funeral Deposits of Canada (GFD); Gail Marquardt, VP Consumer Engagement, NFDA 

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Networking Luncheon Hosted by TruStage

1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - Preneed 2036: Hot Takes on What Comes Next Facilitated Discussion with Live Polling

Speaker: Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC 

2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Networking Break

2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. - Perspectives in Preneed: Insights from Carrier Executives

Speakers:  Brian Young, FLMI, President and CEO, LCBA Life; Will Bischoff, Sr. Vice President, Strategic Markets, Homesteaders Life Company

Facilitator: Travis Harrelson, Business Development Manager, TruStage

3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. - What Your Actuary Wishes Your Leadership Team Knew: Reserves, business mix, and why a great sales month can be a bad income month

A plain-English session for the whole leadership team on the things that most often surprise preneed executives: why reserves aren't an expense (they're timing), why single-premium sales and 3-pay conversions quietly consume capital, and what it takes to price and manage a book so business mix and persistency don't dictate profitability. We'll close with a simple annual process for setting and checking growth rates so you're not revisiting them every year. Built as a conversation, bring your questions and your war stories.

Speaker: Syed Raza, President, Actuarial 360 Solutions

3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Day 1 Closing Remarks

Speakers: Fernand LeBlanc, President, Preplanning Solutions, TruStage; Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC; Audrey Wittenburg, Director of Operations, LIC

4:00 p.m. - Sessions Adjourn for the Day 

6:00 p.m. - Hosted Networking Dinner (Bus transportation from Springhill Suites at 5:30 p.m.)

Thursday, November 5, 2026

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast Hosted by TruStage (Carpools leave Springhill Suites at 7:30 am)

8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - Perspectives in Preneed: Insights from Carrier Executives

Speakers: Panelists including Matt Gunderson, Vice President, Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care

Facilitator: Dean Lambert, Executive Director; LIC

9:45 a.m. - 9:55 a.m. - Networking Break

9:55 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. - Leading Change through Transformation

Speaker: Lisa Elliott, Lead Change Management Consultant, TruStage

10:40 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. - Networking Break

10:50 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. - Highlights from the 2026 LIMRA/LIC Preneed Survey

Speaker: Audrey Wittenburg, Director of Operations, LIC 

11:50 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Day 2 Closing Remarks

Speakers:  Fernand LeBlanc, President, Preplanning Solutions, TruStage; Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC; Audrey Wittenburg, Director of Operations, LIC

12:00 p.m. - LIC Preneed Adjourns