Zarifa Brown Reynolds is the President and CEO of fraternal life insurance organization, Royal Neighbors of America, which is dedicated to insuring lives, supporting women, and serving communities. Zarifa is a mission-driven, transformational executive with a record of team building, talent development, and developing and executing strategies to profitably grow businesses.
Prior to joining Royal Neighbors in 2023, Zarifa was an executive at Guardian Life Insurance Company (Guardian) where she led a national sales, account management, and underwriting team.
Before joining Guardian, Zarifa was Head of Corporate Development at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) where she was responsible for corporate mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, strategic venture capital investing, and corporate strategic projects.
Prior to joining TIAA, Zarifa was a partner at Greenberg Traurig, an international law firm. Zarifa started her legal career at Shearman & Sterling in New York City.
Zarifa is a board member of American Council of Life Insurers (Forum 500), KIPP Miami, and the Harvard Law School Association of New York City. She holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brown University.
Married to Cedrick and mother of two children, Zarifa splits her time between the Quad Cities community and South Florida. She enjoys golf, tutoring children in math, and spending time with her family.
Karen Hayes is an experienced insurance professional and leader with a specialty in business process improvement. She currently serves Royal Neighbors of America as Operations Executive overseeing Underwriting, Agent Services, and the Customer Support Center.
Since joining Royal Neighbors in 2011, Ms. Hayes has held leadership positions over multiple functional areas including Senior Director, Agent and Customer Services where she oversaw Society functions relating to Customer Support, Claims, Underwriting Operations, Licensing, Contracting, and Commissions. Before joining Royal Neighbors, Ms. Hayes was a senior manager at Allsteel in Muscatine, Iowa.
A native of the Quad Cities, Ms. Hayes graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management. Ms. Hayes has earned both the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) Leadership Institute Fellow (LLIF) designation as well as the Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) designation.
Ms. Hayes dedicates her time as volunteer with Junior Achievement of the Heartland, is past member of United Way Mental Health and Substance Abuse Strategic Investment Committee, and previously served as a judge for Royal Neighbors Nation of NeighborsSM and Scholarship panels. Additionally, Ms. Hayes serves as President of the lift Women’s Foundation (formerly the Royal Neighbors Foundation) and is a member of the LIMRA Executive Development Steering Committee.
Ms. Hayes is an avid football fan and rarely misses an Iowa home game. Married to Aaron and mother to daughters Cassandra, Grace, Brooke, and son Caden, Ms. Hayes enjoys spending time with family, traveling (especially to any beach and to the Northwoods), and simply being together.
Celena Anderson is the Human Resources and Membership Engagement Executive at Royal Neighbors of America, where she leads the implementation of competitive strategies in marketing, sets the strategic direction of philanthropic goals, and has overall responsibility for the design and implementation of human resources initiatives. Celena is a key member of the executive leadership team and supports the Board of Directors.
Prior to her role at Royal Neighbors, she served in the role of Chief Human Resources Officer where she helped guide a start-up company through critical stages of business maturity, including international expansion strategy, strategic program management, and organizational development. Before this time, Celena held leadership roles within diverse industries leading organizational transformation and developing human capital strategies.
Celena is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR), a SHRM Certified Professional, and earned the FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute) designation from LOMA. She holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a concentration in HR from Millikin University.
Celena resides in Henry, Illinois with her husband, Kyle, and two children. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, running, and enjoys giving back to her local community.
Raja Krishnamurthy believes in the power of strategy and technology to create competitive advantages for organizations in the marketplace. He has over two decades of experience in executing technology and business initiatives through influence, transformational
thinking, and teamwork. He regards knowledge sharing, sustainable living, and grassroots philanthropy as powerful ways to create a world of opportunity and progress for all.
Joining Royal Neighbors in 2008, Raja has served in numerous leadership
roles in IT, Finance, and Marketing. He has over 20 years of experience in software design and development, enterprise architecture, business intelligence, information technology management, and corporate strategy development.
Raja considers
himself fortunate to have served in a variety of roles learning from leaders with varying leadership styles. He has held positions ranging from highly focused and technical roles to broad strategic leadership and management roles. He was honored to
receive the Royal Neighbors Employee of the Year award in 2010.
Since 2019, he has held the role of Strategy & IT Executive, with leadership responsibility for Corporate Strategic Planning, Portfolio Management Office, IT Infrastructure, IT Applications
Design and Development, Information Security, and IT Production Support.
Raja earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Madras, India, a Master of Computer Applications degree from Bharathidasan University, India, and a Master
of Organizational Leadership degree from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. He also holds the FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute), FSRI (Fellow, Secure Retirement Institute), and ACS (Associate, Customer Service) designations in the insurance
industry, and several technology certifications.
Raja enjoys supporting and participating in volunteering efforts sponsored or organized by Royal Neighbors. He volunteers at his temple, coaches a local robotics team, and serves as a mentor
in a community spiritual program.
When not at work, he loves spending time with his family consisting of his wife and two children, reading, meditating, going for long walks, biking, and enjoying his favorite sports.
Thomas D. Myers is a seasoned insurance financial executive with over 35 years of experience and has dedicated his career to the life insurance industry. He has held roles beyond traditional finance positions including Chief Operating Officer and President and brings a well-balanced, holistic view in his oversight of the Society’ financial operations.
Thomas has been Royal Neighbors of America’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since 2018. Prior to joining Royal Neighbors, he was with the Kemper Life and Health division of Kemper Corporation for 23 years and progressed his career from a corporate accounting manager to President of Kemper Life and Health’s flagship life insurance company. His first position after graduating college was with the public accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand where he spent eight years providing assurance services to financial services client, including, but not limited to, life insurers.
Myers possesses a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University and is a non-active CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and a FLMI (Fellow Life Management Institute).
Married to Therese and father to Sean, Thomas enjoys spending time with his family watching sports, theater, traveling, and playing golf.
Antonio (Tony) Trillo is General Counsel and Secretary at Royal Neighbors of America, where he leads the organization’s legal and compliance functions and serves as a key member of the executive leadership team. Tony provides strategic
legal guidance to senior management and the Board of Directors, helping shape the organization’s legal strategy and corporate governance practices.
Prior to his role at Royal Neighbors, he served as Deputy General Counsel for a global public accounting firm. In that role, Tony supervised litigation and regulatory matters, and advised firm leaders on compliance, governance, and risk management.
Before his time in the private sector, Tony spent eight years in the United States Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney. He served in different capacities within the Department, culminating his public career as the Chief of the
Civil Division of the Unites States Attorney’s Office in Madison, Wisconsin.
Tony holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Florida, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Tony resides in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with his wife, Lauren, and two children. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, working on home improvement projects, and playing the drums in local bands.
His time in public service equipped him with a strong foundation in legal ethics and public accountability—qualities he continues to bring to his role in advancing Royal Neighbors’ mission of insuring lives and supporting communities.
