The American College to Award Its Highest Honor, the Huebner Gold Medal, to William H. Beckley, CLU, ChFC, MSFS

Bryn Mawr, PA (PRWEB) September 24, 2007 -- The American College, the nation's leading educator of financial service professionals, recently selected William H. Beckley, CLU®, ChFC®, MSFS, Executive Vice President, Agencies with Northwestern Mutual to receive its highest honor, the Huebner Gold Medal. The award ceremony honoring this year's recipients will take place during the President's Circle dinner at the Kennedy Space Center at The College's 2007 Knowledge Summit in Orlando, FL on November 15, 2007.

"Bill is an inspirational leader within the Northwestern Mutual organization and the financial services industry. His volunteer efforts on behalf of our College combined with Bill's unparalleled contributions to our profession over the course of his career make him more than deserving of this distinctive honor. We look forward to recognizing him in Orlando and adding Bill to the pantheon of financial services greats that have received the Huebner Gold Medal over the course of the past three decades," said Larry Barton, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of The American College.

The Huebner Gold Medal is the highest honor bestowed by The American College and is named for the founder of The College, Dr. Solomon S. Huebner. The medal has been awarded annually since 1975 and honors those special few individuals whose support of the College and its

programs, and whose dedication to education and professionalism, have been of particular meaning to the mission and progress of the institution. The Huebner Gold Medal recipients are recognized annually at the President's Circle dinner amid some of The American College's most dedicated supporters.

"This is an exciting time to be part of The American College. We have already doubled the number of President's Circle members in 2007 and the year is far from over. This outpouring of support from our alumni is a clear vote of confidence in the current direction of The College and our plans for the future," Barton said.

The Huebner Gold Medal is one of many well-deserved accolades earned by Beckley over the course of his distinguished career.

Beckley is the Executive Vice President, Agencies with Northwestern Mutual. In this role, he serves on the company's Management Committee and has overall responsibility for overseeing field force recruitment, education, recognition, compensation, field technology and the management of Northwestern Mutual's exclusive general agency system.

Beckley joined Northwestern Mutual in 1976 as an agent in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the first three years of his career, he won the company's Bronze Award in 1977, led all Silver Award winners in 1978 and was a Gold Award runner-up in 1979. His continued dedication to his role as an insurance professional led to his qualification as a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). He also showed an aptitude for leadership that was recognized by Northwestern Mutual when in 1982, he joined their managing partner training program.

After 4 years in the Milwaukee home office of Northwestern Mutual, Beckley accepted the challenge to succeed the legendary Al Granum as Managing Partner in Chicago, Illinois. During his tenure in Chicago, the agency grew from 45 agents in 1986 to 93 agents by 1995. He returned to the home office as Vice President of Agencies in November of 1995. Beckley has a long history with LIMRA, serving as Chairman of the Members Services Advisory Council in 1996 and Chairman of the Agency Building Committee from 1997 to 1999. He then served on LIMRA's Board of Directors from 1999 to 2002. Additionally, Bill is currently a member of GAMA's Executive Management Cabinet. He was President of the Chicago GAMA in 1993-94.

Throughout his career, Beckley has been a vocal advocate of the unique role played by the American College as the only dedicated provider of risk protection education for the financial services industry. Beckley earned the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) designation in 1978, the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation in 1984; and in 1985, he received his Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) degree from The American College. Bill has served as a board member on The American College's Board of Trustees. During his nine years of service, he was chairman of The College's Technology Committee and also the Audit Committee.

He and his wife, Mary, live in Mequon, Wisconsin and they have two sons, Matt and Scott.

Beckley's name will be added to the Huebner Gold Medal Recognition Wall located on The College's campus in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. This wall includes the names of every medal recipient since the award's inception.

For more information on joining the President's Circle and attending the dinner honoring Beckley at the Kennedy Space Center, please contact Mary Phelan at 610-526-1432.

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network is the marketing name for the sales distribution arm of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI -- a FORTUNE 500 company with over $1 trillion of life insurance protection in force. The company maintains the highest available ratings for insurance financial strength from all four major rating agencies: Standard & Poor's, Fitch Ratings, A. M. Best and Moody's. For 150 years, Northwestern Mutual has been serving the financial needs of its policy owners and clients. Further information on the company, its subsidiaries and affiliates can be found at: http://www.nmfn.com/

The American College is dedicated to leadership in innovative training and development that helps financial services companies and their employees succeed. As a non-profit educational institution holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has served as a valued business partner to banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies and others for 80 years. The American College's faculty represents some of the financial services industry's foremost thought leaders. For more information, visit www.TheAmericanCollege.edu

###