The American College of Financial Services’ award recognizes the company’s president of Individual Life Insurance for her efforts to expand access to wealth-building tools and resources in communities that have been historically excluded from the financial system.
Salene Hitchcock-Gear, president of Individual Life Insurance at Prudential Financial, was recognized by The American College of Financial Services for her pioneering efforts to expand access to generational wealth-building tools and resources in communities that have historically been excluded from the financial system.
The College presented Hitchcock-Gear with its prestigious Lang Dixon LEAD award honoring an African American financial services professional who has made a significant impact in industry diversity and inclusion and who advocates for others for the benefit of society. The award was presented Aug. 7 at the Conference of African American Financial Professionals in Chicago.
Hitchcock-Gear has served on The College’s board since 2019. In 2024, she will assume the role of board chair, becoming the first Black woman to lead the organization’s board in its nearly 100-year history.
The Detroit native is a leading advocate for creating wealth-building opportunities in underserved communities. She has a focus on increasing education and awareness of tools that can help enhance financial security, protect assets and create generational wealth for Black and Hispanic populations, and LGBTQ+ communities.
“Salene has fully leaned into our work to expand access to financial security and to build wealth across communities that have been traditionally underserved,” said Caroline Feeney, head of Prudential’s U.S. Businesses. “Her boundless energy and passion for the work we do drives progress within our company and throughout our industry.”
An insurance industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, Hitchcock-Gear joined Prudential in 2017 as chief operating officer of Prudential Advisors, the company’s national sales organization with more than 3,000 financial professionals, advisors and fee-based financial planners who offer clients a broad range of financial solutions. She was appointed president of Individual Life Insurance in 2018.
In addition, she is executive sponsor of Prudential’s Women Empowered business resource group, which creates an inclusive, connected community for women to promote development and drive impact for themselves and Prudential. She also represents Prudential as a director on the Women Presidents Organization advisory board and is on the board of the American Council of Life Insurers.
“Our industry has come a long way, but the work is never done,” she said. “We will harness this momentum and continue to focus on what’s important: generating opportunities for underserved individuals and families to achieve financial security and succeed in whichever way is important to them.”
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