Congratulations to Mike Herring -- Our 2026 Distinguished Service Award Winner

Join Us at Quarry Oaks Golf Club July 23 to honor MIKE HERRING of Lincoln, a State Farm agent who is the recipient of the NAIFA-Nebraska Distinguished Service Award (DSA) for 2025. The award will be presented to Mike during the lunch break from 11AM to 12 Noon -- following a morning of CE programs and before a luncheon keynote presentation.  CLICK HERE for program and registration information on the July 23 event.

The DSA is presented annually to an individual member (active or retired) who has made significant and diverse contributions to the insurance industry, and who embraces the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) “Whole Person Concept”.  The Whole Person has been defined as one who “is engaged in a lifetime quest to achieve balance and congruity in all aspects of his or her life and continually seeks to develop his or her full human potential.”  The Whole Person seeks balance in seven significant areas – family, health, education, career, service, financial and spiritual. CLICK HERE to view a list of previous DSA winners.

ABOUT OUR AWARD WINNER - Mike began his career as an insurance advisor in 1984 after three years serving as a claims adjuster. As a testament to his industry commitment, Mike joined NAIFA (then NALU) by January of 1985 and has maintained active involvement ever since. In over 40 years of participation in our association, his involvement has been incredibly active.

At the local level Mike has served on the board and fulfilled roles in each of the chair positions, including local president. He had also helped organize a fundraiser golf tournament for our Lincoln Cornhusker association for many years. Likewise, for anyone active in NAIFA over the last 20 years, you’ve experienced Mike’s passion and involvement in NAIFA throughout the state and national levels. He served as State President in 2018 and subsequently represented Nebraska nationally as the NAIFA-Nebraska National Committeeman for three years. Throughout his service, he has contributed his time and expertise to numerous important committees, including the Insurance Leaders Forum Planning Committee, Membership Committee, State PAC Candidate Selection Committee, and Legislative Bill Review Committee.

Mike continues to serve on NAIFA National’s Advocacy and Grassroots Committee, helping ensure that the voice of advisors and their clients is represented in critical legislative and regulatory discussions. Mike’s commitment to leadership development and member engagement is equally noteworthy. As a graduate of the Leadership in Life Institute (LILI) in 2016, he has exemplified the qualities of servant leadership and professional excellence that the program seeks to foster. His influence has helped strengthen member involvement and organizational momentum throughout the state association.

One of Mike’s most significant contributions has been his unwavering support of IFAPAC and NAIFA advocacy efforts. With more than $30,000 in lifetime IFAPAC contributions— ranking eighth among all active NAIFA-Nebraska members -- Mike has demonstrated extraordinary personal commitment to protecting the profession through political advocacy. Beyond his own contributions, he played an instrumental role in coordinating the efforts that led NAIFA-Nebraska to win the first two IFAPAC Madness championships, bringing  national recognition to the state association’s advocacy engagement and fundraising success.

Mike also continues to create meaningful opportunities to recognize and encourage advocacy leadership within the association. Most notably, he planned and coordinated the first  NAIFA-Nebraska IFAPAC Defender Award ceremony last year, during which Dan Scholz was honored for his contributions. This initiative further reflects Mike’s ability to bring members together, celebrate service, and strengthen the culture of advocacy within NAIFA-Nebraska.

For the last few years, Mike has also been serving on the board for the NAIFA Nebraska Foundation and supported their mission through contributions over his NAIFA career.

Ultimately, there could be pages filled with the outline of commitment Mike has embodied for NAIFA -Nebraska, but it’s clear that few have served for this length of time and in such broad capacity.  Our association is clearly better for having Mike as a member, and his service continues to have a positive impact for our membership. 

Along with service to NAIFA, Mike has demonstrated commitment to serving his clients and achieved multiple production awards and top producer qualifications within his career at State Farm. His credentials also reflect his desire to grow professionally through attaining the CLU, ChFC and LUTCF designations. 

Throughout his career, Mike has also maintained active involvement in his community. He’s an active member at the Peace Lutheran church in Waverly. He has served as a drummer in their praise band for  over 30 years and for almost the last 20 years has served as their director for Missions, Evangelism and Service. Mike has also had multiple years of participation locally in the Teammates mentoring program. 

Beyond service to his community and industry, Mike has more importantly shown unwavering commitment to his family. As a husband, father, and grandfather, Mike is always available to lend support and  when not serving his clients or community, Mike’s focus in time with his family. Over nearly four decades of membership and service, Mike has consistently demonstrated dedication, leadership, and a passion for advancing NAIFA’s mission. His contributions at the local, state, and national levels make him exceptionally deserving of Distinguished Service Award recognition.