King of Prussia, PA, June 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chad Patrizi, Executive Vice President and Provost at The American College of Financial Services, announced today that Mark McLennon, JD, CLU®,ChFC®, CFP®, PFS/CPA, has been named Director for the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) Education Program and Assistant Professor of Business Planning. In this position, McLennon takes charge of The College’s cornerstone educational program. For nearly 100 years, the CLU® has set the gold standard for life insurance in the financial services profession.
“Mark has been an exemplary faculty member and a great asset to The College family for years, and I’m confident he’ll bring the same professionalism and valuable skill set to this new position,” said Patrizi. “Our CLU® program couldn’t be in better hands, and his impressive record of experience will allow us to continue to modernize our program offerings and develop our network in the field.”
As one of the top choices for insurance and financial professionals for nearly a century, the CLU® has been a sought-after credential for success in the life insurance field. It gives graduates an in-depth understanding of the practical, legal, and ethical aspects of life insurance, as well as expertise in providing the best solutions to a modern and diverse clientele facing a range of risks and financial situations. McLennon will be responsible for leading the CLU® program asT he College continues to modernize the curriculum, including the new Personal Pathway™ learning model.
“The CLU® is very much the foundation on which The College was built in 1927,” said President and CEO George Nichols III. “Our founder, Dr. Solomon Huebner, envisioned an institution that would blaze the trail in educating financial professionals on the technical complexities and ethical responsibilities of life insurance, and Mark’s promotion shows The College’s commitment to keeping ourselves at the vanguard of the profession.”
McLennon is currently an Adjunct Professor of Business Planning at the American College of Financial Services teaching in the CLU®, Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS), and Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) programs and manages an independent consulting practice.
“I’m honored to have been chosen for this position and excited by its possibilities,” said McLennon. “The College’s second-to-none educational programs have helped make me the financial professional I am today, and I look forward to taking this flagship program and helping lead it into the 21st century.”
McLennon earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Marquette University and his Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University College of Law. He obtained both his Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) credentials from The College and spent over two decades at Northwestern Mutual, joining the company as an advanced planning attorney after holding a similar position for several years at Allstate. McLennon has worked with the business, financial, and estate planning concerns of entrepreneurs, key employees, and other professionals as a financial services company executive, consultant in the tax division of Arthur Andersen & Co., and attorney for the estate-planning group of a large Milwaukee law firm.
As a passionate learner and teacher, McLennon has been a regular speaker and emcee atcompany field and client meetings, as well as at national industry and professional advisorgatherings. He served as a host for the “Ask the Financial Expert” national public podcast, hasbeen published in Estate Planning magazine, and has written comprehensive special studies onboth irrevocable trusts and flow-through entities that have been widely used by advisors andcenters of influence across the country.
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
The American College of Financial Services was founded in 1927 and is the nation’s largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated one in five financial advisors across the United States and offers two master’s degrees in management and financial services, along with prestigious financial planning designations such as Retirement Income CertifiedProfessional® (RICP®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant®(ChFC®), Wealth Management Certified Professional® (WMCP®), Chartered Advisor inPhilanthropy® (CAP®), Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®), and education leading to the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification. The College’s faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders in the financial services profession. Visit TheAmericanCollege.edu and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
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