Stephen Piontek is editor-in-chief of National Underwriter's Life & Health/Financial Services edition.He is responsible for day-to-day news operations, including the assignment, editing and placement of stories and graphic support. He is also responsible for the Editorial and Op-Ed pages, and writes a monthly column, The Editor's Edge, which comments on industry trends and current events. Mr. Piontek came to the newsweekly in 1980 after five years in the advertising and publicity department of a major book publisher in New York. After a series of promotions, he was named Managing Editor in 1989 and five years later was promoted to Editor. During his years as a reporter he pioneered coverage of financial services and financial planning for National Underwriter. Mr. Piontek has appeared as a speaker at a number of industry meetings and conferences. Mr. Piontek graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College with a B.A. in English. In 1998, he completed the Professional Publishing Course at Stanford University. 

spiontek@nuco.com

Jim Connolly is a Senior Editor of National Underwriter's Life & Health/Financial Services edition. Mr. Connolly covers regulatory issues as well as life reinsurance. He came to National Underwriter in March 1988 and has covered financial, financial planning and mutual fund beats. Before joining National Underwriter, Mr. Connolly worked for Fairchild Publications and WPIX-TV. He has written freelance articles for Greenwich Time, Newsday, Adweek and Northern Virginia Sun. Mr. Connolly earned his B.A. from Columbia University and his M.S. from Northwestern University. 

jconnolly@nuco.com

Linda Koco, CSA, is Senior Editor, Products, and Managing Editor, e-Publications, for National Underwriter Life & Health/Financial Services. She edits NU’s cutting edge electronic newsletters — LTC e-Wire and Registered e-Report — and also pens the closely followed “Inside Products” column for NU. In addition, she edits 17 product supplements a year for NU, writes trends articles on insurance design, and files behind the scenes reports from many leading insurance industry meetings. A frequent speaker, Ms. Koco has keynoted the annual meeting of National Association for Indexed Products and also spoken before such groups as the National Association for Variable Annuities, the LIMRA Managed HealthCare Marketing Conference, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Market Conduct Conference, the Institute for International Research Equity Insurance Products Conference, the American Bar Association’s Business Law Conference, and the Cincinnati Chapter of CLU. She has served two terms on The National Underwriter Company’s Board of Directors; she holds the Certified Senior Advisor designation; and she teaches electronic newsletter classes.

lkoco@nuco.com

Ara C. Trembly is Technology Editor for the Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management edition as well as the Life & Health/Financial Services edition of National Underwriter, where he edits the weekly Technology beat pages, produces 17 special technology sections annually and writes on technology-related news. Mr. Trembly, who joined NU in 1997, has been writing and speaking on technology topics since 1982, with articles appearing in Beyond Computing, PC Today, Office Systems, Computer Decisions, Business Systems and other prominent computing and office systems trade publications. As a marketing professional, he has represented a variety of technology companies, including Brother International, Maxell and Ricoh Corp.

atrembly@nuco.com

Allison Bell is an Associate Editor of National Underwriter's Life & Health/Financial Services edition. Ms. Bell handles the health insurance and disability insurance beats and also edits the Employee Benefits Report. She joined National Underwriter in 1996 and was promoted to her current position in 1999. Previously, she covered the New England technology beat for Mass High Tech, a biweekly business newspaper in Watertown, Mass.; the citrus industry and the general aviation industry for The Press Journal, a daily newspaper in Vero Beach, Fla.; and banking and insurance for The Business Journal of Charlotte, a weekly business newspaper in Charlotte, N.C. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

abell@nuco.com

Trevor Thomas is an Associate Editor of National Underwriter's Life & Health/Financial Services edition, which he joined in 1998. He is primarily responsible for covering banks in insurance and edits Sales News & Trends sections on that topic. Mr. Thomas has been associate editor of Business News New Jersey and has had senior writing and editing position with Warren, Gorham & Lamont, the Research Institute of America, the National Institute of Business Management and the American Management Association. He has a B.A. in Communication Arts from Fordham University.

tthomas@nuco.com

Steven Brostoff has been National Underwriter's Washington editor since 1986. In his position, Mr. Brostoff covers all insurance-related issues in Congress, at federal agencies and before the Supreme Court. Prior to joining NU, Mr. Brostoff served as an assistant editor for a New York-based financial publication, The Money Manager, and as a reporter for a community newspaper in Evanston, Ill. Mr. Brostoff received his B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and an M.A. in journalism from Penn State University. He also received a law degree from George Mason University School of Law, where he won an American Jurisprudence Award.

sbrostoff@nuco.com