Executive leadership

Rich Bielen was named Protective Life Corporation’s seventh President and Chief Executive on July 1, 2017. In his more than 40 years of financial services experience, more than 30 of those have been with Protective. He joined the Company in 1991 with responsibility for the company’s securities portfolio before becoming Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer in 2002. Subsequently, he transitioned to the role of Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer in 2007, then President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2016.

He began his career at Arthur Andersen and Co., where he served from 1983-1986. He then joined Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. as a sales analyst focused on new product development before moving into the position of Senior Vice President.

Bielen belongs to the Board of Trustees for Children’s of Alabama, the Board of Directors for Innovate Alabama and the Board of Directors for ProAssurance. In addition, he serves on boards for the United Way of Central Alabama, Birmingham Business Alliance and Leadership Birmingham. In March 2020, Bielen was nominated to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and holds the position of the 2025 Chair for The American Council of Life Insurers Board of Directors.

A Certified Public Accountant, Bielen earned a master’s degree in business administration in addition to a bachelor’s degree from New York University.

Scott Adams is the Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer for Protective Life Corporation. In his role, Adams leads Protective’s business transformation, collaborating with teams across the organization and ensuring results-oriented work. In addition, he oversees corporate communications and strategy, all in support of Protective’s growth and transformation initiatives.

Prior to joining Protective as the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer in 2006, Adams served as an executive search consultant for the wealth and investment sector with Anderson and Associates, a boutique executive search firm. He spent 18 years with Bank of America and predecessor companies. From 1996 to 2004, he was Senior Vice President and Human Resource Executive for the wealth and investment management business of Bank of America.

Adams serves on the boards of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and UAB Athletics Foundation. He recently served as Vice Chair of the board of directors for The World Games 2022.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington and Lee University.

Lance Black assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Acquisitions and Corporate Development for Protective Life Corporation in March 2022, previously having served as the company’s Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Corporate Development since June 2021. He is responsible for Protective Life Corporation’s acquisition and capital markets segments. Prior to his current area of responsibility, he served as Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Stable Value Products. In that role, he was responsible for the institutional funding business segment (stable value), in addition to capital raising and cash management for the corporate holding company and subsidiaries, asset/liability management, managing rating agency relationships, and projection of corporate earnings and capital.

Before joining Protective in 2003 as the Vice President of Investment Strategy, Black worked for Wachovia Corporation (now Wells Fargo) for over a decade and was last a director in the insurance corporate and investment banking unit of Wachovia Securities.

Black serves on the boards of the Hope Institute and the Westminster School at Oak Mountain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder.

Mark Drew joined Protective Life Corporation in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Prior to joining Protective, Drew was in private practice at Maynard Cooper & Gale for 28 years and served as the managing shareholder from 2006-2016. His corporate work there included counseling private and public companies, including banking and financial institutions, at both the board and transactional level. He also has significant experience handling mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures at the international level.

Drew serves on the boards of The Westervelt Company, Business Council of Alabama, Association of Life Insurance Counsel, Birmingham Museum of Art, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, and the Greater Alabama Council - Boy Scouts of America. He received his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Wake Forest University.

Wendy Evesque is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Protective Life Corporation. She leads Protective's focus on people and culture, including efforts that support talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, leadership development and total rewards. In addition, she oversees the Protective Life Foundation, community engagement and sustainability teams, which help shape the company’s culture. Evesque joined Protective in March 2005 and was named to her current role in 2017.

Prior to joining Protective, Evesque served as Vice President and Human Capital Partner with United Health Group for more than a decade, providing human resources and acquisition support to health plans across the country.

She currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. In addition, she is a member of the board of visitors for the University of Alabama Culverhouse School of Business.

Evesque earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Wade Harrison was named Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for Protective in November of 2024, having previously served as Protective’s EVP, Chief Retail Officer since June of 2022. He provides strategic leadership for the Protection, Retirement, Asset Protection and Employee Benefits retail businesses and supporting capabilities, including the company’s marketing, operations and technology functions. Harrison, who has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, initially joined Protective in 2014 as Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer.

Prior to joining Protective, Harrison worked for COUNTRY Financial for 13 years, serving in executive and senior leadership roles in areas of life/health operations, financial services operations and investment services. Before joining COUNTRY, he was a consultant for Tillinghast – Towers Perrin.

Harrison is active with several industry groups and serves on the Board of Directors for LL Global and the Life Insurance Committee of the ACLI. Locally, he lends his expertise as a member of the Mid-Alabama chapter of the American Red Cross' Board of Directors, the Risk Management and Insurance Advisory Board at the Samford University's Brock School of Business, and the University of Alabama Actuarial Advisory Council. Harrison is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Birmingham and belongs to the 33rd Class of Leadership Alabama.

Harrison, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, received a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in addition to a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Paul Wells is the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Protective Life Corporation, where he oversees the company’s finance organization, including the areas of accounting, financial reporting, actuarial, tax, treasury, stable value products and asset liability management. Wells joined Protective in 2004 as Assistant Vice President, Manager of SEC reporting and later held the roles of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Life and Annuity Division beginning 2007 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Life and Annuity Division beginning 2014. Before assuming his current role in June of 2022, he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer since 2017.

Prior to joining Protective, Wells worked for BBVA Bank and PwC. Wells is a member of the 2024 Leadership Birmingham class and currently serves on the board for Cornerstone School and the Dean's Advisory Board for Samford University’s Brock School of Business.

Wells, a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Samford University and a Master of Accountancy degree from the University of Alabama. 

Scott Karchunas is Senior Vice President and President, Asset Protection Division for Protective Life Corporation. As an employee of Protective and its subsidiaries since 1988, he has served in a variety of roles within the company, including Senior Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Division Vice President and Regional Vice President. Altogether, he has over 30 years of experience in the automotive finance and insurance industries.

In addition to contributing to various trade journals and speaking at industry events, Karchunas is an accredited member of the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals. He serves on the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis and is actively involved in several committees.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he is also a member of the University of Notre Dame’s Sorin Society. Subsequently, Karchunas achieved a master’s degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis, where he holds membership in the William Greenleaf Eliot Society.

Matthew Kohler is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Protective Life Corporation, where he ensures the alignment of Protective’s technical and business strategies. His responsibilities include collaborating with key business leaders to evaluate new technology, delivering the tools and data necessary to execute objectives, and providing direction and perspective across the organization.

An employee of Protective since 1998, Kohler most recently served as Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and prior to that as the head of the business solutions department, providing development support for the life, annuity and corporate business functions. He also previously held the role of application development manager, where he oversaw several systems areas including agency, telelife, illustrations and agent support.

Kohler earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing research with minors in mathematics and statistics from Florida State University in addition to a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dom Lebel is Protective's Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. As CRO, Lebel’s primary responsibility are providing independent oversight of enterprise risks with a focus on insurance and product related risks, credit and market risks, as well as operational and technology risks.

Prior to joining Protective, Lebel served as Managing Director at WTW (Willis Towers Watson), leading the Americas Life Insurance Consulting and Technology practice. Throughout his nearly 30-year career, Lebel has gained considerable experience working with U.S. and multinational life insurers on embedded value, economic capital, mergers and acquisitions, pricing and product development, and transformation. He has helped many life insurers manage risk and capital, improve business performance, and create sustainable advantage via advisory and technology engagements.

Lebel earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Mathematics from Concordia University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Laura McDonald is Protective Life Corporation’s Senior Vice President, Chief Mortgage and Real Estate Officer. She is responsible for Protective’s commercial mortgage loan and real estate portfolio. McDonald joined Protective in 2013 and has over 31 years of commercial real estate lending and corporate banking experience. Previously, she worked for Capmark Finance (formerly known as GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation) and SouthTrust Bank. Prior to SouthTrust, McDonald worked in the audit division of Arthur Andersen, LLP.  

McDonald was awarded the Dai-ichi Life President’s Award in 2020 in recognition of brand enhancement and corporate value creation as well as her contribution to resolve social issues. She also serves on the advisory board of the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center in the current role of board president. McDonald has also served on the executive leadership team of the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball, the Beyond Blue Host Committee benefitting the Mike Slive Foundation, the capital campaign to redevelop The Bell Center, as a past board chair of the American Cancer Society and the capital campaign for the expansion of the Ronald McDonald House. In addition, she is an alumna of Leadership Alabama’s Class of 2023 and Leadership Birmingham’s Class of 2019 and is a current member of the Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Central Alabama.

McDonald earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from The University of Alabama and is also a Certified Public Accountant – State of Alabama (inactive).

Aaron Seurkamp is Senior Vice President and President, Protection & Retirement Division for Protective Life Corporation. His responsibilities include the life insurance, annuity and executive benefits business lines where he oversees product development, distribution and operations. He also directs the management of Concourse Financial Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Protective.

Since joining Protective in 2004, Seurkamp has served in various leadership positions for both the life and annuity product lines, including Protective’s Chief Distribution Officer for Life and Annuity.

In addition to his work at Protective, Seurkamp is the chair of the annuities committee for LIMRA, a member of the ACLI Annuities Committee and a member of the President’s Advisory Council for The American College of Financial Services. He is also active in the community serving as the secretary of the board of directors for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy.

Seurkamp earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Xavier University. He has also achieved the executive scholar designation with a concentration in finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Leston Welsh is the Senior Vice President and President, Employee Benefits Division for Protective Life Corporation. He has responsibilities for product development, distribution, operations and technology.

In November 2024, Welsh joined Protective through Protective’s acquisition of ShelterPoint, where he served as CEO & President of ShelterPoint.

Prior to ShelterPoint, Welsh was Product General Manager, Individual Retirement Solutions for TIAA’s Product & Business Development group. He led the Individual Retirement Solutions team, and oversaw products including Traditional IRA, After-Tax Annuities, Intelligent Variable Annuities, and Executive Benefit Solutions. His other experience includes serving as Head of Business Segments for Prudential Group Insurance, where he was responsible for product development, underwriting, business insights and various customer solutions; Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Unum’s dental/vision portfolio, with accountability for technology, claims, call center, enrollment, billing, implementation, account management and compliance; and various roles at Sun Life Financial, including Vice President-Voluntary, Vice President-Product Management and Vice President- Individual Life Profitability Management.

Welsh holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the City University of New York’s Baruch College, is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He has served as a director of Prosperity Now, an organization that helps Americans achieve financial security, stability, and prosperity. He has also volunteered with the Society of Actuaries and has held board roles with the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester, Massachusetts, and Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.