The board of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals has announced plans to replace Jessica Brooks Woods as its chief executive officer.
Susan Rider, NABIP’s president, told members in a letter that the fourth quarter of 2025 “posed significant challenges for the association” and led to “several board resignations.”
“After careful consideration, the board determined that a leadership transition was necessary to reset and strengthen NABIP’s governance and reinforce stability moving forward,” Rider wrote in the letter.
She said in the letter that one focus will be on enforcing budget discipline.
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Brooke Willson, a senior vice president at NABIP, and Trace Hall, the group’s controller, will serve as interim leaders while the group is looking for a new CEO.
“The board’s priority is ensuring stable leadership and uninterrupted service to our members,” Rider said in a statement about the leadership transition. “We are confident in our interim leadership team and in the resilience of our organization. NABIP is financially sound, operationally steady and fully engaged in advancing our advocacy, member services and Vision 2030 priorities.”
Vision 2030 refers to NABIP’s initiative to reshape the organization and the health benefits industry.
In an exclusive statement to BenefitsPRO, Brooks Woods said that she has “had the privilege of serving as CEO of NABIP during a period of significant structural transition and modernization.”
“During that time, we reduced a nearly $700,000 operating deficit by more than 60%, strengthened non-dues revenue through diversified commercial growth and permanently lowered fixed overhead through a strategic real estate reset. We also modernized core infrastructure and established the Office of Transformation to align governance, operational discipline and long-term financial sustainability.”
In addition to taking steps to stabilize NABIP, “we elevated professional standards across the industry—preparing the launch of the Certified Integrity Broker designation, advancing the Healthcare Fiduciary Certificate Program, establishing a first-of-its-kind broker-led Precision Medicine Task Force, and expanding Medicare Certification and policy engagement nationwide,” Brooks Woods said. “Leadership during structural correction requires discipline and resolve. I’m proud of the measurable progress made and the foundation laid for long-term durability and professionalization.”
Brooks Woods added that, as her time as NABIP’s CEO ends, she remains “deeply committed to advancing transparency, integrity and alignment within the benefits and insurance industry. I look forward to the next chapter of impact.”
What is NABIP, and what does it do?
NABIP—a group formerly known as the National Association of Health Underwriters—was founded in 1930 and now represents more than 100,000 health insurance professionals.
NABIP helps shape health policy in Washington and in state capitals.
In the past year, NABIP has been active in discussions about issues such as prescription drug cost reduction efforts and moves to regulate level-funded plans, or arrangements that help small employers offer self-insured health plans.
Who is Jessica Brooks Woods?
Brooks Woods is a longtime healthcare access advocate.
She’s the co-founder and CEO of Pittsburgh-based EARN Staffing Solutions, an employment services firm.
Brooks Woods is the founder and CEO of U.S. Health Desk, a volunteer group that works with patients who believe they are having trouble getting healthcare professionals to respect their needs.
Brooks Woods was the CEO of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health from 2013-22.
She became CEO of NABIP in September 2023. She appeared last week at a panel discussion on the state of health at a conference that was organized by the California Agents & Health Insurance Professionals.
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