Rosemary Parson

Rosemary Parson serves as senior vice president of administration and community rlations with EquiTrust Life Insurance Company in West Des Moines, IA. She was recruited to West Des Moines in 2003 to join EquiTrust as a charter member of the executive leadership team. where her responsibilities included the operational design, development and implementation of the start-up financial services company.

As a proven thought leader, Parson spearheads the company’s operations division and is critical to its continuous innovative and administrative governance and oversight. Under her results-oriented leadership, the organization has grown from a “white paper” start-up operation to a company, exceeding $20 billion in assets under management. She has successfully overseen the company’s operation through critical ownership changes; from FBL Financial Group to Guggenheim Partners/Guggenheim Insurance Services (GIS), to its current controlling shareowner, MJE Enterprises (Magic Johnson Enterprises), Los Angeles CA. In 2020, she implemented business continuity plans, which led to successful remote operations, required for operating under the current national pandemic crisis.

Parson currently serves as senior officer over corporate community relations. This oversight has included initiatives such as the Women’s Build with the Habitat for Humanity, business development volunteer leader for the local Pyramid Theatre as a start-up company and serving on the committee for the state of Iowa’s technology innovation commercialization committee. She served as a state of Iowa commissioner for both the human rights division of African Americans and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Prior to joining EquiTrust, Parson held executive leadership positions in CNO Financial Group (formally Conseco, Inc., Carmel, IN), where she spent time developing both state side and offshore business and information technology operations and oversaw divestitures, mergers, acquisitions and consolidation activities. She has worked in numerous structures from start-ups to private companies to Fortune 500 organizations.

Parson is a Fellow, Life Management Institute – (FLMI), Associate Insurance Agency Administration (IAA), and Associate Customer Service (ACS) and studied at Ball State University. She is certified in Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma. She earned her certificate in financial strategies through the LIMRA executive development program, Wellesley, MA; and was selected in 2019, as a civilian leader to attend the U.S. Army War College National Security Seminar #19 in Carlisle, PA.

Parson was a Business Record, Women of Influence Award Winner in 2011 and has taken on numerous speaking and panel engagements. She invests volunteer time in mentoring youth, previously serving as a personal brand mentor for the East High School girls basketball team and focuses on improving health and wellness within the Black and Brown communities.

She is currently a board member for the Des Moines Community Foundation, Des Moines Arts Center and a community board member of Bankers Trust and member of the Des Moines Golf and Country Club.