Our People/Staff

John Craft

Chairman and CEO of Alliance Group

In a life insurance industry career that has spanned more than three decades, John has devoted the last 20 years to recruiting and managing national marketing organizations, including his own agency, Infinity Marketing Alliance. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Group, John’s passion each day is helping agents to succeed by developing and providing meaningful solutions for them to offer their clients.

The combination of unique proprietary products, training, professional support, plus a focus on building lifelong relationships and an unwavering commitment to provide peace of mind and improve the lives of the people they serve causes him to be more excited than ever about the future.

Carolyn Singletary
Vice President of Administration & Operations

Carolyn has over three decades experience in the life insurance industry, including managing the operations of Infinity Marketing Alliance. She has worked on behalf of Alliance Group for the last 10 years, and is instrumental in developing the ongoing training Alliance offers to their MGA administrators throughout the country.

Carolyn was with a major insurance company before joining Alliance in 2001. She brings to Alliance more than 30 years of underwriting and management expertise, all performed with her patented attention to detail leadership and skill.

Dawn Brogden
Administrator and Manager of Contracting

Dawn has been with Alliance Group since June, 2009 and manages the contracting of new agents, along with training new administrators on contracting new agents. For Infinity Marketing, she processes new business, trains new agents, provides customer service along with a variety of other duties.

Dawn was with a major insurance company for almost 20 years before moving to Florida and joining Alliance Group. Her enthusiasm and experience in customer service and field support is an inspiration to all who come in contact with her.

Debbie Simmons
Accountant

Debbie has been with Alliance Group since November, 2007, and brings to the company over 25 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping and office management. She offers a motivated and friendly approach to the field and loves what she does.

Along with volunteer work in her local church community, she enjoys playing music and going to the beach with friends and family.

Rick Drazien, CLU, SRM
Director of Communications

Rick brings over 40 years of life insurance marketing experience to Alliance Group. He authors the Living Edge Agent Newsletter, the Connections Client Newsletter, and writes much of the content for our website. He believes in what we do and why we do it. He is passionate about keeping the Alliance purpose, belief and commitment to both agents and clients, fresh and vibrant. As he shares with everyone, “at Alliance, we do think differently.”

Kelly Fatovic
Administrator and Manager of Lead Administration

Kelly has 25 years of administration experience within corporate, consulting and insurance environments.

Since joining the Alliance Group in May 2012, she has assumed the Lead Manager role to include all aspects of the lead process.  In addition to her lead management responsibilities, she processes new business, trains new agents, provides customer service along with a variety of other duties.

Gerald Stratton

President and COO of Alliance Group

Jerry has over 40 years of personal production, life insurance, and financial planning experience consisting of nationwide clientele of closely held corporations and wealthy seniors. He has a BA and MBA and served in the Air Force. Jerry became a MGA in 1994 and started recruiting agents and agencies. His passion is watching new distribution groups grow into successful agencies.

He is now the co-owner, President and COO of Alliance Group. Jerry’s main focus is to develop new distribution within Alliance Group and deliver a state of the art training platform for agents to learn and grow in this business.

Lee Duncan

Vice President and Training Director for Alliance Group

Lee worked 40+ hours a week to put himself through college and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2003 with a Bachelors degree in Finance and Business.  In September of that year he met Jerry Stratton who recruited him to join the Stratton & Associates Agency.  Since that time, Lee has sold personally as an agent and successfully performed every job in an agency.  He has done everything he asks agents and MGA’s to do including selling, recruiting, training and administration.

Since 2003, he has dedicated his working life to recruiting, motivating, and training agents in the insurance industry all across the country. He has recruited and trained thousands of agents on topics such as referrals, closing techniques, simple needs analysis, financial planning, and many different sales concepts, but his specialty and passion is introducing agents to a unique kind of life insurance that allows the client access to the death benefit when they need it the most through living benefits.  His passion for why he does what he does comes from personally experiencing the gut wrenching need for “living benefits” within his own family while growing up.

David McKenzie

Sales Manager

David has been with Alliance Group since August 2008 and is involved with new business processing, managing the mortgage lead program, training new agents, customer service and a variety of marketing initiatives. He is also a licensed field agent.

David graduated from the University of Georgia in 2005 and previously worked as an operations manager for a large retail chain. He is a firm believer in the core values of Alliance Group and the living benefits within our products.

Peter Goldfine

Social Media & Marketing Director

Peter joined Alliance Group in fall 2010 and is working to create, implement and maintain a Social Media Strategy to help define a revamped marketing strategy, aid in the recruiting process, and secure an overall approach aimed at increasing visibility and reach through our online presence. Peter also assists with new business processing, and a variety of other marketing initiatives. Additionally, he is an active, licensed agent in the field.

Peter graduated from Syracuse University in 2008 with a degree in Information Technology, followed by Masters Coursework in sales and marketing at New York University. Peter comes to us with a solid sales and marketing background, and he is a firm believer in the importance of Living Benefits, and the values set forth by Alliance Group.

Peter is married to Jessica Goldfine, and has two beautiful boys, Harrison & Sawyer.

Samuel Howe

New Business / Agency Support

Samuel brings with him a diverse background of professional work experience and is quickly becoming a valuable asset to the agency. He is already a licensed agent and his initial responsibilities will be involved with new business and in-force policy management.

Samuel earned his degree in Mass Communication, with a minor concentration in Rhetoric from Georgia College & State University. Since graduation, Samuel spent over 7 years of his professional life as a Media Producer at CNN.  What drew him to Alliance Group was excitement and desire to learn more about Living Benefits, Life Insurance, and the tremendous personal and professional satisfaction that our industry can provide. He is looking forward to a tremendous future with Alliance Group, as are we.

Samuel currently resides in the Atlanta metro area, and is engaged to be married in the fall to his lovely fiance Dawn.

Bobbie Kern

Office Manager (+)

Bobbie joined Alliance Group in the Spring of 2012. Prior to joining our group, Bobbie decided to take a break from over 26 years in an executive role in the corporate world - and founded and operated Precious Word Ministry, Inc., a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Georgia Association of Christian Counselors. Bobbie served as a Behavioral Consultant, Christian Counselor and Therapist, and Certified Mediator.

Recently, Bobbie decided that she wanted to return to the corporate environment, and luckily she found Alliance! In addition to her WONDERFUL personality, she brings a wide array of business acumen as well as a vast knowledge base of business administration. We consider ourselves very luck to have her as a part of our team, and look forward to an expanded role moving forward.

Bobbie has been married for 24 years, and has 2 children and two BEAUTIFUL grandsons.

Steve Walther

Trainer, Western Territory

Steve earned his B.A. from Humboldt State University, CA, in 1991.  Steve also studied language abroad at La Universidad de Granada, Spain, and Education Studies at Simpson College, CA. In addition to his life & health licenses, Steve holds FINRA 7, 66 and 24 registrations.  Steve has sold as an agent and financial advisor and continues to service a book of business.  For the last 15 years, Steve has been training financial professionals on how grow their practices and best serve their clientele.  Steve resides in the Boise, ID, area with his wonderful wife Maria and two children, Danielle and Paul.  He enjoys outdoor activities, travel and Boise State football!

Julie Raffensperger

Receptionist and Administrative Assistant

Julie began working with Alliance Group in April 2007. In addition to greeting visitors, answering the phones, and processing the mail, her primary job is to track all of the paramedical exams for the agents. She keeps up with status of exams to ensure they are completed as quickly as possible. She previously worked for Waddell and Reed for eleven years in their financial planning and securities business department.