Thrivent Announces Executive Leadership Transition

October 12, 2018 | Callie Briese, Director, External Affairs

MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 12, 2018) – Thrivent today announced that Brad Hewitt will retire as CEO and Terry Rasmussen has been appointed as his successor.

“Brad has provided visionary leadership in moving Thrivent forward in its mission of serving the broader Christian community and ensuring the organization has the tools and talent to meet the expectations of our members and position us for long-term growth,” said Bonnie Raquet, Chair of the Thrivent Board of Directors.

“We wish Brad well as he moves to the next chapter of serving others and demonstrating faith through service,” she said.

Rasmussen has served as president of Thrivent’s core fraternal business unit for the last three years.

“Terry has distinguished herself as a strong leader with extraordinary business and legal acumen, as well as a deep understanding of Thrivent’s charter as a fraternal benefit society,” Raquet said. Thrivent is the nation’s largest fraternal benefit society.

“What’s more, she has deep-seated values and a practical approach to aligning our workforce to serve our members and drive growth,” Raquet added.

More about Brad Hewitt

Hewitt joined Thrivent in 2003 as chief fraternal officer. He was named COO in 2008 and CEO in 2010.

He began his career with Securian in the Actuarial Services department. He held positions with increasing levels of responsibility at UnitedHealth Group and Diversified Pharmaceutical Services. He later felt called to serve in administrative roles with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

Hewitt graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.

Hewitt currently serves as vice chair of the board for Habitat for Humanity International; and the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation.

He also volunteers as chair of Itasca, an employer-led, cross-sector collaborative group that works to improve the quality of life for all in the Twin Cities; and is vice chair of Greater MSP.

More about Terry Rasmussen

Rasmussen joined Thrivent in 2005. She was named president in 2015, after serving for 10 years as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary.

Before joining Thrivent, Rasmussen served in progressively responsible legal positions with American Express and Ameriprise Financial. At American Express she was responsible for global legal support of financial service products and services.

She began her legal career as a trial attorney in the U.S. Attorney General’s Honors Program.

She received a BS in accounting from Minnesota State University-Moorhead and passed the CPA exam. She earned her JD from the University of North Dakota.

Rasmussen is past chair of the American Fraternal Alliance, the trade association for fraternal benefit societies; and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.

She currently serves on the boards of the Walker Art Center and InFaith Community Foundation.

About Thrivent Financial

Thrivent is a fraternal benefit society that helps Christians on the wise with money journey. As a mission-driven, membership-owned organization, it offers its more than 2 million members and customers a broad range of financial products, services and guidance to help them obtain a life of contentment, confidence and generosity. Thrivent and its subsidiary and affiliate companies offer insurance, investments, banking and advice over the phone, online as well as through financial representatives and independent agents nationwide. Thrivent is a FORTUNE 500 company with $136 billion in assets under management/advisement (as of 12/31/17). For more than a century it has helped Christians make wise money choices that reflect their values while providing them opportunities to demonstrate their generosity where they live, work and worship. For more information, visit Thrivent.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, Wisconsin. Not all products are available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. They are also licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.