Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance in the United States, today announced that Chief Operating Officer Teresa White is one of 10 women selected for Insurance Networking News's 2014 Women in Insurance Leadership Award. Teresa and her fellow awardees will be feted at the 7th annual Women in Insurance Leadership Forum to be held on October 20-21 in Chicago.

"There are very few areas of Aflac's U.S. operations that Teresa White does not impact, so we are extremely pleased that the judges for the Women in Insurance Leadership Awards have honored her for her extraordinary contributions to our company and the insurance industry in general," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Teresa is indeed a leader, valued by her colleagues and respected among her peers across the nation. I cannot think of anyone who deserves this recognition more than Teresa White."

Since joining Aflac in 1998, White has held a variety of positions. Named senior vice president of Sales Support and Administration in 2004, she helped guide Aflac U.S. to increases of $2 billion in annualized premiums in force while policies or certificates in force increased by nearly three million. Promoted to chief administrative officer in 2008, she spearheaded a 22 percent increase in Aflac's operational efficiency, a four percent increase in employee engagement and a three percent increase in account retention.

Named Chief Operating Officer in 2013, Teresa currently oversees more than 4,000 Aflac employees. In March of this year she was also named to The Network Journal's list of 25 Influential Black Women in Business, which honored women at the forefront of American leadership and "symbolize the diversity and advancement that has occurred across industry lines."

The Women in Leadership Awards, according to Insurance Networking News, is dedicated to the advancement and professional growth of women in the field of insurance and provides the opportunity for mentors and their protegees to develop and hone natural leadership skills and obtain key resources in order to better focus on business strategies and execution.