Former Aflac president Fred Crawford joins Iowa’s Tippie College of Business

Fred Crawford, the former president and COO of supplemental health insurance provider Aflac and a University of Iowa alum, will be the Tippie College of Business’ first executive in residence.

“It is such an honor for our program to have one of the true global leaders in the industry join our mission to inspire and equip the next generation,” said Jim Lewis, executive director of the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance. “Fred is one of the most successful and influential innovators in the complex world of risk management and insurance.”

The executive in residence program was created to bring an experienced risk management and insurance (RMI) business leader to campus to work with students and faculty, share their knowledge and expertise, serve as a role model, and develop new educational and outreach programs. 

Crawford, who recently retired from Aflac, joined the company in 2015 as CFO and became COO in 2022. Before Aflac, he held various executive and leadership positions for CNO Financial Group and the Lincoln Financial Group. He also had a prior career in banking.

A native of Palatine, Ill., Crawford graduated from Indiana State University and earned his MBA from Tippie in 1987. He taught marketing while at Tippie and was also an assistant coach on the Hawkeye men’s and women’s track and field teams. 

Crawford currently serves as a board member of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement and is a former member of the Tippie Advisory Board. He’ll serve as executive in residence through spring semester 2026. 

“I’ve had great life experiences in Iowa City and at the University of Iowa and have firsthand knowledge of the value of a Tippie College of Business education,” Crawford said. “I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with students, faculty, and working professionals in the risk management and insurance industry.” 

As part of his role, Crawford will help develop new components to the college’s RMI curriculum and a new professional development program for specialists in the risk management and insurance industry.

The executive in residence position is the latest addition to the college’s growing RMI program, which was recently ranked 8^th in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Tippie’s RMI major, which launched last year, has already enrolled more than 200 undergraduate majors.