Each speaker brings real-world experience, practical insight, and a focus on helping you understand not just what works, but how to apply it.
Speakers
Dane Smith is a 39+ year insurance industry veteran, entrepreneur, and recognized leader in life insurance distribution.
As the former CEO of an IMO, Dane built and led a nationwide insurance organization, gaining firsthand experience in recruiting, leadership, agent development, marketing, and scaling production.
Today, Dane is focused on the future of insurance distribution—helping industry leaders leverage technology, education, and innovative marketing to fundamentally change how consumers understand and purchase life insurance.
His philosophy is simple but powerful: stop teaching agents how to sell and start teaching consumers how to buy. Dane believes the next generation of successful insurance organizations will be built around education, technology, and systems that create value before the sales conversation ever begins.
As CMO and Co-Founder of Agency Rocket, Dane continues to champion this vision, empowering insurance and financial professionals to build more scalable, modern, and consumer-focused organizations.
Agency Rocket
Chief Marketing Officer
Founding Partner
Dane Smith
Agency Rocket
Chief Marketing Officer
Founding Partner
Dane Smith
Julia Phillips is the Director of Operations at Agency Rocket, where she leads the day-to-day execution behind the company’s operations, agent experience, training initiatives, partnerships, and live events.
Before entering financial services, Julia built her career across healthcare administration, direct patient care, social work, mental health, and other client-focused environments. Those experiences shaped her people-first approach to leadership and developed a strong foundation in communication, organization, and problem-solving.
At Agency Rocket, Julia works closely with the company’s founders, internal teams, carriers, agencies, and strategic partners to turn ideas into executable systems and experiences. Her role spans internal operations, user experience, training coordination, partner initiatives, and event strategy—including leading the planning and execution of Agency Rocket’s inaugural ELITE Bootcamp.
Julia is passionate about creating organized, intentional experiences that help agents feel supported, equipped, and confident putting what they learn into action.
Agency Rocket
Director of Operations
Julia Phillips
Christian Phillips has been with Agency Rocket for four years, bringing a strong background in economics, sales, agent development, and client-facing support.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Christian earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of South Florida, building a strong foundation in financial systems, market behavior, and strategy. His experience working directly as an agent also gives him a practical understanding of the conversations, challenges, and opportunities financial professionals face every day.
At Agency Rocket, Christian serves as an important bridge between agents, clients, technology, and execution. He works closely with Agency Rocket’s executive leadership, internal teams, and developers to bring real-world agent and client feedback into the development process, helping ensure the technology is practical, intuitive, and applicable in real client conversations.
From leading trainings and platform demonstrations to collaborating internally on product development and agent experience, Christian helps turn strategy and technology into tools agents can confidently put into practice. Known for his hands-on approach and ability to connect, he is passionate about helping financial professionals simplify complex strategies, strengthen client conversations, and get more from the technology available to them.
Jon Phillips is one of the founders of Agency Rocket and has spent more than 15 years in the insurance and financial-services industry, with a focus on advanced insurance strategies, IMO leadership, and technology development.
For the past decade, Jon has led the vision behind Agency Rocket, personally conceiving and developing the platforms designed to help agents illustrate complex financial strategies in a clear, concise, and compliant way. He continues to lead product development, working closely with agents, advisors, and beta teams to create technology that solves real-world challenges.
Jon believes technology should assist the agent, not replace them. His philosophy is to teach clients how to buy rather than simply teach agents how to sell.
At ELITE Bootcamp, Jon shares the latest Agency Rocket technology, upcoming innovations, and practical ways agents can leverage the platform to become more confident and effective in their client conversations.
Agency Rocket
Founding Partner
Jon Phillips
Sean Meenan is an accomplished entrepreneur, a dynamic corporate speaker, and dedicated community leader with over two decades of experience in the financial services sector.
With deep, multi-generational Wyoming roots, Sean attended the University of Wyoming before pursuing postgraduate studies in Theology and Religious Vocations at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Illinois. This background developed the communication style that now defines his training programs.
His early career reflects a versatile entrepreneurial drive. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, he founded and operated M&F Towing and Recovery. He also honed his production skills with Ozymandian Theater, a regional sketch and improv comedy troupe, serving behind the scenes as Technical Director and occasionally performing musical comedy sketches on piano, guitar, or vocals.
Upon entering finance, Sean focused on structural literacy and compliance. He served as a Certified Financial Educator for the Heartland Institute of Financial Education, served as President of PAX Financial, Inc., and co-founded a national Insurance Marketing Organization (IMO). Seeking to solve industry-wide lead-generation friction, he co-founded Agency Rocket. The marketing technology platform scaled rapidly, establishing vital strategic partnerships with numerous leading national field marketing organizations and financial institutions.
Today, Sean operates out of Moscow, Idaho, where he balances his technology ventures with a commitment to regional higher education, regularly guest lecturing at Gonzaga University and Washington State University. He also serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Festival Dance and Performing Arts Academy and on the Business Development Committee for the Moscow Community Investment Cooperative. Above all, Sean is a dedicated husband to an amazing wife and father to two amazing kids.
FOllow on instagram!
David and Elle Denning are the co-founders of Jumpstart Go, a marketing and growth company dedicated to helping insurance agents and agencies build a predictable pipeline of clients through organic social media, strategic referral partnerships, and authentic relationship-building - without relying on buying leads or cold calling.
PRESENTING SPONSORS
Over the past several years, they've worked with more than 1,000 insurance agents and agencies through their flagship coaching program, The Closers Clique, helping everyone from brand-new agents to large organizations modernize the way they market, recruit, and grow. They also lead one of the industry's largest online communities, Marketing for Insurance Agents, with nearly 37,000 members, where they provide free training, resources, and support to insurance professionals across the country.
David and Elle are also the hosts of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, with more than 150 episodes featuring many of the industry's top leaders and innovators (including Cody Askins) focused on helping agents stay ahead of changing technology, marketing trends, AI, sales strategies, and business growth.
Their philosophy is simple: people do business with people they know, like, and trust. They believe the future belongs to agents who build authentic personal brands, leverage modern technology, and create meaningful relationships that generate opportunities for years to come.
Their mission is to help agents not only grow their businesses, but build businesses that create more freedom, impact, and fulfillment.
Andrew Orth joined Foresters Financial in 2020 as an Internal Wholesaler and has since moved into a National Sales Specialist role. Prior to joining Foresters, Mr. Orth served as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones with a focus on asset growth and retirement planning.
Mr. Orth has over 10 years of experience in the financial services, and insurance industry with countless skills including advanced sales concepts, relationship management, and data analysis.
Andrew lives in Minnesota with his wife and two kids.
Foresters Financial
National Sales Specialist
Andrew orth
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