WoodmenLife’s Nic Olari Earns Midlands Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Recognition

From his first day as a WoodmenLife Law Clerk to his current role as Vice President, Nic Olari has embraced every challenge with determination. That dedication has not only shaped his career but also earned him a prestigious honor: inclusion in the Midlands Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, celebrating leaders who make a difference.

Career Milestones

Olari was born and raised in Omaha, NE, and attended Creighton University.

Though most of his family is in the medical field, Olari said he originally did not know what he wanted to major in at Creighton. He tried out a few different programs before finding his true passion.

“I eventually settled on law and completed Creighton’s three-in-three program where you do three years of undergrad and three years of law school,” he said. “During my time at Creighton, I connected with WoodmenLife’s General Counsel, who taught at Creighton at the time, and was eventually offered an internship opportunity.”

Olari started his career at WoodmenLife as a Law Clerk in 2011. He continued to grow, becoming a Staff Attorney in 2013, Assistant General Counsel in 2017, Director & Associate General Counsel in 2020, Director & Senior Associate General Counsel in 2021, and finally to his current position of Vice President, Chief Compliance & Privacy Official in 2023.

What has kept Olari at WoodmenLife for the past 15 years is the mission.

“My worldview is aligned with WoodmenLife’s value and mission. I love going to bat for a good team, and that’s what I see at WoodmenLife,” he said. “I love our purpose, I love our ethics, and I’m just excited to wake up in the morning and work for the good guys. Nothing makes me prouder than going into a lawsuit or an examination and being able to really tell the WoodmenLife story.”

Unique Experience

As a Law Clerk, Olari became familiar with the litigation side of the business, and he further expanded his skillset when he became a Staff Attorney.

“We have an arbitration clause in all our insurance contracts, employee contracts, and agent contracts, and so the one niche part of that is it allows you to practice law anywhere in the country if you’re an in-house lawyer,” he explained. “It was a very unique experience that a lot of people my age and experience didn’t have — to basically get real-world arbitration and trial experience right out of school.”

Olari has embraced the chance to work closely with several of WoodmenLife’s divisions. He’s represented WoodmenLife amid the sale of historically owned cemeteries, secured contracts, represented the Investment Division during deals, and worked with Sales Representatives on complex sales.

In his Vice President role, Olari said he’s enjoyed taking his years of litigation and applying them to advocating for the organization in a new way. He has also recently helped transition five associates focused on Compliance to his team.

“Now, it’s thinking about things from a proactive standpoint — how do we have systems in control and provisions in place to prevent issues from arising in the first place?” he said.

Nic Olari was joined by his wife and WoodmenLife leaders at the Midlands Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 celebration.

A Worthy Award

Olari said he was “surprised and honored” by his 40 Under 40 nomination. He hopes it showcases his passion for supporting WoodmenLife and its members.

“You always hope your work and best efforts are recognized, so it was a really nice treat to be rewarded with this nomination,” he said. “I thought it showed a level of trust in some of my accomplishments. And it also gives me hope for the future that WoodmenLife sees me as a leader who can continue to contribute to the organization and help us grow.”

During his time with WoodmenLife, Olari has been grateful for the many opportunities to develop in his career.

“I welcomed the responsibility put on me at an early stage in my career — everything from the initial work to taking ownership of projects,” he said. “I had opportunities to assist some of the higher-level leaders and started working on key corporate initiatives.”

Olari said he’s excited to continue supporting WoodmenLife and all its upcoming initiatives, as well as working closely with his colleagues.

“There’s been a lot of standout moments working with people here,” he said. “It’s given me a lot of value seeing the types of people you can work with and the sense of team when you’re surrounded by like-minded people working toward a common purpose.”

Learn more about a career with WoodmenLife at WoodmenLife.org/Careers.

Written by: Cheyenne Alexis, Communications Strategist

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