Citizens Announces Sheryl Kinlaw As New Chief Legal Officer

AUSTIN, Texas, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) today announced that Sheryl Kinlaw has been appointed Chief Legal Officer, reporting directly to Gerald W. Shields, Vice-Chairman of the Board and interim CEO, effective immediately.

Ms. Kinlaw brings over 20 years of experience as senior-level counsel, including senior leadership positions with publicly held corporations. She will lead the legal team with responsibility for all legal, regulatory, governance and compliance matters.  

"Sheryl is a proven executive advisor with extensive legal expertise that will help us deliver on our long-term commitment to sustainable growth," said Gerald W. Shields. "She brings a passion for advancing diversity along with her knowledge of the insurance industry, public company experience and demonstrated ability to navigate complex legal challenges.  We are excited to welcome Sheryl to the management team."

Ms. Kinlaw said, "I am prepared to play a pivotal role in enabling Citizen's strategic mission, working alongside a team of talented and diverse professionals and helping the Company to deliver on its commitment for long-term growth in the years to come." 

Ms. Kinlaw knows the Company well, having served as Interim Chief Legal Officer since April 2021 and dedicated outside counsel since March 2020. Before joining Citizens, Ms. Kinlaw built a law practice acting as a dedicated outsourced general counsel for companies that need to supplement their in-house legal capability. Ms. Kinlaw has extensive experience in the financial products industries, with clients including insurance carriers and organizations that distribute insurance products. 

Ms. Kinlaw holds a bachelor's degree in Economics / International Studies from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas, Austin.

About Citizens, Inc.

Citizens, Inc. is a financial services company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CIA. The Company utilizes a three-pronged strategy for growth based upon worldwide sales of U.S. Dollar-denominated whole life cash value insurance policies, life insurance product sales in the U.S. and final expense and limited liability property product sales in the U.S.

Information herein contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate", "intends," "continue" or comparable words.  In addition, all statements other than statements of historical facts that address activities that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements.  Readers are encouraged to read the periodic reports the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and its current reports on Form 8-K, for "Risk Factors" and other meaningful cautionary language disclosing why actual results may vary materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements.  The Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in the Company's expectations.  Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements.  The Company also disclaims any duty to comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports published by the investment community.

For further information contact:

Investor Relations
[email protected]

SOURCE Citizens, Inc.