About MDRT

John F. Nichols, MSM, CLU, is the 2026 President of MDRT. He is a 25-year MDRT member with 20 Court of the Table and 18 Top of the Table qualifications. Nichols has served in multiple roles on the MDRT Executive Committee since 2023. He served as Global Council Member of MDRT’s Membership Division in 2020 and Chair of its Bylaws and Ethics Committee in 2019. In 2022, he served as President of the MDRT Foundation, for which he is a Royal Order Excalibur Knight and a member of its Inner Circle Society.  Nichols is the founder of Nichols Consulting LLC, a disability insurance benefits practice.

Carol Kheng, ChFC, is the 2026 Immediate Past President of MDRT. She is a 27-year MDRT member with five Court of the Table and four Top of the Table qualifications. Kheng has served in multiple roles on the MDRT Executive Committee since 2022. She previously served as Divisional Vice President for MDRT Global Conference Program General Arrangements in 2019 and for MDRT’s Member Resources — Practice Management Division in 2009. Kheng also has served on the Board of Trustees of the MDRT Foundation, for which she is a Diamond Knight. Kheng is a master financial consultant with Prudential Assurance Company Singapore, where she was the founding member and chairperson of its MDRT Club.

Clay Gillespie, CFP, CLU, is the 2026 First Vice President of MDRT. He is a 24-year MDRT member with 22 Court of the Table and 21 Top of the Table qualifications. An Excalibur Knight of the MDRT Foundation, Gillespie served as Global Council Member of MDRT’s Finance Division in 2023 and as Top of the Table Global Council Member and Advisory Board Chair in 2019. He was Captain of the 2015 MDRT Annual Meeting Focus Sessions Committee and has served as Chair of several committees in the Top of the Table Division. Gillespie is a financial advisor, portfolio manager and managing director with RGF Integrated Wealth Management.

Aurora L. Tancock, CFP, FLMI, is the 2026 Second Vice President of MDRT. She is a 24-year MDRT member with 14 Court of the Table and five Top of the Table qualifications. Tancock served as Chair of the Focus Sessions Committee for the 2023 MDRT Global Conference and as Global Council Member for MDRT’s Finance Division in 2020. She also has served on the Board of Trustees of the MDRT Foundation, for which she is a Diamond Knight and a member of its Inner Circle Society. Tancock is the founder of Aurora Tancock Financial Services Inc.

Simon D. Lister, Dip PFS, is the 2026 Secretary of MDRT. He is an 18-year MDRT member with 18 Court of the Table and 15 Top of the Table qualifications. Lister served as Global Council Member of the 2025 MDRT Annual Meeting Program Development Division. He previously served as Chair of the Main Platform Committee for the 2024 MDRT Annual Meeting, Chair of the Focus Sessions Committee for the 2023 MDRT Annual Meeting, and as Global Council Member and Advisory Board Chair of the Top of the Table Division in 2021. He also is a Platinum Knight of the MDRT Foundation and a member of its Inner Circle Society. Lister is an independent financial planner and managing director with ML Financial Associates.