Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Michael Garofalo (CT Active Agent since 2010)
Director 2011-2021
Secretary 2021-2025
President 2025-Present
Garafalo purchased a declining Greenwhich, CT Allstate agency back in 2010. Through hard work and new staff, they were able to turn the agency around and make Honor Ring, Chairman’s Award, and Inner Circle Elite.
Prior to joining Allstate in August of 1981, Michael was a series 7 and 63 licensed broker selling stocks, bonds mutual funds for clients will retirement, and college funding goals. Over time, he has worked as a wholesaler with the Pilgrim Group, with Kemper Financial selling 401k plans and Kemper Funds, GE Capital Company, and Axa/ Equitable group where he helped start the bank wholesaling channel.
Personally, Michael has served on the Little League Board in his town for 5 years, on the executive committee for 2 years working as a players’ agent, and on the local Babe Ruth board for 5 years (where he helped raise money for all children to play baseball/softball who wanted to but could not afford to). He loves to travel to the beach with his family and plays golf whenever he has the chance.
Garafalo joined NAPAA in 2011 and has been an active member ever since. He looks forward to helping NAPAA and its members grow their businesses and hopefully have a better working relationship with Allstate Corporation.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Lezlee Liljenberg (TX Retired Agent, June 2021)
Director 2011 – 2018
Secretary 2020 – 2021
Executive Vice President 2021 – Present
Active Agent 2004-2021
Lezlee Liljenberg began her career with Allstate as a scratch agency in June 2004. On a fast path for growth, she purchased an agency of 1600 policies in January of 2007, doubling her agency size and adding the responsibility of a satellite office. Lezlee lives her life giving back to others and believes that loyalty and trust are the foundation to mutual respect and success for everyone. Her motto is “Knowledge is Power” and consistently pursues her own personal growth.
She also encourages her staff, and those around her, to learn all they can to in order to live the best life possible. God is her guide and she gives her credit of success and happiness to Him. Lezlee is a regular contributor to the Exclusivefocus magazine and creator of the “Ask Lezlee” column in that publication.
TREASURER
Michael Curley (NY Active Agent since 2005)
Director 2021
Treasurer 2022-present
Michael Curley has been an Allstate agency owner in Queens, New York City since July 2005. Mike was recently elected to his second term on the Board of Directors. He enjoys being an Allstate Agent because he enjoys serving people and being self-employed.
Prior to being an Allstate Agent, he is an active New York State Licensed Funeral Director. His office is in Queens Village, NY, and he has been a native New Yorker his whole life. He even grew up in Queens, New York. Mike graduated from American Academy McAllister lnstitute in December 1993, from Valley Forge Military College in December 1985, and Duquesne University in 1988.
SECRETARY
Ray Manfredi (VA Active Agent since 1988)
Director 2020
Secretary 2025-Present
Ray Manfredi; FSCP, LUTCF, MBA, PhD is a Licensed Insurance Agent and Trusted Advisor since 1988, specializing in Estate Planning and Property & Casualty, he is often asked to teach the regional staff members at other agencies the Insurance Review and Customer Service / Retention techniques he is known for in the industry.
Married to Catherine since 1987 and proud father of two children, Thomas and Noelle, all of whom are active in the family agency. Ray is also an Author of several insurance industry training manuals and master networker. When not working in his agencies, Ray advocates for children with special needs, serving on several foundations, and community boards. He is a volunteer police officer and an ordained minister, remnants of his earlier life as a USAF K9 Handler and a child actor turned stand-up actor/writer. He holds several professional designations, as well as a master’s in business administration and a Doctorate in Metaphysics. You can reach Ray directly after hours via his personal cell (912) 223-3367, or through email: ManfrediInsuranceGroup@gmail.com
DIRECTOR
Claudia Gamache (IL Retired Agent, January 2023)
Director 2015-2016
Director 2025-Present
Secretary 2016-2018
Vice President 2018-2021
President 2021 – 2025
Active Agent 2004-2022
I recently retired as an agent for Allstate Insurance. I have my broker’s license and plan to continue my insurance education. I am looking for a new opportunity that continues my history of sharing my knowledge with employees, customers, family, and friends.
I am looking at the opportunity to develop my creative side. More free time to learn and develop is important. Over the past years, I have served on various insurance and community Board of Directors. I am currently the President of the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents. I have a CPCU, ARM and AMIM designation. My experience includes Management at Branch, Regional and National levels.
My experience has been primarily in Property and Casualty, but I also have Life Insurance experience and passed the 6 & 63 exams. I have been on the Company and Agency side of the business. Some of my more interesting experiences have been working with the E&S market and the development of a PEO.
DIRECTOR
Javier E. Najera (TX Active Agent since 2015)
Director 2022
Javier E. Najera is a native of El Paso, TX, and a longtime resident of Arlington, TX, where he attended UT-Arlington from 1992 to 1994. In 1994, he became a licensed insurance agent and was a general agent for a small funeral home in Fort Worth, upon which he enrolled in the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, graduating in 1997. While there, he earned the Bill Pierce Award and served as president of his class. That was the beginning of a 20-year career in funeral service as a funeral director, embalmer and crematory operator.
In 2015, Javier had the opportunity to become an Allstate agent in Arlington. The goal and desire was to serve customers, which has always been at the heart of his work. He was drawn to become an Allstate agent because it gave him an opportunity to be a small business owner. And, as a longtime Allstate customer (since 1992), he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his former Allstate agent, who is a perennial conference winner and is now a member of the Allstate Hall of Fame.
Javier’s agency is committed to helping Arlington residents and Texans all over the state with their immediate and long-term insurance needs. We’re eager to establish long-lasting relationships and provide the best customer service we can.
Javier and his wife have two daughters and two Shi Tzus, Snowball and Milo. A very active member of the Arlington community, Javier has held numerous positions including member of the Latino Advisory Council at the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the current mayor’s Latino Advisory Committee, Director for the Arlington Margarita Society, booster club and dad club board member and president for various clubs from Pope, Shackelford and Lamar schools, and various citizen’s committees with Arlington ISD, including a member of the current broadcast team for Lamar High School football.
Javier continues to keep his funeral practice active, as his agency permits. He is an independent contractor in this capacity with various funeral homes in the state of Texas.
DIRECTOR
Jorge Herrera (IN Active Agent since 2007)
Director 2024
Jorge Herrera has been an agent with Allstate for the past 17yrs. His office is located in the Indianapolis area. Jorge moved to Indianapolis in 1999 where he use to work for United Airlines as a mechanic. Unfortunately after 911 he was laid off in 2002.
Jorge was always intrigued about working in sales. He decided to get into insurance and has not looked back.
Jorge is a leader in the Hispanic community and welcomes Spanish speakers as his office speaks Spanish. His office prides itself on great service and ensures everyone has the best protection they can offer based on their needs. It is a family business.
DIRECTOR
Stacy Adams (OK Active Agent since 2007)
Director 2024
I started my insurance career in 2007 as a sales agent for State Farm. In 2011 there was an opportunity for me to purchase a small scratch Allstate agency, but I did not pass the personality test. Ha ha! We went with plan B, and my husband, Ricky Adams, purchased the agency. I worked as an LPS for my husband until 2014, when I purchased the agency from him. My time with Allstate was from 2011 until December 2020, when I sold my agency.
After selling my agency, I went into a totally different direction, but after being away, I decided insurance was just in my blood. Ricky and I both joined an aggregator and opened another scratch agency in January 2022, only this time as an Independent. I will probably always be an insurance agent. Helping people is second nature to me, so insurance fits!
Allstate was a great business opportunity for me. I was able to achieve Honor Ring, or above, all the years I was an agent. I also achieved Inner Circle Elite 2 years in a row, 2018 and 2019. I was on the Regional Advisory board until I left December of 2020. I also won top life sales in the region 2016 and 2018. Allstate gave me some of the best opportunities and helped build my confidence as a business owner.
I have many friends that are Allstate agents currently, and I hope that my being a part of NAPAA will encourage and help the agents that are still with Allstate and building their legacy.
DIRECTOR
Nick Montanaro (CT Active Agent since 1996)
Director 2025
Montanaro has been an Allstate agency owner based in Trumbull, Connecticut since September 1996. He comes from a proud family tradition of Allstate agency ownership. His father, Joe, an Allstate agent for 50 years and was the first in the family to establish an agency. Following in his footsteps, Montanaro was the first of his siblings to open his own agency. His brother Joe has since operated his agency for over 28 years, while his sister Karen took over their father’s business 10 years ago after nearly two decades working alongside him. Continuing the family legacy, Montanaro’s son, Dante—a recent graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business—launched his own Allstate agency in 2022.
With a deep passion for building relationships and providing security to his clients, Montanaro values collaboration and long-term trust. Beyond his insurance business, he is also an entrepreneur with ownership interests in a restaurant, a liquor store, a hair salon, and multiple rental properties.
An active member of his community, Montanaro serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA) and the Board of Governors at Mill River Country Club. He enjoys spending time outdoors, golfing, and being on the water—but above all, he loves to work.
Over the years, he has built lasting friendships within the Allstate agent network and is committed to helping fellow agents find success and fulfillment in their careers through his work with NAPAA.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ted Paris (NAPAA Executive Director since 2017)
Ted began his 30-year career in insurance at Farmers Insurance. There, in his 18 years as a district manager, he personally recruited and trained over 50 scratch agencies. When Ted left Farmers in 2005, his district was the largest in the Indianapolis area and the third largest in the state of Indiana. He continued his insurance career at Allstate, where he purchased three agencies in west-central Indiana. While at Allstate, Ted served on the North Central Regional Advisory Board, and earned numerous awards including the Chairman’s Award, the Leader’s Club Award, the National Conference Award and many Honor Rings. Ted was an Allstate agent starting in 2005 until he sold and retired in 2017. He has been the Executive Director for NAPAA since 2017. He can be contacted at ted.paris@napaausa.org
SPECIAL CONSULTANT
Debe Campos-Fleenor (AZ Retired Agent, July 2020)
Treasurer 2008-2009
Executive Vice President 2009-2017
President 2017 – 2021
Director 2021 – 2025
Special Consultant 2025-Present
Active Agent 2006 – 2018
Debe Campos-Fleenor began her affiliation with Allstate in 2004 as an LSP, opening her own “scratch” agency in 2006. Debe joined NAPAA shortly after that and has served as both Executive Vice President and Treasurer. She is active in many groups and organizations, including the Allstate Foundation programs for domestic violence and teen safe driving. Debe has been awarded the Allstate Helping Hands Award several times and has made significant contributions to the Allstate Giving Hands campaign. She was nominated for Woman of Influence in 2008.
Debe is a regular contributor to the Exclusivefocus magazine. An expert at locating marketing items available from the company, her presentations at NAPAA live events are always a big hit.