June 30, 2025
Bloomington, Illinois - COUNTRY Financial today announced that Jenny Thayer has been named Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Thayer replaces Rachael Sklamberg who announced she plans to retire from COUNTRY in 2026.
In this role, Thayer will serve as a member of the COUNTRY Leadership Council, overseeing all aspects of COUNTRY human resources strategies and programs, including:
She also will direct and coordinate human resources services for the Illinois Farm Bureau.
“Jenny started her career with COUNTRY, and now we’re thrilled to welcome her back into this critical role for the organization. She brings a strategic mindset, deep expertise in Human Resources and a proven ability to align talent with business goals. Her leadership will be instrumental in further modernizing HR to drive performance, engagement, and growth for our business,” said COUNTRY Chief Executive Officer Jim Jacobs.
Thayer will report to Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel for COUNTRY Financial and Illinois Farm Bureau Jennifer Vance.
Thayer comes to COUNTRY from Horace Mann Educators Corporation where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer since March 2020. Prior to that, she served as their Vice President, Executive Compensation & Benefits.
Thayer began her career with COUNTRY Financial in June 1998, holding various positions including Personal Lines Underwriter, Senior Accountant, Supervisor of Financial Analysis, Manager of Corporate Retirement Plans and Manager of Compensation & Regional Human Resources. She was named Director, Total Rewards & HR Shared Services in January 2015 where she served in this role until October 2017.
COUNTRY Financial serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States and offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home, business, farm and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.
COUNTRY Financial® is a family of affiliated companies (collectively, COUNTRY) located in Bloomington, IL. Learn more about who we are.