February 17-19, 2027
Omni Austin Hotel | 700 San Jacinto at E 8th St
Celebrate Texas while shaping its future at the 102nd NAIFA-Texas Annual State Conference & Day at the Capitol. Join us in Austin, Texas, for an unforgettable experience centered on advocacy, leadership, and the impact insurance and financial professionals have on the communities they serve.
This year's conference will bring together industry leaders, dedicated advocates, and professionals from across the state for timely education, meaningful networking, and the opportunity to engage directly with state legislators during Day at the Capitol. Through inspiring speakers, legislative discussions, and professional development, you'll strengthen your voice, expand your network, and help advance the future of our profession.
Join us as we celebrate Texas, champion our industry, and make a lasting impact where it matters most.
Cost Commitment
We’re turning 102 years of NAIFA-Texas into 102 days of savings. Grab your ticket and join us in Austin!
102 for 102 Special: $102
(10/02/2026 - 01/11/2027)
Standard Conference Registration: $250
(01/12/2027 - 01/29/2027)
Refund Policy
Refund requests must be submitted no later than 14 days prior to the event date. Refunds will not be issued for requests received within 14 days of the event, including no-shows.
Omni Austin Hotel Downtown
700 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701
Room Rate: $289 per night
Phone Reservations: (512) 476-3700
Online Reservations: Click here!
Hotel reservations by must be received on or before Monday, January 18, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.
Diane Gottsman
Diane Gottsman is an internationally renowned etiquette expert, author, speaker, popular media resource, and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, a company specializing in professional development and corporate etiquette training. Diane understands modern etiquette is more than knowing which fork to use at the dinner table and has spent the last 20 years training business professionals, university students, and individuals on how to navigate social and professional situations with confidence and ease.
Diane holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology with an emphasis on human behavior. She delivers a powerful message while captivating her audience with her engaging, straightforward, authentic demeanor. She is regularly called upon by the media to offer her insights on a wide range of topics to include dining, business, social media, body language, job interview, travel etiquette, as well as a variety of everyday social dilemmas.
Diane has been featured on national television shows, such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, Fox & Friends, and The Hallmark Channel. She is the resident etiquette expert for Good Day Austin, Fox 7, and San Antonio Living, News 4. She is regularly quoted on CNBC, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and USA Today.
In addition to her work as an etiquette expert, Diane has authored two books and is a sought-after keynote speaker who has earned a well-deserved reputation as dynamic, inspiring, and motivational. She has spoken at conferences and events around the country and considers travel one of her favorite hobbies. A wife and mother of three, she knows firsthand the challenges of balancing a private, social, and professional life.
Diane believes success requires four main ingredients … Curiosity, Training, Dedication, and Desire.
Michelle Wittenburg
Michelle Wittenburg has broad-based and extensive experience with the Texas Legislature and state government. She has worked in all three branches of state government over the past 30 years, having spent three sessions in the Texas Senate, working for Chairs of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and then as the Executive Assistant to the first female and first Republican ever elected to the Texas Comptroller’s post. Most recently, she served as the General Counsel to the first Republican Speaker of the House since Reconstruction, where she led the Speaker’s efforts to pass landmark tort reform, ethics, and governmental reorganization legislation. She also has experience with health care, education, public utility, environmental/water/oil and gas, insurance, criminal and civil jurisprudence, election, budgetary, gambling, and licensing issues, amongst others. Additionally, she has significant political experience, having consulted, managed, and fundraised for successful legislative and statewide campaigns.
Michelle received her Bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and earned her law degree cum laude from South Texas College of Law, where she was an editor of law review and an award-winning national moot court participant. Having worked for former Third Court of Appeals Justice Lee Yeakel (now a retired federal district judge) and Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht (the former Chief Justice of that court), she has experience with the appellate courts that manage administrative law issues. After law school, Michelle worked for Holland & Knight LLP, the fifth-largest law firm in the nation, and was a partner at a Texas-based firm, where she practiced in the firm’s governmental affairs department. In 2006, she established her own governmental affairs firm, Wittenburg & Associates, where she currently provides governmental and business consulting and advocacy services to business, association, non-profit, and political clients. Michelle is consistently ranked by Capitol Inside as one of the top 30 lobbyists in Texas—amongst almost 2,000 registered lobbyists—and was recently named as the recipient of the 2025 Best in Government Affairs Top Hired Gun by USLEGE.
Additionally, Michelle is the President of KK125 Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and a board member of Patients for Stem Cells. Emanating from her personal history and attachment to the issues under the umbrella of these organizations is a record of legislative and regulatory pro bono success on both the state and federal levels, where she helped pass Texas’s and the recent federal “Right to Try” bills, as well as working with Senators Tan Parker and Paul Bettencourt to pass first-of-its-kind stem cell legislation that allows the terminally ill and those with severe, chronic illnesses to have broader and more expeditious access to promising stem cell therapies. Michelle has also appeared in several documentaries that seek to educate the public and change laws regarding the life-altering roles that novel but safe therapies can play in our health. Recently, she was recognized as the top individual fundraiser in the Austin/San Antonio region for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In her spare time, Michelle—a fortunate fifth-generation Texan who was raised on her family’s 150+-year-old Central Texas ranch—spends as much time as possible with her horses, cats, dogs, goats, and donkey, and raising funds and awareness for Jack Jack’s Pack, a street dog and cat rescue that Governor and Mrs. Abbott officially recognized as a top volunteer organization in Texas.
Christopher Williston, VI, CAE, IBAT
Chris Williston VI is a non-profit professional who has dedicated his career to serving purpose-driven, volunteer-led organizations. A Certified Association Executive, he comes from a multi-generational family of non-profit leaders.
A graduate of TCU and Brite Divinity School, Chris is known for leading with hope as a discipline—rooted in a core belief that everyone is created for a purpose and with undeniable dignity. In addition to his professional work with non-profit organizations, Chris and his wife, Michelle, founded The Mary Claire Project, a charitable initiative helping families access burial services for babies lost in miscarriage and stillbirth.
He is the co-author of "The Association Executive's Field Guide" and a forthcoming book, "The Doom Antidote."
The Willistons live in Georgetown, TX, with four of their six children.
Local Opportunities
If you're searching for a local restaurant and opportunities for experience during your visit, check out Austin's Insider Guide.
Looking for even more options? Visit austintexas.com and plan you trip!
-1.png?width=250&height=39&name=1847%20Financial%20Logo%20(1)-1.png){kind=small}
.png?width=250&height=50&name=ECA%20Marketing%20Logo%20with%20Slogan%20Transparent%20(1).png)
.png?width=200&height=58&name=EMG_logo_150%20(1).png){kind=logo}
.png?width=200&height=69&name=Midland%20Logo%20(1).png)
.png?width=240&height=40&name=Modern-Life_Logo_Black%20(1).png){kind=logo}
.png?width=100&height=138&name=motiv8-logo%20(1).png)
.png?width=200&height=111&name=SAM%20logos_RGB_SAM%20USA%20Slogan-Gold%20Blue%20(002).png)
