President and CEO, American Equity Investment  Life Insurance Co.

Wendy Waugaman first met David Noble when she was a 23-year-old law clerk at Whitfield & Eddy PLC.

“I think my first assignment was something very ‘challenging,’ like getting his signature notarized on some important document,” Waugaman recalled. “So all those years later when he was ready to form American Equity (Investment Life Insurance Co.), it was really lucky and wonderful that I was in the right place at the right time to work with him as outside counsel.”

Waugaman, who in January 2009 succeeded Noble as president and CEO of American Equity, is the type of leader who creates her own luck. When she decided to take the certified public accountant examination after graduating from Drake University, she sat for the exam, even though she wasn’t sure she’d ever use that credential.

And, when the opportunity later presented itself to attend Notre Dame Law School, she grabbed it.

“My stepfather had always wanted one of his kids to go to law school, but none of them had previously gone,” she said. “So he told me that if I could get into Notre Dame, which was his alma mater, that he would help me with the tuition.”

As an attorney armed with accounting knowledge, Waugaman assumed the roles of both chief counsel and chief financial officer for American Equity in 1999, after serving for four years as outside counsel. “So those two things really got me into every corner of the company and involved in all the major issues,” she said.

Under Waugaman’s leadership, American Equity has continued its growth trajectory, reaching a record $1.3 billion in annuity sales in the first quarter of 2011 and $20.8 billion in invested assets.

Waugaman also currently serves on the board of trustees of Buena Vista University and as president of the Des Moines Metro Opera Foundation board of trustees. She has also served on the boards of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, Willkie House, Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health Services, Civic Music Association, Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa and the Ding Darling Foundation.

One of her longest commitments has been to the Bright Foundation and its co-founder, Lois Bright. Waugaman first met Lois and her late husband, Dale Bright, in the late 1980s when they were seeking an attorney to replace their long-time counsel who was retiring.

“When I first met Dale, the feedback I got was I was too young, and I was a woman,” Waugaman recalled. “But eventually, I wore them down and did become their lawyer. When Dale passed away in 1996, I started meeting with Lois on a weekly basis to get the affairs of the estate under control and make sure the Bright Foundation was on track legally. We’ve continued that tradition of getting together weekly since 1996.”