As retirement approaches for Nora Everett at Principal Financial Group, she’s boning up for a long-postponed bird-watching trip with her dad — to Madagascar.  Everett, who will retire as president of Retirement and Income Solutions for Principal at the end of March, says she’s really excited to spend some time with her dad as he tracks down five rare bird species that can only be found on that African island. Here’s a nugget from an interview with Everett and her successor, Renee Schaaf, for an upcoming Business Record story. 

“My dad is in his mid-80s and ever since growing up on an Iowa farm, he’s been a bird-watcher,” Everett said. “Talk about revenge of the nerds — it’s finally cool to be a bird-watcher. … That’s the kind of thing I’m looking forward to — spending a week with my dad doing what he loves doing is priceless.” 

The trip won’t be just about birds. Everett has learned there are 85 species of lemurs that live in Madagascar, and she’s going to visit the Duke Lemur Center at Duke University to prepare for her trip. According to its website, the center hosts the world’s largest and most diverse collection of lemurs — Earth’s most threatened group of mammals — outside of Madagascar.