Joe Caruso is an Executive in Residence/Senior Fellow at The Conference Board Governance Center.  He was, until his recent retirement, Senior Vice President and Associate Corporate Secretary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, the nation’s fourth largest mutual life insurance company.  He served as Executive Vice President & Corporate Secretary and Chief of Staff to the CEO and the Board of Directors.  While serving in this role he had management oversight responsibility for the Company’s Human Resources Organization, its Federally Chartered Thrift Bank, The Guardian Trust Company, FSB, and the Company’s internal consulting and productivity improvement organizations.  He also had administrative responsibility for the Company’s Internal Audit Department.  Mr. Caruso was elected to the Company’s Board of Directors on January 1, 2005 and served as one of two management directors until December 31, 2008.

Mr. Caruso has also served as a senior officer and Director of various Guardian subsidiaries and affiliates including as Chairman of the Boards of The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc., Guardian Investor Services Corporation, LLC, Park Avenue Securities, LLC, The Guardian Trust Company, FSB, Park Avenue Life Insurance Company, Inc. and First Commonwealth, Inc.  He was also a Trustee and Chair of Guardian’s 401(k) Plan and a Trustee of its Defined Benefit Pension Plan.