Insurance Women of Northern Delaware

News

IWND Installs New Officers and Presents Awards
The Insurance Women of Northern Delaware installed their 2007/2008 slate of officers on June 14 at the Whitehouse Bed & Breakfast in Wilmington. This is the 28th Annual Installation Presentation for IWND.
Joanna Ryder, CPCU, CPIW, State Council Director - Elect, welcomed everyone and spoke about plans for the upcoming year for NAIW National as well as for State Council for Delaware.
Accepting the gavel from 2006/2007 president Susan Hyer was newly installed IWND president Marilyn Surma of the Lyons Companies. Marilyn's goals for the upcoming year are continued education and membership growth.
Other officers installed during the evening were: Sandy Norris of the Wilmington Insurance Company (President-Elect), Samantha Rambo of the Lyons Companies (Treasurer), Nanci McLaughlin of the Van der Wall Agency (Secretary), Mary Jane O'Tormey of Wilmington Insurance Company and Lee Anne Henderson of the Lyons Companies (Board Members).
The annual scholarship award was presented to Christine Carzo and the Insurance Woman of the Year award was presented to Marilyn Surma after the installation ceremony.
Scholarship Committee Chairperson C. Gail Krebs of Gerry Lynch/State Farm presented this year's scholarship to Christine Carzo a St. Elizabeth High School senior who plans on attending Boston University this fall. Ms. Carzo met the scholarship criteria of academic achievement and leadership by maintaining a 4.3 average throughout her high school years and doing volunteer work in her community.
Marilyn Surma of the Lyons Companies received the Insurance Woman of the Year Award for her unwavering dedication and participation to the success of the Insurance Women of Northern Delaware (IWND). Marilyn consistently brings energy and enthusiasm to the organization. On receiving the award from Lori Simpson, last year's award winner, Ms. Surma said, "I never expected this" and she thanked the group for nominating her.   Photos

IWND Raises Funds At Holiday Gathering
IWND hosted a holiday gathering to raise funds on December 8 at the White House Inn in Wilmington. Including invited guests over $1,000.00 was raised through the annual Santa Auction and 50/50 Raffle. Auction proceeds were donated to the Ronald McDonald House and raffle proceeds will aid IWND in providing Educational seminars and speakers throughout the coming year.
For the Santa Auction members and guests brought wrapped packages to the event that were auctioned off by "Santa Claus". Each gift stayed wrapped and everyone bid based on hints from Santa. A special thank you from IWND to our Santa, Dick Markle and his assistant Elfie, Chris Smith of the Lyons Companies.
The 50/50 was won by member LeeAnne Henderson's father. Corporate donations were made by ServePro, The Lyons Companies and The Vanderwaal Group. IWND would like to thank everyone for their generous donations to our annual fundraiser.   Photos

Cort Furniture Rental Featured At February Meeting
IWND welcomed Kerry Finnigan of Cort Furniture Rental to our February meeting. Ms. Finnigan spoke to the group about how Cort Furniture aids people affected by flood or fire in resuming their daily lives.
Cort Furniture Rental provides furniture in "showroom like" condition so people affected by a catastrophic events can ultimately furnish their home with everything - housewares, electronic equipment, bedroom, linens, etc. and know that it is of the best quality.
Cort Furniture Rental makes renting furniture during a crisis like flood or fire as easy as possible for the policyholder. They work primarily with local insurance agencies and public adjusters and have a unique idea in "Apartments to go" - three rooms of furniture in a package that will allow the homeowner to furnish a temporary apartment while their home is being repaired. The sister company for finding a temporary apartment is ApartmentSearch.com.

IWND's November Meeting Addresses Workers Compensation Reform

IWND welcomed Bruce Decker the Senior Vice President of the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau, Inc. as a speaker in November. Mr. Decker has been with the Bureau for over thirty-one years, with prior service as the Vice President of Public Information and Statistical Reporting, Director Public Affairs, Director Policy Rules and Control and director of the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau, Inc.
Mr. Decker provided valuable insight about Workers Compensation Reform, both historical changes and changes that can be anticipated. Workers Compensation reform in Delaware is slow and deliberate and almost appears non-existent, but reform is coming. Other states have made significant moves to reform. Workers Compensation is one of the few last "retail" coverages. A lot of statistical data must be reviewed in order to make any recommendations for change.
There are currently bills in the Senate and House regarding Workers Compensation that will or have passed and will have an effect on how the insurance industry does business. Mr. Decker stressed the need for "everyone to be on board" with reform and the changes that are coming. If you are interested in rates and more information about Delaware or Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Rates and changes you can access the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau site at http://www.dcrb.com. There is also a link to the Pennsylvania Rating Bureau on the site.

NAIW Holds 65th Annual Convention

The National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW) held its 65th Annual Convention from May 31 through June 4 in Orlando, Florida. IWND Delegate Sandy Morris was in attendance and provided this report:
The convention started with "Meet the Candidates" and the Delegates Briefing on Wednesday afternoon. At the briefing the Parliamentarian and President Elect Gloria Bruno went over the proposed amendment and why we were voting on it. Afterwards, Region II presented a second amendment which would clarify the wording.
Next was the First General Business Session of the convention took place. Both amendments were approved and the new wording will take place July 1st, 2006. The State Directors will now be (State) Council Directors.
Region II Delegates

Due to the location change from New Orleans to Orlando and the date being moved to Memorial Day week, attendance was down this year to approximately 500 in attendance.
The Region II dinner was held on Thursday evening to honor outgoing RVP, Donna Amos and there were several great speakers at this year's convention including Ray Thomas, former CEO of Zurich North America.
At the Leadership Luncheon awards were distributed including Communicate with Confidence, Insurance Professional, Claims Professional, the Pinnacle Awards and The Aleta Stephens Award.
On Saturday the Foundation Luncheon was held during which Ray Thomas spoke again and scholarships were given out.
The Banquet brought everything to a close on Saturday evening.
NAIW Officers for 2006-2007
President - Gloria Bruno
President Elect - E. Faye Evans
Vice President - Jenelle Duffy
Secretary - Linda Wilson
Gloria's theme for the 2006-2007 year is "No Boundries"
Region II Officers 2006-2007
Region II Vice President - Janet Fritz
DE Council Director - Cynthia Lamma
DC Council Director - Brenda Lawhorn
NC Council Director - Kimmie Ross
VA Council Director - Reba Garris
WV Council Director - Sheila Easterling
Our state meeting is scheduled for October 14th at Dover Downs Hotel.

IWND Installs New Officers and Presents Awards

The Insurance Women of Northern Delaware installed their 2006/2007 slate of officers on June 1 at the Whitehouse Bed & Breakfast in Wilmington.
Accepting the gavel from 2005/2006 president Morgan Flynn of the Lyons Companies, newly installed IWND president Susan Hyer also of the Lyons Companies said that among her goals for her term are "membership growth, continued education and more active committee participation to attain our goals."
Other officers installed at the event were: Marilyn Surma of the Lyons Companies (President-Elect), Mary Jane O'Tormey of Wilmington Insurance Company (Treasurer), Veronica Young of the Lyons Companies (Secretary) and Sandy Norris of Wilmington Insurance Company (Board Member).
In addition to the installation of officers, the event featured the presentation of the annual scholarship and Insurance Woman of the Year awards.
Scholarship Committee Chairperson C. Gail Krebs of Chris O'Brien/State Farm presented this year's scholarship to Marianne Nagengast, a Brandywine High School senior who plans to study Business and English at the University of Delaware this fall. Ms. Nagengast met the scholarship criteria of academic achievement and leadership by maintaining a 4.0 average throughout her high school years and doing volunteer work in her community.
Lori Simpson of ACE USA received the Insurance Woman of the Year Award for her design and implementation of the IWND website, arranging for insurance professionals to speak to the membership on career opportunities for women and technology-related issues in the industry and bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to the organization. On receiving the award from past president Morgan Flynn, Ms. Simpson said, "This is such an honor and I look forward to working with the members of IWND this coming year on new challenges."
      Past President Morgan Flynn and
President Susan Hyer

Scholarship Committee Chairperson
C. Gail Krebs presents this year's scholarship to Marianne Nagengast

IWND's April Meeting Addresses "Cyber" Issues
Kris Best, Esq. of ACE USA spoke at the IWND April meeting about cyber theft, spamming and other technology-related issues that can affect anyone who uses a computer.
Ms. Best pointed out that this is an emerging area for insurance claims and discussed not only industry related issues but gave information anyone can use to make their home computing experience safer.
Among the industry topics discussed were technology-related claims such as advertising liability, property damage including electronic storage and damage to data. Ms. Best also informed the group about new laws being enacted to deal with these cyber-claims.
The second segment of the presentation identified the many generic dangers facing all computer users. Spamming (the sending of unsolicited e-mails), phishing (attempting to gain personal or financial information through fraudulent means) and identity theft (often the end result of spammers and phishers) all use desktop technology as a means to defraud computer users.
The presentation ended with case examples illustrating what many insurance professionals are already seeing and most will see as technological advancements spawn new types of claims. Ms. Best provided much-need insight to the fact that technologies we take for granted as harmless may contain hidden dangers.

Region II Conference Report

The 2006 Region II Diamond Jubilee (50th) was sponsored by the Charlotte Association of Insurance Women in Charlotte, N.C. March 22-26, 2006.
There were two dynamic keynote speakers during the conference. On Friday we listened to Donald Snyder of Cananwill, Inc. speak and Saturday Sgt. Irwin Carmichael of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office addressed the group about neighborhood safety and new ways of thinking about how you go about your normal activities.
Friday evening we played Diamond Jubilee Games - our own NAIW Olympic games. There were several games to play that evening and all three Delaware organizations made up one team. Despite the fact that there were only five players, Delaware did well. Revonda Moody, CPIW, FLMI got a gold metal for singing Diamonds Are Forever and received a standing ovation. Debra Lawhead (IWSD) got a gold medal for putting a golf ball across an uneven floor. The group of Revonda Moody, Debra Lawhead, Robin Davis (IWSD President Elect) and Patty Emler (IWSC President) won a silver medal for creative thinking by constructing a recognizable object with items given to them (paper plates, balloons, toilet paper, scotch tape).
Each person received a T-shirt in a color that signified their state - the Delaware team shirts were pink. There were many games and lots of food. A good time was had by all that attended.
Saturday evening we had the banquet and entertainment. The entertainer for the evening was an Elvis Impersonator.
During the business session, a vote was taken to allow National to take a by-law amendment to the floor for a vote at National Convention. This amendment would change the name of the State Director and State Director-Elect to Council Director. The purpose is for uniformity and to try to encourage more International groups to join NAIW.


The amendment came out of committee not quite complete with parts that need to be corrected. Example: It currently reads The Delaware Council Director will preside over the Delaware State meeting. It was suggested it go back to the committee for "housekeeping changes" after the fact.
There were two contestants for the CWC speak-off. Annette Ardler, CPIW Insurance Women of Richmond, VA won the Speak-off.
Jeanne M. Hess, CPIW, CISR, DAE, AAI Raleigh Association of Insurance Professionals was named Insurance Professional of the Year.
Katherine E. Waddell, API Insurance Women of Richmond, VA was named Rookie of the Year.
Delegate to the National Nominating Committee is Amy Craig, AAI, CISR, CPIW Wilmington Association of Insurance Women.
Alternate to the National Nominating Committee is Kathy Bowling AAI, AIS, CPIW Durham Association of Insurance Women.
RVP Janet Fritz, ACSR, CPIW Insurance Women of Baltimore. Her assistant will be Kathy Schor, CPIW, FLMI Insurance Women of Baltimore.
Janet's theme for next year is "Passion For NAIW".
Next year's Region II conference will be held in Williamsburg, VA. March 15-18, 2007.
Submitted by
Sandra L. Norris, CPIW
Insurance Women of Northern DE Delegate

Delaware State Director Revonda Moody Addresses IWND
Revonda Moody, NAIW Delaware State Director and IWND member spoke at our January General Meeting as part of her tour of local Delaware associations. Her topic - What NAIW Can Do For You.
Revonda first described NAIW and what offices and leadership positions make up the organization down through the local organizations. IWND is a member of Region II along with Washington DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Tanzania, Virginia and West Virginia. Both the Region and NAIW National participate in annual conventions. This year's Region II convention will be held in Charlotte, NC in March. The National Convention will be at DisneyWorld in Orlando, FL at the end of May. (See our calendar for more information on these events.)
As with all organizations, dues are a part of participation. Revonda gave us a brief overview of what we get in exchange for our dues.
As a member of NAIW (International) through our local association of IWND, we have incredible opportunities to make business contacts with insurance and risk management professionals across the globe. Membership is an investment in our careers.
Leadership development is an exciting part of the NAIW Horizon Plan to position the association for the future. NAIW will be known for fostering an avenue for development of leadership skills that our members can use within NAIW and in their careers. Members have leadership opportunities on the local, state, regional and national levels. Revonda pointed out a number of leadership tools that are available on the NAIW web site to assist the members of IWND in their development.
NAIW is dedicated to the professional development of its members through educational programs and networking opportunities. NAIW's diverse membership provides mentors and role models and information that insurance and risk management professionals need to succeed and the motivation and support to help accomplish career goals.
NAIW offers its own professional designations: CPIW/M (Certified Professional Insurance Woman/Man) and DAE (Diversified Advanced Education). These designations combine both industry education with programs developed and presented by NAIW (International). The designation that obtained is widely recognized throughout the industry. This year XL Insurance is sponsoring a CPIW/M Scholarship. XL will present an NAIW member who earns the Certified Professional Insurance Woman or Man designation during the 2005 calendar year.
Since education is a cornerstone of NAIW existence, NAIW is committed to providing quality seminars, workshops and classes that assist members in achieving their personal and professional goals. With that in mind, NAIW has developed business relationships with other organizations and associations that are mutually beneficial to its members. An example of one of these beneficial partnerships is the AII/CPCU Partnership which is promoting a 10% discount on education materials for all NAIW (International) members.
NAIW also has a Community Focus. Revonda told us that Partners in Literacy is where NAIW will be concentrating its efforts. The literacy focus for this year is Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. We then learned something about the literacy focus as an example a donation of $30 will provide an individual with one book a month for an entire year. There will be a fundraiser at the 2006 Convention to support this cause.
NAIW has a lot to offer its members, there is so much information available that it's just not possible to cover it all in one evening. To learn more about it, visit NAIW and this site for periodic updates.

IWND Raises Funds For Hurricane Relief

The Insurance Women of Northern Delaware hosted a holiday gathering to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina on December 8 at the White House Inn in Wilmington.
At our annual Santa Auction IWND members and invited guests raised over $1,200.00 for the Independent Agents and Brokers Association ("IIABA") Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund. The Big "I" Katrina Relief fund was established in order to assist independent agents, brokers, their employees and their families and insurance industry colleagues whose lives have been tragically altered by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
One Hundred percent of the donations raised by both the Santa Auction and a separate fundraiser of candle sales will assist the IIABA fund in the impacted areas.
The funds will be used to replace clothing and other necessities lost by their families in the catastrophe.
"Your generous contributions have made this auction one of our most successful fundraisers!" said Morgan Flynn, president of IWND at the end of the evening.
For the Santa Auction members and guests brought a wrapped package to the event and that Jolly Old Elf, Santa Claus auctioned each gift to the group. Each gift stays wrapped and everyone bid on a gift based on hints from Santa or his assistant Marilyn Surma of the Lyons Companies.
A special thank you from IWND to our Santa, Dick Markle of the Lyons Companies.
The event also featured a raffle for a combined VCR/DVD player and a small silent auction to help contribute to this worthy cause.



Powered by Crusoe Communications, Inc. - The Internet Solutions Provider