As you know, the CPCU Society and The Institutes have formally entered into an affiliation. I know there is a general sense of excitement about what we are doing, so I am pleased to give you an update.

Our first priority is you, the CPCU Society members. We have taken several steps to ensure that our CPCU Society increases capacity to meet your needs.  First, we have examined our vision, mission and strategy to be sure The Institutes are aligned with the CPCU Society’s members and other customers.

This was an important initiative to help us better understand how members see the Society adding value. In conjunction with The Institutes, we have already undertaken several surveys and interviews to help collect member feedback. For example, we recently surveyed members, non-members, chapter and interest group leaders, and employers. Additionally, volunteer CPCU Society leaders have traveled around the country speaking with chapter leaders and members to find out what they need.

Secondly, we have enhanced our strategies to be more closely aligned with the direction you want the CPCU Society to go. The results of the surveys illustrated that one of the key membership and employer success factors is the desire for more access to updated, practical technical education. This is perfectly aligned with The Institutes and demonstrates one of the many benefits of the affiliation. We will be introducing new initiatives shortly that provide this access. Additional initiatives include enhancing CPCU as the leading designation in the property-casualty insurance industry and developing ways for, and increasing awareness of, the many ways that CPCUs give back to their industry, to the CPCU designation, and to their communities. By anchoring these initiatives in the CPCU Society’s expressed needs, we make sure we are adding the most value to CPCU Society members as possible.

One of the primary affiliation benefits to the CPCU Society is the dramatically increased access the CPCU Society will have to The Institutes’ substantial resources. We are now in the process of designing processes and aligning resources with The Institutes to better deliver on these initiatives.

A part of this alignment is staffing. From the beginning of the affiliation process, both organizations agreed that staffing would be driven by overall strategy; changes in strategy necessitated staffing changes. Based on direct feedback from CPCU Society members, non-member CPCUs, Chapter and Interest Group leadership, and employers, the CPCU Society and The Institutes articulated the overall strategy for the CPCU Society. We then considered the processes needed to support the strategy and, from the processes, we determined the skills required to drive the processes. Those skill needs ultimately guided our staffing decisions, including the positions needed and the competencies each would require. While such decisions are never easy, we are confident that we have the right combination of talents to achieve our goals. We will send out a list of staff contacts shortly, under separate cover.

Finally, we have already begun to realize some affiliation benefits. For example, chapters told us that they would like to access to CPCU students as soon as they start studying, so chapter members can reach out to and help students as they go through their course of study. Through the affiliation, chapters have been provided lists of brand new student names so they can contact, assist, and demonstrate the value of The CPCU Society at the earliest possible time. Many more initiatives are in process as we start to work more closely with The Institutes. As these projects are rolled out, we will continue to keep you informed.

This historic affiliation between our CPCU Society and The Institutes represents a great opportunity for both organizations. We look forward to be better able to serve you, the CPCU Society members, in the future. We thank you for your continued support and seek your continued input to how we can serve you better.

Sincerely,

Steve McElhiney, CPCU, MBA, ARe, AIAF 2011-2012 CPCU Society President and Chairman

Larry Jansen

Larry Jansen, CPCU, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer at Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company located in Grinnell, Iowa. For the past 10 years, Jansen has served as the company’s senior vice president of Direct Underwriting and Production.

During Jansen’s 33-year career at Grinnell Mutual he has served in a variety of roles, including personal lines underwriting manager, regional underwriting manager, and regional vice president. He also serves as president of Grinnell Select Insurance Company and Big M Insurance Agency. Prior to Grinnell Mutual, Jansen worked for the Maryland Casualty Insurance Company and Hawkeye Security Insurance Company.

He has served the insurance industry as a past president of the Mutual Insurance Association of Iowa, a trustee of the Iowa Automobile Insurance Plan, and he is currently the chairman of the Iowa Fair Plan.

“We believe that Larry’s experience at Grinnell Mutual and insight with our agents and farm mutual companies will bring a new focus on relationships with those customers,” said Grinnell Mutual Board Chairman Dale Bartelt. “With the challenges of a changing marketplace, we are confident that Larry will provide the leadership Grinnell Mutual needs and we are excited about the possibilities moving forward.”

Jansen is a graduate from the University of Iowa and he holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation from the American Institute for Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters.  He replaces Steve Crawford who retired in December as Grinnell Mutual’s president and CEO due to health concerns.

The February 2012 ChapterGram is available for viewing or download. To navigate the new web site format, click on the ChapterGram tab on the top of this page to find a list of chapter years. The current year will always be on the top. Contact ChapterGram Editor Chris Murphy, CPCU with your ideas for articles and features to include in future editions.

Cindy Adams

Cindy Adams is retiring from Holmes Murphy and joining the Iowa Society of CPAs as their executive director.  Cindy has been at Holmes Murphy for over 25 years.  She provided leadership and made significant contributions, first in accounting, then in IT.  There is a retirement reception on Tuesday January 31, 2012 at:  Holmes Murphy & Associates  | North South Meeting rooms | 3001 Westown Parkway | West Des Moines IA 50265.   Cindy was the Iowa CPCU Chapter’s 46th president in the 1997/98 year.

The Joint Forum’s parent organizations, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), have announced the appointment of Dr. Therese M. Vaughan as Chair of the Joint Forum.  This two-year appointment is effective January 1, 2012.

Dr. Vaughan was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame  in 2003 and she is a long-time member of the Iowa Chapter of the CPCU Society.

Dana Ramundt, President and CEO of the Dana Company, will be speaking about the Emmett J. Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance.

For decades, The University of Iowa has been known for producing leaders in the world of risk management and insurance. Professor Emmett Vaughan, an eminent scholar at The University of Iowa for more than 40 years, was instrumental in establishing a distinguished reputation for insurance education at the University. Under his guidance, the Tippie College of Business partnered with industry leaders to launch the Institute to help with the industry’s expanding employment needs. After Dr. Vaughan’s passing in 2004, the Institute was renamed in his honor.

Click here to register and pay by credit card.  You can register by mail, fax or telephone by using the registration form found on the last page of the current ChapterGram.

The January 2012 ChapterGram is available for viewing or download. To navigate the new web site format, click on the ChapterGram tab on the top of this page to find a list of chapter years. The current year will always be on the top. Contact ChapterGram Editor Chris Murphy, CPCU with your ideas for articles and features to include in future editions.

Cindy Morton will be speaking about the Des Moines Emergency Food Pantry, which the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) began in 1976 and continues to operate today. Currently, DMARC partners with nine food pantry sites around the city to provide food for those in need. Donations of cash and food items will be collected at the meeting. If you are unsure of what type of food items to donate, please visit the Most Needed Items list. A social hour will follow the speaker, with hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine.

To register and pay on-line by credit card click here: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=225678 . To register by mail and pay by check please complete the registration form found on the last page of the current ChapterGram.

The December 2011 ChapterGram is available for viewing or download. To navigate the new web site format just click on the ChapterGram tab on the top of this page to find a list of chapter years. The current year will always be on the top. Contact ChapterGram Editor Chris Murphy, CPCU with your ideas for articles and features to include in future editions.

Professional photographs from I-Day 2011 held at the Des Moines Marriott on November 17, 2011 are now available from Todd Hugen Photography.

There are 152 photographs available and there are several options for ordering prints.

You will need a password.  The password is “CPCU” and it is case sensitive.  Click here to log in and view the photographs.