Happy New Year!
I am excited about the New Year and ready to serve as the President of the Iowa Chapter! I have truly grown up in the insurance industry. Brian Cole, prior owner of Brooks-Lussem Clem Insurance, hired me starting my personal lines insurance career 19 years ago at IMT Group. Our past President, Richard Keith, came to my desk at IMT and told me I was taking INS 21 and so it began. I have my Iowa agents license, API and CIC.
In 1999, I made the switch to EMC Insurance Companies as a personal lines underwriter and have had several positions at EMC including Personal Lines Supervisor for the Iowa branch. In the last year, I took on the role of Personal Lines Underwriting Manager for all of our states.
The Wakonda Club is our typical meeting location in December and it always is festive and beautiful. We had a great meeting with networking, hors d’oeuvres, and an excellent speaker on etiquette, Calista Gould. We have this venue planned for next year too. Mark your calendars as you don’t want to miss this event in 2016.
Our Good Works project in December benefited the DMARC food pantry and we donated $45 and 3 bags of groceries. Good Works is a sign of our continued commitment to contribute to our local community.
Join us January 21, 2016 at 11:30 AM for lunch at The Des Moines Social Club. Tom O’Meara from the Iowa Insurance Division and Jared Kirby from Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau will be speaking on Current Fraud Trends and Current Issues/Legislation in P/C Insurance.
The success of our chapter is solely due to our volunteers. Volunteering as a board member is the #1 way to network in our organization. Being a member of our board will also help you gain visibility in your own company and industry. Being a leader on the board will help you practice leadership skills that can help you grow as a leader in your own organization. If you would like to serve on our board, please contact me to volunteer.
If your New Year’s resolution is to attend more Iowa CPCU Chapter meetings in 2016, our Annual Meeting package is available. Once purchased, you are automatically registered for all of our 2016 chapter meetings and I-Day. If a conflict arises and you are unable to attend a particular meeting, you can send someone in your place.
My goal as a professional is to stayed engaged and learn from every webinar, presentation, CPCU meeting, conference and interaction with you. Every month, I want to highlight an important thought or lesson from our chapter meetings. What did I learn at our December meeting? The #1 rule in business etiquette is to make your guest feel comfortable. Even if your guest is not following etiquette, you are required to make your guest feel comfortable.
- Dalith Wells, President, Iowa Chapter
