Summer 2015 Ft Worth Chapter
9/1/2015
President’s Note
As we begin to wind down from the Dog Days of Summer, where the high pressure settles over Texas each year and we all bake and our yards dry up, I hope you have been enjoying the summer vacation season and have taken some memorable trips!
The Social at Joe T. Garcia’s in May was lots of fun thanks to Mary Gunn! We had a good turnout but always have room for more. We had a great Golf Tournament in April headed by Wes Edison, our President Elect. We have already set the date for next spring’s tournament. It will be held on Monday, April 25, 2016 at Sky Creek Ranch in Keller, TX. On Tuesday, September 15, 2015, we will get back on schedule and hold our next regular meeting at the Colonial Country Club. This Chaptergram will have all the details.
Every day we are bombarded in the media with all sorts of unforeseen events, from natural disasters such as the wildfires in the west to manmade disasters like the EPA Mine toxic waste spill. Each time I hear about one of these events, I think of how that would affect me, my family or my business. We are in an industry where we try to prepare for the unexpected. It is part of our jobs to somehow mitigate these things for our companies or clients when they occur. Being a member of CPCU and the Ft Worth Chapter gives us a lot of tools to use. We have the online CPCU resources, educational speakers at our meetings, and a network of other CPCU professionals to call on when we have a question. I encourage all of our members to get involved and help us make this chapter more vibrant and to embrace and mentor the incoming generation of our profession and the future leaders of our Chapter and Society.
We look forward to seeing everyone on September 15th.
Best Regards,
Daryl Wigington, CPCU
Ft Worth Chapter
President
Welcome New Designees 2015 New Designees
Billy Cannon
Anthony Reed
Congratulations on earning the CPCU® designation! The Fort Worth Chapter looks forward to visiting with you at a future meeting and celebrating at the Annual Meeting.
Daryl Wigington
Chapter President
The CPCU Society is a community of insuranceprofessionals who promote excellence through ethical behavior and continuing education.
Get Involved! The Fort Worth Chapter is
looking for volunteers to get
involved.
Whether you want to
network with others or
further develop your
leadership skills, we’d love
to hear from you.
Email us or reach out at the
next meeting to see how you
can get involved!
Inside this issue:
Visit us online: http://fortworth.cpcusociety.org
Join us on our new Chapter Facebook Group
Daryl Wigington
Chapter President
President’s Note
Welcome New Designees
W
1
1
Chapter Awards 2
September Luncheon Meeting Preview
2
October Luncheon Meeting Preview
2
Upcoming Events 3
Student Programs UT Dallas News UT
3 4
CPD Programs
Renew Membership
4
4
Chapter Officers
2015 Event Pictures
4
5
Chapter Awards and Recognition
2014 Gold Circle of Excellence Program
The Fort Worth Chapter of CPCU has once again been awarded the Gold Circle of Excellence Award for 2014! The CPCU Society’s Circle of Excellence Recognition Program awards each chapter for its efforts to achieve benchmarks in chapter performance. Chapters earn recognition by achieving key initiatives of the Society’s strategic plan.
2015 CPCU Society Member Recruitment and Retention Challenge
The Fort Worth Chapter was selected as a winner in the 2015 CPCU Society Member Recruitment and Retention Challenge. The challenge included successfully retaining current members and converting 2014 new CPCU® designees to full members. Our chapter’s efforts have supported not only the growth of our chapter, but also the CPCU Society at large. As a winner of the 2015 CPCU Society Member Recruitment and Retention Challenge, the Fort Worth Chapter received $500 to be used for chapter relation expenses.
Champion Advisory Board of the CPCU Society
Brian Black, Immediate Past President of the Fort Worth Chapter of CPCU, has been appointed to a three year term to the Champion Advisory Board of the CPCU Society. Congratulations Brian! We know that you will represent the CPCU Society and the Fort Worth Chapter well.
September Luncheon Meeting Preview
Please join us on Tuesday, September 15th at the Colonial Country Club from 11:30am to 1:00pm as we reconvene our monthly meetings following the summer break.
Guest Speaker Steven Dregas, Dallas Branch Manager – Global Property Facultative with Gen Re, will be speaking on The State of the Property and Casualty Industry Market – How Reinsurance is Driving the Current Marketplace.
October Breakfast Meeting Preview
We are in the process of planning October’s breakfast meeting. It will be held on
Tuesday, October 20th at the Colonial Country Club.
The Guest Speaker will be Stephen Blain Smith of the Law Offices of Stephen Blain Smith. Stephen brings over 25 years of experience in coverage, first and third party defense, and claim investigation.
His presentation will be on Fraud and False Swearing in Insurance Claims.
Additional information will be available on the chapter website and sent to members
via email in October.
Upcoming Events
Below is a list of remaining chapter meetings/events in 2015. Be sure to save the date.
Tuesday, September 15: Monthly Luncheon Meeting with speaker Steven Dregas
Tuesday, October 20: Monthly Breakfast Meeting with speaker Stephen Blain Smith
Tuesday, November 17: Monthly Luncheon Meeting
Tuesday, December 15: Monthly Breakfast Meeting & Volunteer Opportunity (TBA) Monday, April 25, 2016: Annual Golf Tournament at Sky Creek Ranch in Keller, TX benefiting
University of North Texas scholarships
Note: Most Chapter Luncheon meetings are held on the 3rd or 4th Tuesday of the month. Meals are included. An email invite will be sent for each meeting that will include information about the guest speaker and meeting date and time.
Location: Colonial Country Club 3735 Country Club Circle, Fort Worth, TX 76109
Registration: 2015 Dues Paid Fort Worth CPCU Members – No Charge Lapsed/Non-Members – $30 (includes meal)* - Credit Cards accepted
*If you are unsure if you are a 2015 dues-paying member, you can verify your status by contacting the CPCU Society or one of the Fort Worth CPCU Chapter Officers.
The President’s Scholarship and University Student Program
The President’s Scholarship, created by The Institutes and the CPCU Society,
was created to cover the cost of CPCU textbooks, course guides, SMART online
practice exams, SMART study aids, and exam registration fees for university
students pursuing their CPCU designation. This scholarship covers all exams in
the CPCU program (if completed within three years of graduation). This is a very
selective and prestigious award. We are proud to announce that two University
of North Texas students, Brittany McClure and Margaret Dean, were awarded
two full scholarships this past Spring 2015! Both are well on their way to becoming
CPCUs and contributing members of our industry.
Two new RMI students from the new program at the University of Texas at Dallas have been selected by
the CPCU Society to attend the CPCU 2015 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. Maria Cannon and Melissa
Huynh will be accompanying Professor Debra Richardson to the meeting where they will be involved with
the University Student Program along with RMI students from across the country. You will be able to meet
these young women at a future Fort Worth CPCU meeting.
For more questions regarding university student involvement, and to make suggestions for how the local
chapter may better engage these future CPCUs, please contact Debra Richardson at
Maria and Melissa
UT Dallas New Release
New Risk Management and Insurance Concentration Arrives Ahead of Looming Labor Shortage
“The Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas is launching a new concentration to train the next generation of brokers, appraisers, risk managers, underwriters and other professionals in the high-demand field of risk management and insurance”. Fort Worth CPCU Chapter’s Director of Education, Debra Richardson, MBA, CPCU, CIC, CRM, AINS, recently joined the Jindal School faculty to launch and direct the new program.
To read more about this exciting new program, please see the Attachment/Addendum section at the end of this Chaptergram for the full UT Dallas News Release.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program
CPD recognizes professionals who keep their knowledge current and their skills sharp through career-enhancing activities. By participating in this advanced program, you will set yourself apart as a
progressive CPCU® who is committed to lifelong learning.
Visit for more info: htt p:// www.c pcusociet y.or g/ed ucation -events/co ntinuing -prof essional -de velopm ent-cpd
Renew your Membership by December 31, 2015!
As a member of the CPCU Society, the risk management and property-casualty insurance industry’s premier
professional association, you gain countless opportunities to advance your career through networking and
leadership experience, and you gain access to technical educational opportunities.
There are free webinars available throughout the year featuring emerging trends and issues. You can also get
involved with one of the interest groups or take an online class for continuing education (CE) credit.
Your membership dues help support these initiatives and help your local chapter.
Visit the CPCU Society website to renew or update your profile: htt p://cpcusociet y.org
Chapter Officers
President:
Daryl Wigington, CPCU, CSP, ARM, ALCM
Ben E. Keith Company – [email protected]
President Elect:
Wes Edison, CPCU, CRIS Wortham Insurance & Risk Management – [email protected]
Vice President:
Kim Black, CPCU, AIM, AIC State Farm Insurance – [email protected]
Secretary/Treasurer/Director of Education:
Vicky Dearning, CPCU, AAI, RPLU, ARM-P Breckenridge Insurance Services – [email protected]
Directors:
Past President – Brian Black, CPCU
State Farm Insurance – [email protected]
University Relations – Debra Richardson, MBA, CPCU, MBA, CIC, CRM, AINS
University of Texas at Dallas – [email protected]
Webmaster – Nichelle Dawkins, CPCU, API, ARC, AU, AINS
SNL Financial – [email protected]
Director – Anne Lydahl, CPCU, CIC, CRM
Wortham Insurance & Risk Management – [email protected]
Pictures from 2015 Events
Please enjoy a few pictures over the next few pages of the Robert Purdin Memorial Golf Outing and the May Social at Joe T. Garcia’s.
To view more pictures from current and past events, please join the new Fort Worth Facebook group or check out the chapter website.
If you have pictures that you would like posted on the website, please contact our Webmaster.
Join us on our new Chapter Facebook Group – CPCU Society Chapter of Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth CPCU Chapter Website - http://fortworth.cpcusociety.org
April: Robert Purdin Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing
April: Recipient of the Robert Purdin Memorial Scholarship
April: Robert Purdin Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing – Board Members
April: Robert Purdin Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing – UNT Volunteers
Attachment/Addendum: UT Dallas News Release
NAVEEN JINDAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS
800 WEST CAMPBELL ROAD RICHARDSON, TEXAS 75080-3021
News Release News Contact: Jill Glass, UT Dallas School of Management, (972) 883-5989, [email protected]
New Risk Management and Insurance Concentration Arrives Ahead of Looming Labor Shortage Richardson, Texas (July 10, 2015) – The Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas is launching a new concentration to train the next generation of brokers, appraisers, risk managers, underwriters and other professionals in the high-demand
field of risk management and insurance. The newest concentration within the Bachelor of Finance degree program, the Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) concentration comes at the right place and the right time for North Texas, said Debra Richardson, MBA, CPCU, CIC, CRM, AINS, a senior lecturer who joined the Jindal School faculty this summer to launch and direct the new program.
Most recently, Richardson taught in the RMI program at the University of North Texas. She brings 30 years of experience in the field of RMI and six years in higher education.
“The key to a successful risk management and insurance program is to partner with industry, and we have potential partners all around us. UT Dallas is surrounded in all directions by every major insurance company in the U.S.—AIG, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Chubb, just to name a few,” Richardson said.
“This could not be a more perfect location or time to launch this program. Everybody needs our graduates,” she said.
The timing is ideal, says Richardson, because a labor shortage is looming in the insurance industry as the baby boomers enter into retirement. Experts believe there will be a serious deficit in qualified professionals to fill the ranks of retiring executives.
By 2020, insurers will have an estimated 400,000 job openings, according to The Institutes, a professional development organization for the industry. The number of professionals 55 and older is 30 percent higher in the insurance industry than the rest of the economy, an Institutes study says. The 2013 report says the number of insurance professionals over 55 has risen 74 percent during the past 10 years.
—MORE—
Debra Richardson
“We’re excited about adding this important concentration to the Jindal School’s well-regarded finance degree program. Insurance and risk management is a booming industry and growth market with tremendous opportunities for student jobs, internships and industry partnerships,” said Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Jindal School dean and Caruth Chair of Management.
In fall 2015, Richardson will teach Principles of Risk Management and Insurance as well as Business Liability Risk Management and Insurance. Because the courses teach students essential skills they need to manage risk in today’s business world, Richardson recommends them to all business majors.
“Anybody who wants an exciting, challenging and meaningful career in business should consider at least the Principles class,” Richardson said. “If you really want to help people and really want to look at the big picture and how the world economy works, risk management’s for you.”
Dr. Robert Kieschnick, coordinator of the Finance and Managerial Economics area, said the new program “is part of an overall effort to expand our risk management offerings, in all of its dimensions, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels as risk management has become an increasingly critical management issue.”
To learn more about the undergraduate program, contact Richardson at [email protected] or call 972-883-5038.
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The University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management is the largest of UT Dallas’ seven schools, with a fall 2014 enrollment of more than 7,500, about half of whom are graduate students. The school provides outstanding tuition value, a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate classes on campus and online, flexible scheduling and a convenient location easily access from U.S. Highway 75 (Central Expressway), the President George Bush Turnpike and Dallas North Tollway.