Speakers

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Robert is Clinical Associate Professor of Risk Management, Insurance and Finance in the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and Director of the school’s Center for Risk and Uncertainty Management. He teaches courses in risk management, insurance and corporate finance, mentors students, pursues a variety of research interests and works with insurers, regulators, legislators and many other insurance industry stakeholders, including media.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Renowned insurance industry expert Robert Hartwig will provide his insight into the COVID-19 pandemic, current politics and the economic fallout as it creates a new era of uncertainty in the property/casualty insurance market.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

A best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein is an award-winning peak-performance business speaker who’s keynoted conferences on all seven continents.

ABOUT THE SESSION

There are reasons certain teams win consistently, whereas others do not ... and Ross will explain why in his InsurPATH session. It's based largely on the "Good to Great" concept of how the best companies are able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack through servant leadership, by creating a culture of excellence, by developing deeper relationships, and by giving extraordinary customer service.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Randy Schwantz is owner of the Wedge Group, a revolutionary technology company for sales team development located in Frisco, Texas.

ABOUT THE SESSION

It’s not your fault! Your producers manage their prospects a million different ways which makes it impossible for you to know what’s going on. Managing is intense, especially when it feels like you’re the lone wolf. You get to a point where you just hate it and start to think maybe you’re better off just being a solo entre-Producer. As an agency leader committed to growth, you know you need to change up your sales culture, but just don’t know how to do it. You just need a proven process to do it right.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Cheryl Koch is an agency management consultant, educator, and frequent speaker at various industry meetings and events nationwide. She is president and CEO of Agency Management Resource Group, a training, education, and management consulting firm, serving various facets of the insurance and financial services industries.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Join us for the Ultimate Account Manager - Module 1 - Zero Backlog to discover how you can get caught up and stay caught up with your incoming tasks without losing your mind! This proven program has been life-changing for thousands of agency Account Managers. Your facilitator, Cheryl Koch, combines her knowledge of agency operations and system management to present an impactful session that will result in saving you time, reducing your stress, streamlining and organizing your workflow.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Bryon Pedevillano is Vice President of PTL Insurance Brokers in Covina and current Vice President of IIABCal's Executive Committee.

ABOUT THE SESSION

IIABCal President-Elect Bryon Pedevillano will provide a brief forecast of the association's strategic direction in 2021 and what member agents and brokers should expect from their independent agent trade group in the coming year.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Melissa Phillipp-Himes owns and operates Phillipp & Associates Insurance Services, Inc., an independent insurance agency located in Chatsworth, CA. Melissa is currently president of IIABCal after having served on the Executive Committee and as chair of the Young Brokers and Agents Committee. Melissa is also Past President for the IIAB of the San Fernando Valley.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Melissa will share her insight into what it is like to lead the association during the COVID-19 pandemic, what changes were made in response to the pandemic, and what IIABCal was able to accomplished during the challenging year by adapting to a virtual member services model.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Patrick Galvin is chief galvanizer of The Galvanizing Group, a coaching company in Portland, Oregon. The Galvanizing Group helps high performance companies and teams, including Grange Insurance Association, Keller Williams, Banner Bank, the Alliance of Chief Executives, Fannie Mae, build better business relationships.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Patrick Galvin will leverage the timeless relationship building principles of his book The Connector’s Way: Building Business One Relationship at a Time. He'll share actionable strategies and practical tools for connecting virtually when geography, workplace structure, or other circumstances make it difficult to meet face to face.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Artists transform an empty canvas into a work of art through their skill, experience, inspiration, and senses. David Garibaldi’s life and transition into a world-renowned performance painter is no different.

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His show Rhythm and Hue is a music and color experience. Large pop portraits explode together on stage in minutes to music. Paint, sound, and entertainment collide for an entertaining show that has brought people around the world to their feet.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dymphna is the Assistant Vice President for the Excess Work Comp team at Arch. She is based in Los Angeles and manages the western region. Prior to Arch Dymphna was an underwriter at AIG, where she not only gained experience in underwriting primary and excess casualty for a wide array of clients and program structures, but she also worked with senior leaders to promote diversity and inclusion through employee resource groups.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Dymphna will join a panel discussion for a candid conversation with other Gamma Iota Sigma board members and industry leaders about opportunities in insurance, finding the career that’s right for you, and becoming a purpose-driven leader in our industry.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Alyssa Bouchard is an insurance industry association leader with expertise in insurance talent strategy, engagement, and development. As Director of Education & Programming for Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS), the premier collegiate talent pipeline for the insurance industry, Alyssa equips the next generation of insurance leaders and develops key relationships with industry partners.

ABOUT THE Session

Alyssa will join a panel discussion for a candid conversation with other Gamma Iota Sigma board members and industry leaders about opportunities in insurance, finding the career that’s right for you, and becoming a purpose-driven leader in our industry.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Barbara's four decades in the insurance and reinsurance industry have spanned leadership roles encompassing operational and strategic responsibilities, including business origination and product development, underwriting, claims, risk management/corporate governance and ceded and assumed reinsurance, while fostering a culture of innovation, mentorship, and diverse talent.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Barbara will join a panel discussion for a candid conversation with other Gamma Iota Sigma board members and industry leaders about opportunities in insurance, finding the career that’s right for you, and becoming a purpose-driven leader in our industry.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Steve is Senior Vice President & San Francisco Branch Manager for CNA and is currently serving as a board member for Gamma Iota Sigma and the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation. He is also a member of CNA’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and is the Executive Sponsor of the Growing Professional’s Employee Resource Group.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Steve will join a panel discussion for a candid conversation with other Gamma Iota Sigma board members and industry leaders about opportunities in insurance, finding the career that’s right for you, and becoming a purpose-driven leader in our industry.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Angie began her insurance career in 1971 joining her family’s agency. She held numerous positions in the agency consisting of CSR, producer, and eventually agency owner. In 1993, she sold her agency to join the staff of the Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois. She began as assistant vice president of Marketing/Instructor and was shortly promoted to vice-president of Education. She is currently the principal of Insurance Training Plus, Inc., a professional training and consulting firm focused on education and agency operations, that she began in 2002.

ABOUT THE SESSION

Let us start with what Ethics is not. Ethics is not E&O – there could be an E&O opportunity even when acting ethically. Ethics comes from the two Greek words which mean “moral” and “character.” So ethical behavior is centered around morals, character and laws. Moral principles and rules of conduct dictate the appropriate response when decisions must be made between right and wrong, which govern our behavior. These items and practical solutions will be the center of focus in this program.