2023 AGENDA

All times in ET

• 8:15 AM

  Registration and Networking Breakfast

• 9:00 AM

  Opening remarks from Chairperson

  

  Taffy Jo Mayers

  Global Head of Commercial Property & Casualty and Specialty Insurance Propositions
  WTW ICT

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  Taffy Jo Mayers

  Global Head of Commercial Property & Casualty and Specialty Insurance Propositions
  WTW ICT

  Taffy Jo is the Global Leader of WTW Insurance Consulting and Technology Commercial P&C and Specialty Lines Practice where she is responsible for setting the direction for business and technology consulting.  In collaboration with the consulting and technology teams, Taffy Jo develops digital solutions which are data informed and technology enabled resulting in a cohesive ecosystem supporting industry disruption and transformation to reduce friction and increase transparency across the value chain required to bring forth the next generation of commercial insurance.  She also works across WTW Risk and Broking to develop synergistic offerings to support our partners and clients in developing market leading and sophisticated solutions to outperform across all market conditions. 

  Prior to joining WTW, Taffy Jo was the North America Head of Commercial & Specialty Insurance Underwriting Transformation and Automation at EY where she was the founding leader for the technology and business consulting synergies practice focusing on innovation, automation and digital transformation developing the underwriting propositions, solutions and EY Nexus Commercial Underwriting Ecosystem bringing together data ingestion, process automation, cognitive risk analysis, guided decisioning utilizing next generation data analytics and insights, risk visualization assets, portfolio management and distribution channel integration under a single pane of glass.  Before moving to EY, Taffy Jo was an executive at Zurich North America where she served in senior leadership roles for P&C Underwriting, Commercial Insurance Sales, and Distribution, Technical and Underwriting Quality Assurance, Risk & Control, Operational Transformation, Business Strategy, Product Development, Marketing, Value Proposition Creation, and Change Management.  During her time at Zurich North America, she introduced the largest and most successful underwriting landscape transformation up to that point using market leading digital and data assets and training protocols resulting in increased profitability, broker engagements and employee satisfaction.  With over 25 years of experience in commercial property and casualty insurance carries, she is a recognized industry thought leader for insurance innovation, digital transformation, data enablement, the Future of Underwing, carrier operations and employee engagement. 

  Taffy Jo is also a recognized community leader and advocate for equity, inclusion, and social justice.  In this area, she serves as board member of Georgia State University Risk Management and Insurance Foundation, as well as in advisory roles for NGOs and board leadership for non-profit organizations focusing on issues related to economic empowerment, child welfare, community development for marginalized and underserved communities.  Combining her passion for equity and disruptive technologies along with her background in risk assessment and creating quality assurance metrics, she served as a World Business Chicago Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs across plans for Developing and Deploying Neighborhood Assets and the City of Chicago Tech Plan.  In this role she brought together leaders for public companies, private organizations, and government leaders leveraging the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program to develop digital access mechanisms, learning, development and training programs for adults, adolescents, and children. The work derived from this plan was able to demonstrate the value of digital connectivity and literacy to increase personal income, small business growth, entrepreneurism and increased health and safety benchmarks across even the most under resourced communities.  She was a founding member of Zurich North America’s Women’s Innovation Network and The ERG Resources Group creating the pathway and standards leading to more than 5 new ERGs sponsoring colleagues to specifically launch 2. 

  She regularly speaks at insurance events bringing awareness and insights to the industry around transformation, allyship and public policy.  Taffy Jo is often heard saying the greatest honor and pleasure is mentoring and being in service to others. She has received recognition from her peers and para industry organizations for impact and service including a being Zurich Insurance KAMP Honoree, ZNA WIN Women of Excellence Peer Award, IICF Inclusion Champion, NAFE Women of Excellence Community Service Award. 

  Taffy Jo holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management & Insurance from Georgia State University. She is a self-proclaimed insurance and transformation evangelist, an avid college football fan, and a native Atlantan where she now lives with her family after spending most of her adult and professional life in Chicago.   

• 9:05 AM

  Opening Keynote: Women leading the way – Inclusive leadership lessons

  Join an Atlanta legend, renowned news anchor and journalist, Monica Kaufman Pearson, as she discusses the importance of leading inclusively in this inspirational keynote. Monica will share her wins, challenges, and the transformative decisions that helped her become the first woman and minority to anchor the daily evening news in Atlanta, where she worked for 37 years at leading station WSB-TV. Having ‘retired’ in 2012, Monica has not slowed down and now hosts and produces Monica Pearson One on One, a monthly personality interview program on Peachtree TV/WPCH-TV. Monica has been recognized nationally for her reporting with numerous accolades, achieved an extensive list of lifetime achievement awards and been inducted into multiple national Halls of Fame. Learn motivating leadership lessons from a legendary trailblazer for women and minorities on how to develop the framework to increase women in leadership – and how to empower others to do the same.

  

  Monica Kaufman Pearson

  Legendary news anchor and journalist, Host and producer
  Monica Pearson One on One

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  Monica Kaufman Pearson

  Legendary news anchor and journalist, Host and producer
  Monica Pearson One on One

  Monica Kaufman Pearson is the first woman and first minority to anchor the daily evening news in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked for 37 years at the leading station, WSB-TV.  She now hosts and produces Monica Pearson One on One, a monthly personality interview program for Gray Media Group.  The hour-long program is shown on Peachtree TV/ WPCH-TV in Atlanta.  She has won over 33 Southern Regional and local Emmy Awards for reporting, anchoring and her Closeups celebrity interview show.  She is also a member of the NATAS Silver Circle.  When she retired, she was honored on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives by the bipartisan delegation of the State of Georgia for her years of service on and off the air to improve the lives of the citizens of Georgia.  

  Since retiring in 2012, she’s stayed busy. At the age of 67, she graduated with a Master’s Degree, Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2014.  She wrote a column, Monica Matters, for the quarterly magazine, Southern Seasons and taught at Atlanta Metropolitan State College.  She is a much sought-after emcee and motivational speaker and for five years, she freelanced at KISS 104.1 FM, hosting This Week in Black History on their website.  For five years she hosted a Sunday public affairs show on KISS 104.1.  She also was one of three hosts of the Emmy nominated Georgia Public Broadcasting show, A Seat at the Table, GPB.org/ASATT.  Recently she has become a radio and television spokesperson for businesses and institutions and a voice over actor.  She is a member of SAG and AFTRA. 

  Monica is a native of Louisville, KY, growing up in the Smoketown neighborhood.  She is a graduate of the University of Louisville. She participated in the Summer Program for Minority Groups at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1969.  She was a reporter for the Louisville Times newspaper and a reporter and weekend anchor for WHAS TV in Louisville. For two years, she worked in public relations at Brown-Forman Distillers. 

  Monica was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame, the University of Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 2016, she was inducted into Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Hall of Fame.  In 2019, she was inducted into the Trumpet Foundation International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, located outside the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and was named the 2019 Woman of Purpose by Women United of the Greater Atlanta United Way.  The Jeanette Rankin Foundation named her their Shining Star for 2019. In 2021, she was inducted into the National Black Radio Hall of Fame.  In 2022, Monica was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the R.I.C.E. (Rising in Community Excellence Award) and the Visionary Lifetime Achievement Award by the Georgia Latino Film Alliance and Festival. 

  She is a Lifetime Trustee of Meals on Wheels Atlanta. In May of 2015, she chaired the Go Red for Women Luncheon of the America Heart Association and has served on the Executive Leadership Council and on the American Heart Association National Communications and Marketing Committee. She is also the first non-medical person to serve on the board of Americas-Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Foundation, (AHPBAF.)   

  Monica was the first African American and second woman to serve as Chairperson of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.  She also was the first woman to serve as President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which first presented the Naismith Awards to outstanding basketball players on the high school and collegiate level, locally and nationally.  From 2005-2021, she served on the Board of Jurors for the prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards at the University of Georgia and chaired the Board of Jurors in 2022, the first African American woman to hold that position.  She is a 2016 University of Georgia Grady Fellow.  The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication awarded Monica the John Holliman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.  Monica also has received an alumni Fellow’s award from The University of Louisville. She is a recipient of the 2018 University of Georgia Graduate School Alumni of Distinction Award.  Omicron Delta Kappa, The National Leadership Honor Society, presented her its 2018 Pillar of Leadership Award, Celebrating Excellence in Communications.  

  Monica has been recognized nationally for her reporting.  The Women’s Sports Foundation and Miller Lite awarded her the Women’s Sport Journalism Award for Local Television Reporting for her investigative report on the Georgia High School Association, which in its 87-year history had never had a woman on its executive committee and did not have statewide competition for girls’ soccer and cheerleading. The report led to women being added to the committee and soccer and cheerleading being recognized as sports with competition statewide.  That led to college scholarships for girls in both sports. 

  She was also awarded first place recognition by the Atlanta Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Green Eyeshade Awards for Excellence in Journalism/Documentary for “Hot Flash! The Truth About Menopause,” in 1995. The documentary also won two National American Women in Radio and Television Commendation Awards in competition with network programs for Best Magazine Show and Best Program Produced by a Woman. 

  In 1992, her report “The Abuse Excuse” was named “Best News Story (Large Market) and received an Exceptional Merit Media Award—EMMA. 

  Monica has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the nation’s first Black sorority since 1966 and is a member of the Kappa Omega Chapter in Atlanta, the oldest chapter in the state of Georgia.  The sorority awarded her the Presidential Vanguard Award in 2016.  In 2018, the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA presented Monica with the Pat Summitt Inspiring Woman Award.  

   Monica is a member of The Junior League of Atlanta. She is a breast cancer and liver cancer survivor.    

  Monica has received honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from Atlanta University, now named Clark Atlanta University; Oglethorpe University; American Bible University and a Doctor of Public Service from Young Harris College. 

  She is married to John E. Pearson, Sr., is the mother of Claire Patrice Deveaux and stepmother of John E. Pearson II. 

• 9:50 AM

  Panel: Competitive intelligence – Market trends and the future of insurance

  Digital disruptions, including AI, deep learning technologies and Blockchain, post-pandemic and environmental factors, are changing the insurance market and the way products and services are delivered. As we move out of the pandemic, what are the latest market trends, opportunities, and technologies shaping insurance today? In this session, hear from key industry leaders as they dive into the current and future insurance market – and what you need to know to remain an informed and effective leader. 

  • What are the latest market trends and what do they reveal? 
  • Discover current thinking on ESG priorities, big data, and analytics  
  • Addressing emerging trends in natural disasters and climate risk   
  • What’s next? Anticipating market trends and industry changes in 2023 and beyond   

  Moderator

  

  Rachel Perry

  Chief Innovation Officer, North America
  Aon Commercial Risk Solutions

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  Rachel Perry

  Chief Innovation Officer, North America
  Aon Commercial Risk Solutions

  Rachel Perry is the chief innovation officer leading the innovation at scale strategy for the commercial risk business in North America. Rachel works closely with key internal and external stakeholders to meet unmet client needs. She also focuses on growth and quickly drives impact through Aon’s innovation infrastructure executing innovation growth plans across North America.

  Before her current role, Rachel led the Atlanta operations as the Market Leader and Resident Managing Director, responsible for strategy, financial performance, growth, and client retention across commercial risk, health, and wealth solutions. In January 2017, Rachel became the commercial risk account executive leader, leading a team of account executives focused on strategic advice, client service, and growth. She started as the southeast region casualty leader at Aon in 2012. Before moving to Aon, Rachel spent 19 years with Marsh in their New York, New Jersey, and Atlanta offices. While there, she held several senior roles, including casualty practice leader and client executive. Rachel brings extensive experience managing strategic risk placements for large multinational clients in diverse industries including, retail/wholesale, food and beverage, manufacturing, and higher education. Rachel has utilized comprehensive analytics and insights to provide clients with risk advice and bespoke solutions for complex needs. Rachel began her insurance career in 1993.

  Rachel is a board member on several not-for-profit boards. She is a member and Chair of the Board of On Board Inc. She is also a member of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business Alumni Board, and the Metro-Atlanta Chamber representative for the Regional Business Coalition. Rachel strongly advocates diversity, equity, and inclusion, sitting on Aon’s Global Inclusion Leadership Council and the Black Professional Network national leadership team. She is an active speaker in the risk community and has achieved several recognitions within the risk and academic communities. Rachel was recently acknowledged with the 2022 Business Insurance Women to Watch award. She has also received the 2020 University of Georgia Terry College of Business Trail Blazers Award, named the 2018 University of Georgia Terry College of Business Outstanding Risk Management Alumna of the Year, and the Harlem YMCA Black Achiever in Industry Award.

  Rachel has her Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Kennesaw State University. In addition, she has her Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management & Insurance from the University of Georgia. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two daughters, and their dog.

  Panelists

  

  Ania Caruso

  Casualty Practice Leader, Managing Director – Southeast
  Gallagher

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  Ania Caruso

  Casualty Practice Leader, Managing Director – Southeast
  Gallagher

  Ania has over 20 years of experience with working with risk management & Fortune 500 clients on their casualty placement and go to market strategy, while using predicitive analytics focusing on cost optimization and reducing their total casualty cost of risk. As a client-centric and solution-oriented leader with diverse leadership experience on both the brokerage and carrier side, Ania understands what is required to provide white-gloved service to internal and external stakeholders while swiftly and successfully executing on business strategies. In her current role, Ania is responsible for running complex casualty practice in the Southeast region while also coordinating and developing resources around solutions for complex casualty risk clients, such as loss sensitive or cash flow programs, captives, data analytics, alternative risk financing, and reinsurance. As a leader, Ania works to train, mentor, and develop colleagues on the regional and national level to creative innovative solutions and execute casualty strategies to better service global and national casualty clients. She oversees growth of the Casualty Practice and identifies, creates and champions resources available within the organization to support it.  

  Prior to joining Gallagher, Ania held variety of local and regional leadership roles at Marsh, Willis (now WTW) and C N A Insurance Company. 

  Ania holds a degree in Economics and International Relations from Syracus University as well as her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation. She completed “Achieva” executive leadership program by Pathbulders in 2018. In 2021, she was named one of the Hot 100 by Insurance Business America. Ania is active in the local community as she serves on a Board of Directors for the JDRF Atlanta Chapter and Atlanta RIMS Educational Conference Committee and Mentorship Program. Ania speaks at risk and insurance industry events on various primary and excess casualty topics, emerging trends, risk management optimizations as well as broad leadership and diversity, equity and inclusion topics. Ania is a speaker and Advisory Board Member and Speaker at Advisen Casualty Conference since 2022.  She volunteers her time with several organizations as a mentor for emerging leaders and young professionals. Ania served for 3 years as Atlanta City Chair for the Dive In Diversity & Inclusion in Insurance Industry Festival and sits on the Atlanta RIMS Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion Committee and IICF Inclusion Forum Committee.   

  

  Isabelle Dumont

  SVP, Marketing and Technology Partners
  Cowbell Cyber

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  Isabelle Dumont

  SVP, Marketing and Technology Partners
  Cowbell Cyber

  Isabelle leads market engagement at Cowbell Cyber, including cyber insurance go-to-market, partnerships with cybersecurity providers, and all marketing functions. Isabelle brings 13 years of cybersecurity experience built at Palo Alto Networks where she launched industry-specific initiatives, at BlueTalon, a data-centric security leader acquired by Microsoft, and at Lacework, a cloud security unicorn. Isabelle has a track record of driving hyper growth at innovative businesses in emerging markets. She also held senior positions at Oracle and holds a master’s in artificial intelligence from Ecole Centrale in France.

  

  Scott Hornsby

  Underwriting Development Manager
  AmRisc

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  Scott Hornsby

  Underwriting Development Manager
  AmRisc

  Scott Hornsby, Underwriting Development Manager, brings extensive experience in E&S lines and commercial underwriting to his role. He joined AmRisc in 2007, and is currently responsible for leading underwriting operations and supporting new product development. Before joining the executive team, Scott was a Team Leader and SVP of National Accounts, specializing in municipalities and assisted living operations. Prior to joining AmRisc, Scott served as a Senior Account Underwriter with Aspen Specialty Insurance Company and ACE USA. He holds a B.S. in Corporate Finance from the University of Alabama. 

• 10:30 AM

  Networking coffee break

• 11:00 AM

  Panel: Pursuing better together – Harness the power of intersectionality to help you achieve your potential

  Embracing different perspectives and ideas creates more effective, productive, and sustainable organizations. As an industry, we’ve come a long way, but we still are growing. It is vital for industry leaders to evolve current thinking on diversity, equity, and inclusion to include considerations of intersectionality, an academic term that recognises how different aspects of a person combine to create overlapping areas of privilege and oppression (Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, 1989). In this session, our panel will explore how to build on current DEI programs to understand how intersectional groups experience the workplace. By including intersectionality, we can advance opportunities for all and enable each other to succeed.

  • Learn about intersectionality and why is it important to overcoming inequality in the workplace.
  • Discover how to apply intersectionality to empower your workforce and your team.
  • Examine issues in the workplace through an intersectional lens and learn practical tips and actionable takeaways.

  Moderator

  

  Tracey Estes

  Executive Vice President, Large Accounts Casualty
  Arch Insurance

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  Tracey Estes

  Executive Vice President, Large Accounts Casualty
  Arch Insurance

  Tracey Estes is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. She has a track record of leading and empowering people to cultivate authentic relationships and strategically execute goals and objectives that support long-term profitability, sustained growth and differentiation in the marketplace.  

  Tracey is currently an Executive Vice President at Arch Insurance Company and is responsible for managing the profitability and growth of the Large Accounts Casualty insurance book of business countrywide. She has spent the last 7 years of her career at Arch, and prior to her current role oversaw the growth and profitability of the casualty business in the Northeast, Southeast and South Central regions. Prior to Arch, Tracey spent 10 years with AIG, as a domestic casualty underwriter, international management consultant and manager of the international casualty products, including: middle market, DBA, and large national accounts casualty. Prior to AIG she worked as a primary casualty broker with Marsh. She holds a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist Designation and Project Manager Certification. Tracey earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington DC.  

  Panelists

  

  Geion Bright

  Vice President, Property
  AMWINS

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  Geion Bright

  Vice President, Property
  AMWINS

  

  Tonya Washington

  Regional Vice President, Southeast E&S Property
  Arch Insurance

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  Tonya Washington

  Regional Vice President, Southeast E&S Property
  Arch Insurance

  Tonya B. Washington is a Regional Vice President for Arch Insurance Company where she guides strategy and leads the Southeast Region E&S Property team, delivering products and services through the wholesale distribution channel.  

  Mrs. Washington has been in the insurance industry over 28 years in increasing areas of responsibilities. She has worked with commercial lines Insureds ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Mrs. Washington joined Arch Insurance Company in 2020.  Her most recent role prior to Arch was leading Chubb’s Property and Marine retail operation in the Southeast. She has also held positions with The Hartford, Employers Re, and Sedgwick Re. Mrs. Washington’s areas of expertise include property, marine, and casualty exposures worldwide.  

  Mrs. Washington earned the Associate in Reinsurance designation (ARe) in 1998 and the Chartered Property and Casualty (CPCU) designation in 2001. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College and a M.S. in Insurance Management from Boston University. 

  Mrs. Washington currently sits on the Board of Atlanta Youth Academy, a non-profit organization in Forest Park, GA providing urban youth with high quality educational opportunities.  

• 11:30 AM

  Breaking the taboos – Supporting women’s health at every career stage

  Women face health issues and challenges throughout their lives and introducing a specific women’s health strategy can provide practical advice on how to support women to thrive in the workforce. How can we create an open culture where women feel supported, confident, and safe to talk about health issues like menopause and miscarriage? How can you take control of your own health in the workplace? Hear how our speaker has implemented a culture that prioritizes women’s health and the strategies you can implement in your own organization.  

  • Conversations to expand line managers’ awareness and understanding 
  • Discover how small adjustments can have a significant impact 
  • A breakdown of common taboos around women’s health issues for the benefit of your workplace

  

  Audrey Martin

  Founder
  Blue Pearl Consultants LLC

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  Audrey Martin

  Founder
  Blue Pearl Consultants LLC

  Audrey Martin is an executive coach and Founder of Blue Pearl Consultants, LLC, with extensive experience coaching CEOs and executives through leadership and business transformation, primarily in the financial sector. Audrey founded Blue Pearl Consultants, LLC. in 2009.

  Audrey’s prior corporate experience includes Head of Business Performance and Execution, North America Life for Zurich North America where she was tasked to partner with the division CEO to develop a life insurance division from a “blank sheet of paper” stage. Prior to joining Zurich, Audrey was a Global Managing Director at UBS running Global Fixed Income HR. Additional prior experience includes Goldman Sachs & Co. and Burson-Marsteller/Y&R. Audrey has extensive M&A and transformation experience from multiple events at Zurich North America (Aflac, Benefit Harbor, Farmers Life) and UBS (SG Warburg, Dillon Read, Paine Webber, Enron Trading, headquarter move, 2008 Financial Crisis market crash restructure, etc.).Certifications, Specialist Training and Professional Designations Master Certified Professional Coach (MCPC)CLCI, MBTI, MBTI Group, Hogan Assessment, Korn Ferry/Lominger via Edge, PDI, FIRO B, ATD Facilitation, PMP trained, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode and Boardroom Bound. ICF Certified ACC Coach Current and Past Board Memberships Zurich American Life Insurance Company of New York, Farmers Life Insurance Company of New York, Advisory Board of “Friends of Karen,” Friends of Karen is an important community based charity providing critical support for families with children facing life threatening illnesses. Education BA, Cum Laude, Accounting, Pace University Contact Bluepearlconsult.com I [email protected] 203 564 0362

• 12:00 PM

  Networking lunch

• 1:00 PM

  Panel: Fighting fatigue – How to remain on top of your game

  With competing priorities and stressful working environments, many managers and executives are experiencing various levels of burnout. How can we prioritize wellbeing, and in turn, create a culture of empathy and support? This session will discuss strategies to fight fatigue, boost resilience, and focus on self-care and mental wellbeing to lead by example. 

  • What are the best strategies for fighting fatigue, and how can we develop them? 
  • How can managers and organizations encourage and prioritize a culture that supports wellbeing? 
  • Overcoming common challenges such as time management, multiple responsibilities, and burnout 

  Moderator

  

  Tandeka Nomvete

  Director of External Engagement
  Spencer Educational Foundation

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  Tandeka Nomvete

  Director of External Engagement
  Spencer Educational Foundation

  Tandeka Nomvete graduated from Georgia State University in 2013 with a BBA in Risk Management & Insurance and a minor in Actuarial Science and started her career with Marsh as an Associate Account Executive. After her role with Marsh, she gained non-profit work experience as the Director of Chapter Engagement at Gamma Iota Sigma, where she created and managed national resources for 90+ local chapters. Seeking to meaningfully impact the next generation of RMI talent, Tandeka gained recruiting experience by working as the Director of College Recruiting at Questpro Consultants and led their internship and early career hiring efforts. 

  Tandeka is now the Director of External Engagement at Spencer Education Foundation, the industry’s premier non-profit organization that funds the education of tomorrow’s Risk Management and Insurance leaders. She manages Spencer’s Internship Grant program, Mentorship program, and Webinar Series, and she leads external relations & marketing efforts for the Foundation’s various stakeholder groups, including donors, students, universities, Risk Managers, RIMS chapters, nonprofit orgs, associations, Spencer Scholar alumni, applicants, awardees, volunteers, and more. 

  In addition to her work experience, Tandeka has received several industry awards, the most recent being Insurance Business America’s 2022 Rising Star Award. In her spare time, Tandeka enjoys traveling, scuba diving, snorkeling, and exploring unique restaurants and attractions. She was born and raised in South Africa and moved to USA at 17 years old. She and her husband currently live in Atlanta, GA. 

  Panelists

  

  Marissa Jennings

  Southeast Area Executive
  Zurich North America

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  Marissa Jennings

  Southeast Area Executive
  Zurich North America

  

  Angela Lee

  Senior Vice President – Regional Claims Director, Southeast
  Marsh McLennan Agency

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  Angela Lee

  Senior Vice President – Regional Claims Director, Southeast
  Marsh McLennan Agency

  Angela Lee leads the Southeast Region Claims practice group for Marsh McLennan Agency and provides strategic direction and leadership across the region.  Angela oversees the team of claims specialists across offices in AL, FL, GA, KY and TN.  In addition to her management responsibilities, Angela manages complex negotiations and facilitates resolution of claims issues on behalf of clients across all P&C and specialty lines of coverage.   

  Angela’s career in claims spans across two decades with experience in coverage analysis and evaluation, claims management, policy interpretation, and claims advocacy.  Prior to joining MMA, Angela worked with organizations such as Travelers, Beazley, and Willis Towers Watson in managing complex and challenging issues with a specialization in D&O, EPL, E&O, fiduciary, cyber and crime/fidelity insurance involving public and private companies, financial institutions, private equity firms and non-profit organizations.  

  Demonstrating a strong commitment and passion for DE&I initiatives, Angela serves the Asian American Insurance Network as a Board Member and Co-Founder.  As a national 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, AAIN is dedicated to the professional development of API individuals in the insurance industry through mentorship, networking, education, and social awareness.  

  Angela is a graduate of Georgia State University and received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with an emphasis in Management.   

   

  

  Kim Reed

  President, Southeast Zone
  AIG

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  Kim Reed

  President, Southeast Zone
  AIG

  Kim Reed is President of the U.S. Southeast Zone at AIG. She is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and delivery of core capabilities to clients, brokers, and agents in the region. Kim has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, with expertise in property & casualty and commercial insurance. Prior to joining AIG, Kim held leadership roles at XL Catlin (now AXA XL), Arch, Marsh and ACE. Kim is also on the Board of Trustees, Risk Management Foundation at Georgia State University and enjoys mentoring students and other insurance professionals.

  

  Madison Williamson

  Product Manager, Cyber & Tech E&O
  At-Bay

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  Madison Williamson

  Product Manager, Cyber & Tech E&O
  At-Bay

  Madison Williamson is a product manager for Cyber and Tech E&O at At-Bay, working cross-functionally with the entire business and utilizing competitive underwriting strategies to deliver an intuitive auto-quote functionality. Williamson has worked in the insurance industry for seven years in underwriting and product — focused on Cyber and Tech E&O — across New York, San Francisco, London, and most recently Atlanta. She’s responsible for launching the 2.0 and 3.0 versions of At-Bay’s market-leading Tech E&O product.

  Before joining At-Bay, Williamson helped launch a B2B2C training platform for cyber customers at Hiscox USA in an effort to combat cyber exposure on the front lines along with research work completed in conjunction with international consulting partners. Beyond her day-to-day work in insurance, Madison’s scholarly work on female insurance pioneer Viola Turner was recently selected for publication in the Journal of Management History, and she just completed her final year as chair at the New York Junior League, which focuses its charitable efforts on the women and children of New York City.

• 1:50 PM

  How to negotiate during pay discussions

  Gender pay inequity exists at all levels in the insurance profession. This interactive session will provide you with the confidence to negotiate your remuneration, while meeting the needs of your organisation.  

  • How to prepare for the conversation to get the outcome you want  
  • Understanding your compensation expectations, incentives, and career progression   
  • Alternative compensation models that value performance and outcomes

  

  Casey Hartley

  SVP, Head of E&S Wholesale Casualty and Environmental
  Everest Insurance

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  Casey Hartley

  SVP, Head of E&S Wholesale Casualty and Environmental
  Everest Insurance

  Casey Hartley is a Senior Vice President and Head of E&S Casualty and Environmental at Everest Insurance.  In this role, she is accountable for the profitable growth and expansion of the E&S offerings and oversight of the field underwriting teams.  She also leads the Environmental practice.   

  Previously, she served as CUO for E&S Casualty at both Everest and Ironshore Insurance.  In addition, she has held various roles in underwriting leadership at St. Paul, Travelers, Crum & Forster, and Liberty Mutual. 

  Casey has over 20 years of experience in the P&C industry in roles spanning from Underwriting, Strategy, to Distribution.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Georgia in Risk Management.  She continues to be heavily engaged in college recruiting and leadership.   

  Casey has been a leader in multiple Women’s Leadership groups both inside her companies and externally.  Diversity and Inclusion in the E&S space is a passion and a personal mission in her career.   

• 2:20 PM

  Networking coffee break

• 2:50 PM

  Speed networking

  Expand your network, make connections, and meet fellow delegates in a structured networking session.  

  

  Taffy Jo Mayers

  Global Head of Commercial Property & Casualty and Specialty Insurance Propositions
  WTW ICT

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  Taffy Jo Mayers

  Global Head of Commercial Property & Casualty and Specialty Insurance Propositions
  WTW ICT

  Taffy Jo is the Global Leader of WTW Insurance Consulting and Technology Commercial P&C and Specialty Lines Practice where she is responsible for setting the direction for business and technology consulting.  In collaboration with the consulting and technology teams, Taffy Jo develops digital solutions which are data informed and technology enabled resulting in a cohesive ecosystem supporting industry disruption and transformation to reduce friction and increase transparency across the value chain required to bring forth the next generation of commercial insurance.  She also works across WTW Risk and Broking to develop synergistic offerings to support our partners and clients in developing market leading and sophisticated solutions to outperform across all market conditions. 

  Prior to joining WTW, Taffy Jo was the North America Head of Commercial & Specialty Insurance Underwriting Transformation and Automation at EY where she was the founding leader for the technology and business consulting synergies practice focusing on innovation, automation and digital transformation developing the underwriting propositions, solutions and EY Nexus Commercial Underwriting Ecosystem bringing together data ingestion, process automation, cognitive risk analysis, guided decisioning utilizing next generation data analytics and insights, risk visualization assets, portfolio management and distribution channel integration under a single pane of glass.  Before moving to EY, Taffy Jo was an executive at Zurich North America where she served in senior leadership roles for P&C Underwriting, Commercial Insurance Sales, and Distribution, Technical and Underwriting Quality Assurance, Risk & Control, Operational Transformation, Business Strategy, Product Development, Marketing, Value Proposition Creation, and Change Management.  During her time at Zurich North America, she introduced the largest and most successful underwriting landscape transformation up to that point using market leading digital and data assets and training protocols resulting in increased profitability, broker engagements and employee satisfaction.  With over 25 years of experience in commercial property and casualty insurance carries, she is a recognized industry thought leader for insurance innovation, digital transformation, data enablement, the Future of Underwing, carrier operations and employee engagement. 

  Taffy Jo is also a recognized community leader and advocate for equity, inclusion, and social justice.  In this area, she serves as board member of Georgia State University Risk Management and Insurance Foundation, as well as in advisory roles for NGOs and board leadership for non-profit organizations focusing on issues related to economic empowerment, child welfare, community development for marginalized and underserved communities.  Combining her passion for equity and disruptive technologies along with her background in risk assessment and creating quality assurance metrics, she served as a World Business Chicago Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs across plans for Developing and Deploying Neighborhood Assets and the City of Chicago Tech Plan.  In this role she brought together leaders for public companies, private organizations, and government leaders leveraging the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program to develop digital access mechanisms, learning, development and training programs for adults, adolescents, and children. The work derived from this plan was able to demonstrate the value of digital connectivity and literacy to increase personal income, small business growth, entrepreneurism and increased health and safety benchmarks across even the most under resourced communities.  She was a founding member of Zurich North America’s Women’s Innovation Network and The ERG Resources Group creating the pathway and standards leading to more than 5 new ERGs sponsoring colleagues to specifically launch 2. 

  She regularly speaks at insurance events bringing awareness and insights to the industry around transformation, allyship and public policy.  Taffy Jo is often heard saying the greatest honor and pleasure is mentoring and being in service to others. She has received recognition from her peers and para industry organizations for impact and service including a being Zurich Insurance KAMP Honoree, ZNA WIN Women of Excellence Peer Award, IICF Inclusion Champion, NAFE Women of Excellence Community Service Award. 

  Taffy Jo holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management & Insurance from Georgia State University. She is a self-proclaimed insurance and transformation evangelist, an avid college football fan, and a native Atlantan where she now lives with her family after spending most of her adult and professional life in Chicago.   

• 3:25 PM

  Fireside Chat: Accelerating your career – The latest scoop on skills development

  The industry is rapidly changing, and leaders need to be at the forefront to deliver business objectives. How can you ensure you are performing at your best through self-driven learning and development? This fireside chat on skills development will discuss strategies to develop capabilities and skillsets for career advancement.  

  • What are the top 3 emerging leadership skills, and how can we develop them?  
  • How can managers and executives encourage and prioritize learning and development for themselves and their teams?  
  • Overcoming challenges, such as leading inclusively and authentically in a hybrid environment, juggling multiple responsibilities, and collaboration between multi-generational teams  
  • Tips on how to take the next step in your career 

  Moderator

  

  Lawanda “Elle Michell” Hall

  Founder and CEO
  Intelligent Intentions LLC

  ×

  

  Lawanda “Elle Michell” Hall

  Founder and CEO
  Intelligent Intentions LLC

  Lawanda “Elle Michell” Hall’s professional career spans more than 20 years, serving in progressive Risk Management & Insurance roles. Elle’s rich life & career experiences coupled with her love for serving people and adroit problem-solving skills are the perfect ingredients for a thoughtful and impactful life coach. She blends innate creativity, natural inquisitiveness and analytical acumen to guide her clients through various life and career transitions.  

  As the Founder and CEO of Intelligent Intentions LLC, Elle is an award winning, nationally sought-after life & career coach, consultant, thought leader, trainer, and speaker. Her coaching style exists, at the intersection of business savvy and edgy urban intellectual. Elle has a way with words and an engaging presence that perfectly packages her messages which are laced with intelligence, intention, and integrity. A native and current resident of Atlanta, GA; Elle earned a B.B.A. (Major: Risk Management & Insurance) and studied for an MBA at Georgia State University. She also received a Life Coaching Certificate from the National Coaching Society. 

  Elle is a passionate advocate for foster children and a faithful supporter of the arts.  

  Panelists

  

  Nan Fine

  Senior Director, Casualty Underwriting & Healthcare Risk Solutions
  Markel Specialty

  ×

  

  Nan Fine

  Senior Director, Casualty Underwriting & Healthcare Risk Solutions
  Markel Specialty

  Nanette Fine is Senior Director, Casualty and Healthcare Risk Solutions for Markel Specialty, an insurance division of Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL). Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and founded in 1930, Markel is a Fortune 500 company with insurance, reinsurance, and investment operations around the world.

  In her role within casualty underwriting for Markel Specialty’s Southeast Division, Nan executes the product lines strategy and ensures budget metrics are achieved while ensuring the profitability of the portfolio. She is also responsible for training, developing, and leading a team of 15 professionals, in addition to the Southeast Primary Casualty, Healthcare Risk Solutions, Wholesale Business Development teams reporting to her.

  Nan’s professional experience reflects over 20 years in casualty underwriting in general liability, umbrella, excess workers compensation, and excess auto liability. Her insurance career began in 1988 as an underwriter with Aetna Casualty and Surety Company. Nan later spent seven years in various roles at National Reinsurance, ranging from Senior Underwriter to Assistant Vice President. After briefly leaving the insurance industry, she returned in 2005 to serve as an underwriter with Axis Capital. Following Axis Capital, Nan served as Senior Underwriter and Regional Vice President during four years at Admiral Insurance Company and as Regional Vice President for seven years at Arch Insurance Group. In 2017, she stepped away from the industry again to become Managing Partner and Founder of Fine Investment Properties LLC, where she bought, renovated, and sold investment properties.

  Before joining Markel in 2022, Nan was Vice President, Southeast Regional Leader for Excess and Surplus Primary Casualty for Everest Insurance.

  Nan earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. She has completed executive education programs like the Arch Insurance Executive Education Program and Creating the Future: The Challenge of Transformational Leadership at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Nan is based in Markel’s Alpharetta, Georgia, office.

  

  Terry-Dawn Thomas

  Head of Claims University
  Zurich North America

  ×

  

  Terry-Dawn Thomas

  Head of Claims University
  Zurich North America

  

  Jerome Wilson

  Regional Vice President – Professional Liability
  Skyward Specialty Insurance

  ×

  

  Jerome Wilson

  Regional Vice President – Professional Liability
  Skyward Specialty Insurance

  Jerome Wilson has over 25 years of industry experience and is one of the growing number of industry professionals that majored in Risk Management (Temple University). With a vast underwriting background, he has worked on the property/casualty, workers compensation, umbrella, auto, technology, cyber, media, D&O, product management, and marketing but has spent the past 10 years in the professional liability space. As regional vice president in Skyward’s Professional Liability division, Jerome plays an integral role in the division’s growth and demonstrates a deep commitment to building a customer-focused, collaborative and talented team. Outside of work Jerome enjoys sports, golfing, traveling, and hiking with his family. 

• 4:05 PM

  Closing remarks from Chairperson

  

  Taffy Jo Mayers

  Global Head of Commercial Property & Casualty and Specialty Insurance Propositions
  WTW ICT

  ×

  

  Taffy Jo Mayers

  Global Head of Commercial Property & Casualty and Specialty Insurance Propositions
  WTW ICT

  Taffy Jo is the Global Leader of WTW Insurance Consulting and Technology Commercial P&C and Specialty Lines Practice where she is responsible for setting the direction for business and technology consulting.  In collaboration with the consulting and technology teams, Taffy Jo develops digital solutions which are data informed and technology enabled resulting in a cohesive ecosystem supporting industry disruption and transformation to reduce friction and increase transparency across the value chain required to bring forth the next generation of commercial insurance.  She also works across WTW Risk and Broking to develop synergistic offerings to support our partners and clients in developing market leading and sophisticated solutions to outperform across all market conditions. 

  Prior to joining WTW, Taffy Jo was the North America Head of Commercial & Specialty Insurance Underwriting Transformation and Automation at EY where she was the founding leader for the technology and business consulting synergies practice focusing on innovation, automation and digital transformation developing the underwriting propositions, solutions and EY Nexus Commercial Underwriting Ecosystem bringing together data ingestion, process automation, cognitive risk analysis, guided decisioning utilizing next generation data analytics and insights, risk visualization assets, portfolio management and distribution channel integration under a single pane of glass.  Before moving to EY, Taffy Jo was an executive at Zurich North America where she served in senior leadership roles for P&C Underwriting, Commercial Insurance Sales, and Distribution, Technical and Underwriting Quality Assurance, Risk & Control, Operational Transformation, Business Strategy, Product Development, Marketing, Value Proposition Creation, and Change Management.  During her time at Zurich North America, she introduced the largest and most successful underwriting landscape transformation up to that point using market leading digital and data assets and training protocols resulting in increased profitability, broker engagements and employee satisfaction.  With over 25 years of experience in commercial property and casualty insurance carries, she is a recognized industry thought leader for insurance innovation, digital transformation, data enablement, the Future of Underwing, carrier operations and employee engagement. 

  Taffy Jo is also a recognized community leader and advocate for equity, inclusion, and social justice.  In this area, she serves as board member of Georgia State University Risk Management and Insurance Foundation, as well as in advisory roles for NGOs and board leadership for non-profit organizations focusing on issues related to economic empowerment, child welfare, community development for marginalized and underserved communities.  Combining her passion for equity and disruptive technologies along with her background in risk assessment and creating quality assurance metrics, she served as a World Business Chicago Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs across plans for Developing and Deploying Neighborhood Assets and the City of Chicago Tech Plan.  In this role she brought together leaders for public companies, private organizations, and government leaders leveraging the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program to develop digital access mechanisms, learning, development and training programs for adults, adolescents, and children. The work derived from this plan was able to demonstrate the value of digital connectivity and literacy to increase personal income, small business growth, entrepreneurism and increased health and safety benchmarks across even the most under resourced communities.  She was a founding member of Zurich North America’s Women’s Innovation Network and The ERG Resources Group creating the pathway and standards leading to more than 5 new ERGs sponsoring colleagues to specifically launch 2. 

  She regularly speaks at insurance events bringing awareness and insights to the industry around transformation, allyship and public policy.  Taffy Jo is often heard saying the greatest honor and pleasure is mentoring and being in service to others. She has received recognition from her peers and para industry organizations for impact and service including a being Zurich Insurance KAMP Honoree, ZNA WIN Women of Excellence Peer Award, IICF Inclusion Champion, NAFE Women of Excellence Community Service Award. 

  Taffy Jo holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management & Insurance from Georgia State University. She is a self-proclaimed insurance and transformation evangelist, an avid college football fan, and a native Atlantan where she now lives with her family after spending most of her adult and professional life in Chicago.   

• 4:15 PM

  Networking drinks reception