Members of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of New York elected a number of new officers and directors during its annual business meeting, the group said.
Taking over the reins as chairman of the board is Neal L. Sullivan, executive vice president of Sullivan Financial Group in Mahopac. Sullivan succeeds outgoing chairman Stephen R. Zogby.
Sullivan was one of three members elected to IIABNY’s executive committee. The others are Chair-Elect Lane S. Rubin, managing member of Excel Coverage Group in Westbury, and Secretary-Treasurer David M. Gelia, executive vice president of United Insurance Agency Inc. in Amherst.
Steven J. Spiro, president of Spiro Risk Management in Valley Stream, was re-elected national director for the group.
Rubin and Gelia will each serve one-year terms while Spiro’s second term will consist of three years.
A number of regional directors were also chosen.
Eileen Frank, president of J.P. West Inc. in Manhattan and Thomas J. Crowley, vice president of Maran Corporate Risk Associates in Southampton, were elected regional directors in the Metropolitan-Suburban Region, which encompasses the Lower Hudson, New York City and Long Island.
Also elected to a two-year term as regional director was Andrew J. Kaufman, president of Aurora Inc. Insurance Agency in Albany, who will represent the East-North Region, which includes the state’s Capitol District.
Two agents retained their regional director positions: Christopher A. Brassard, executive vice president and director of the Ten Eyck Group in Albany and Joseph F. Pecora, executive vice president of the Petrella Agency Inc. in Buffalo, were re-elected to third two-year terms. Brassard will represent IIABNY members in the East-North Region and Pecora in the West-Central Region.
In addition, the IIABNY board of directors elected Wesley Bissett, president and founder of the Bellemore Group in Washington, D.C and Baltimore, to a one-year term as director-at-large. Re-elected as directors-at-large were Sharon A. Koches, marketing director of the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter/Insurance Institute of America of Malvern, Pa., and Edie Weiner, president of Weiner, Edrich, Brown Inc. in Manhattan.
IIABNY also presented several awards to member-agents.
Vincent A. Alba, vice president of MRW Group Inc., in Huntington, and Christopher A. Brassard, executive vice president and director of the Ten Eyck Group in Albany, received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award – IIABNY’s highest honor. Alba was recognized for his fund-raising efforts for InsurPac, the federal political action committee of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Brassard was recognized for his leadership role as chair of the audit committee, which oversees the association’s financial reporting.
Others awardees included:
• Charles T. “Charlie” Reller, president and founder of Reller Risk Management in East Syracuse, received the Community Service award for his work with a number of Syracuse-area nonprofits.
• Marcia Brogan, an agent with Niagara National in Buffalo, received the Outstanding Local President Award.
• Sharon H. Emek, managing director of CBS Coverage Group in New York City, received the Outstanding Committee Chairperson Award from the American Association of Managing General Agents.
• Donna Rose, public entity unit manager for Eastern Shore Associates Insurance in Fulton, earned the 2008 New York State Accredited Customer Service Representative of the Year Award.
• Outgoing Chairman Stephen Zogby of Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig Inc in New Hartford, was presented with the Past Chair Award.
Source: Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of New York
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