Insurance Diversity Digest - Veterans Day + Why Your Vote Is Critical

Diversity Proponent

Autumn is in full swing! It's cooler outside, the leaves are changing colors, and our days are getting shorter. This November also brings a heavily-reported presidential election and Veterans Day. This year also marks the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment. So many women fought for this right, including women of color who did not benefit from the law until much later. And the fight for voting rights is not over. Still today we see voter suppression taking the shape of: stricter voter ID requirements, dropping early voting, closing polling places, and redrawing election districts. We've come a long way as a nation, but have much further to go.

Our team felt we would be remiss if we did not honor our veterans and take a moment to pause and reflect on their tremendous sacrifices this Veterans Day-- particularly this year, in the midst of an election. And so, this month's newsletter will highlight two Vs-- veterans and voting.

Also: we're working hard to deliver a great 2020 Virtual Insurance Diversity Summit teeming with amazing workshops led by a powerhouse line-up of speakers and industry leaders. On top of that, we've eliminated any barriers to entry we could, so that it will be easier for you to join us. Did we mention that the Summit is free and completely online? Let us know you're coming and register today!

The 2020 California Insurance Diversity Survey results are in! The information was made available on the Insurance Diversity Initiative website on November 1, as required by statute. See what the numbers are telling us.

We take our duty to engage the public very seriously. Please take a moment to check out the public notices and links for this month's upcoming public meetings towards the latter portion of this newsletter and online at www.insurance.ca.gov/diversity.

We look forward to having you join us.

In Solidarity,

The Insurance Diversity Initiative Team

"The vote is precious... and we must use it."

- The Late Congressman John Lewis

Vote Today... For Tomorrow

“So, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst forth into glorious fruition ere long.”

-Mary Church Terrell, educator and founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Why Should You Vote?

This year's election brings to bear the critical issues that require our civic engagement. In the past few years, we've witnessed overt racism, sexism, ableism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia. From immigration policy, healthcare, climate change, education, and a raging pandemic that has taken a toll on our entire economy, especially among the most vulnerable members of our communities, there is simply too much at stake not to vote. After all, voting is our one tool as citizens to shape the future of our country towards a more perfect union.

In fact, increasing the number of people that vote in each election means better representation, more funding to our communities, and a better quality of life. If we work together as a community and increase voter turnout, then our state and national legislators will listen to our needs.

Remember: People fought for and died for this right. People are still fighting for this right today. So, go vote!

Resources Available To Help You

To locate your nearest voting center: https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/
To put the measures on your ballot in terms that make sense: https://votersedge.org/ca
Track your vote-by-mail ballot: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/wheres-my-ballot/

IN THE COMMUNITY

Veterans in Business National Conference

October 12 - 13, 2020

During these challenging times, the VIB Network recognized that business opportunities for Veterans still needed to happen. That’s why the 4th Annual VIB Network National Conference went virtual on October 12-13, 2020 – allowing for more participation nationwide. The numbers speak for themselves:

• 587 Registered Attendees

• 400 Business Matchmaking Appointments

• 84 Exhibitor Booths

• 18 Informative Business Seminars

• 2 Inspiring Keynote Speakers

Through the virtual conference platform, there were 18 business development sessions. Veterans learned how to lead in a crisis, write capabilities statements, gained clariﬁcation on certiﬁcations, and participated in panel discussions. The virtual business matchmaking one-on-one meetings were a huge success with 400 pairings, and the V2V Business Cohort Program continues to impress!

Day one’s motivational keynote was delivered by Green Beret Veteran Robert Schaefer of Horse Soldier Bourbon, who provided leadership lessons. He returned for “Happy Hour with a Bourbon Twist” with Navy SEAL Veteran Ty Smith. Day two’s keynote, Army Veteran John Register, shared how to “Amputate Fear and Embrace Your New Normal Mindset.” The ﬁnale was a “Salute to Veterans” live virtual concert with Marine Veteran Derrick Harris and his band “All The Vibes,” which included live painting by Sergio Gutierrez.

Congratulations to Insurance Diversity Task Force member Rebecca Aguilera-Gardiner and her team at the VIB Network for such a successful event.

VETERAN AND MILITARY FAMILIES MONTH

Veterans and Military Families Awareness Month

November was first declared as Military Family Month in 1996. Since then, November has been a time to acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices our military families make. Each November, the President signs a proclamation declaring November National Veterans & Military Families Month, and with hundreds of thousands of service members deployed overseas, recognizing the daily sacrifices made by active duty, Guard, and Reserve military families has never been more important. They contend with separation from their families and make adjustments to new living situations and communities. Military Families embody strength, resilience, and courage. Care of military families and children sustains our fighting force, and strengthens the health, security, and safety of our nation's families and communities.

There are many local and national services provided to show appreciation during National Veteran & Military Families Month and beyond. Here are just a few:

Every year you should be able to download a ‘Military Family Month’ packet from the Armed Services YMCA at www.asymca.org. The packet typically contains: a Military Family Month Poster; a Message from the President; a letter from the National Executive Director of the ASYMCA; Military Family Month Program Suggestions; and Guidelines for the annual art and essay contests.
Sesame Street for Military Families Free App – Addresses topics such as deployments, homecoming, self-expression and injuries.
Military children can find comfort in a free custom made photo transfer quilt or pillow through this program for children of deployed service members – Operation Kid Comfort.
Many Military Families are eligible for a free YMCA or Private Fitness membership through the YMCA- DoD Initiative with the Armed Services YMCA.
Sears Heroes provides gift cards for military families at Home Registry Sign ups. Signups usually happen in Late Fall- Sears Heroes.
Home Depot offers a 10% in-store discount for those with valid military ID, but the company is also recognized as an important employer of military spouses. A Home Depot employee-run resource called Military Appreciation Group, “is dedicated strictly to supporting active military associates, deployed reservists and their families” according to the Home Depot official site.
College campuses with ROTC units may host parades featuring trainee Reserve officers marching, displaying the colors, holding drills, etc. These events may be organized on campus, or ROTC units may partner with local organizers for events in the community.

The following are just a few ways to increase awareness, and provide support to the military community:

Donate a Thanksgiving gift to junior-enlisted members and their families through the USO-Metro’s Turkeys for Troops!
Create a Spouse or Service Member Care Package with items that would help either ease stress during a deployment.
Adopt-a-Soldier for the Holidays.
Create a spouse care package for them to enjoy and help reduce stress during training, deployment, and PCS moves and re-locations.
Thank an Active-Duty Member, Veteran, Military Spouse, or Military Child for their service.
Visit war memorials with your family to teach your children the value of service.
Fly the U.S. Flag.
Adopt a military family for the holidays by sponsoring a Food Basket or Toys for junior enlisted military families through the ASYMCA’s Operation Holiday Joy.
Contact your nearest military base Morale, Welfare, And Recreation (MWR) office to see what events or activities might be planned on-post honoring families including special events, contests, or discounts for local businesses or attractions. Sometimes just showing up for an event or ceremony creates a stronger bond in the community.
Volunteer at a local chapter of a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) such as the Red Cross, AmVets, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion, etc.
Donate professional services to military communities. Are you a professional counselor, psychologist, social worker, therapist, child care professional, or community organizer? Private and chartered organizations serving military families may need your expertise to make an impact in military

SPOTLIGHT ON DIVERSITY

As The Economy Reopens, Look To Veteran-Owned Companies

Originally Published: August 3, 2020

Editor's Note: Our Department's California Insurance Diversity Survey (CAIDS) highlights the critical need for greater veteran and disabled veteran representation in the boardroom, and an increased need for procurement from both veteran- and disabled veteran-owned businesses. The following article released by Forbes in August 2020 echoes this key finding and provides a business case for working with veteran-owned enterprises.

Veteran-owned businesses are especially poised to lead our economy out of its current crisis. This is because those who have gone to war are trained in the art of responding to what are known as VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environments. Veteran-owned businesses also employ 5.8 million Americans and bring in a revenue of $1.14 trillion annually.

I served in the military for 36 years; now I serve as president of the PenFed Foundation, which, among other initiatives, provides access to capital and resources to America’s veteran entrepreneurs. I have seen firsthand how the vigorous training and experience of the military provide veterans with the skills needed to launch and grow successful businesses.

If we want to reinvigorate our economy, I suggest we start by supporting veteran-owned small businesses.

For one, a Small Business Administration study found that “veterans are 45% more likely to be self-employed than nonveterans.” Additionally, veterans are more likely to hire other veterans, so increased veteran entrepreneurship has the cascading effect of providing job opportunities and financial benefits to the broader veteran community.

Here are four things business and nonprofit leaders can do to support veteran-owned businesses:

Seek out veteran-owned businesses to do business with for your everyday vendor needs.
Hire and train more veterans.
Share your knowledge.
Promote veteran-owned businesses and veteran business leaders on your social media.

Read the full article.

GOVERNING BOARD DIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT

The Value of Veterans in the Boardroom

Originally published: September 2020

"Our servicemen and women have tried-and-tested leadership skills and risk oversight experience that are valuable additions to corporate boards. KPMG is proud to support veterans as they learn to apply these skills in a boardroom setting.

-Stephen Brown, KPMG Board Leadership Center

As investors and regulators seek more information about how boards oversee the risks that are most critical to the company’s long-term success, boards looking to bolster their risk oversight and cybersecurity capabilities have a largely untapped pool of candidates to consider: former top ranking U.S. military officers. Retired general and flag officers (GFOs), who have honed their leadership and critical decision-making skills in a high-threat environment, can bring extensive risk oversight experience to the board, which may be especially valuable in the context of today’s risk landscape.

CEOs globally ranked environmental and climate change risk, emerging and disruptive technology risk, and a return to territorialism among the top threats to growth, while directors identified business-model disruption, a global economic slowdown, and increased competition for talent as the trends most likely to impact their companies. Additionally, recent events such as the coronavirus outbreak have shown how vulnerable businesses and supply chains can be in today’s environment.

The KPMG Board Leadership Center talks with directors about the skill sets and experiences that retired GFOs can bring to the boardroom and offers considerations for nominating/governance committees as they recruit retired GFOs for board service.

Read the full report.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

2020 Virtual Insurance Diversity Summit

We've got an incredible group of speakers involved in this year's Diversity Summit. Join us for Day 1 on November 12 where Commissioner Lara will discuss the topics of race and diversity in the insurance industry alongside a couple industry executives, including Allstate Corporation CEO, Tom Wilson, and NORCAL Group Board Director Dr. Fabiola Cobarrubias, MD, MBA.

And tune back in for Day 2 on November 13 where we'll be featuring a keynote focused on the future of diversity in the boardroom. Both Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and Assemblymember Chris Holden, lead authors of California's landmark board diversity laws, will be part of an impactful hour alongside board directors from the national Diverse Corporate Directors Coalition. You definitely don't want to miss out, so register online today at www.tinyurl.com/2020VIDS.

2020 CALIFORNIA INSURANCE DIVERSITY SURVEY RESULTS

The 2020 California Insurance Diversity Survey was administered by the Insurance Diversity Initiative this year. The Initiative utilizes the data collected to determine areas of progress as well as areas of opportunity when it comes to supplier diversity and governing board diversity. Now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to make progress in both areas.

By statute, all results are to be posted on the Commissioner's website by November 1 of the survey administration year. The results are in; view them via the California Insurance Diversity Survey Portal and then join us on both days of the Virtual Insurance Diversity Summit where we'll share our latest analysis from this year's survey results.

CAIDS Presentation: The State of Supplier Diversity in the Insurance Industry

Date: November 12, 2020

We'll be addressing the following questions and more: How much money do insurance companies contract with businesses owned by diverse individuals, including women, LGBT, veterans, disabled veterans, or people from historically underrepresented ethnic communities? How diverse are the supply chains of insurance companies and what are the key trends? Where do the economic opportunities lie when it comes to doing business with insurance companies?

CAIDS Presentation: The State of Governing Board Diversity in the Insurance Industry

Date: November 13, 2020

We'll be addressing the following questions and more: How diverse are the boardrooms of insurance companies? How does California's insurance board diversity survey findings compare to the level of diversity across other industries in corporate America?

UPCOMING CDI MEETINGS & TASK FORCE MEETINGS

This section of the newsletter contains all of the information regarding upcoming Commissioner TeleTownhalls and Insurance Diversity meetings. All meetings are open to the public.