November Meeting & I-Day
Our Chapter will have 2 events this November.

November Chapter Meeting
Iowa Chapter Meeting - 2022 Officer Vote and Network Building
11/03/2021 11:30 AM-12:30 PM – online Zoom Meeting

Take an active role in voting on 2022 Iowa Chapter Leadership and create new relationships for your professional network of fellow CPCU's
 
We invite you to join us on Wednesday, November 3rd from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM for a chapter meeting. We'll plan to vote on our 2022 Officers communicated in our October ChapterGram to prepare for officers to be installed at I-Day on 11/11/21.

You will also have an opportunity to meet and get to know fellow CPCU's in our Iowa Chapter in breakout room sessions. We will have prepared discussion questions for your group so that you have a natural way to meet new people and share ideas. Hopefully by the end of our meeting, each attendee has a new colleague or two that you can connect with at future CPCU events.

Here is a link to the registration page and further instructions: 

I-Day
Registration is now live for I-Day:
 
Thursday, November 11th
8:00 – 1:00
Iowa Events Center
 
Join us at the Iowa Events Center for the Iowa CPCU Society Chapter's I-Day. We'll start the day with a networking breakfast from 8:00 - 8:45. Breakfast will be followed by Dr. Claire C. Muselman of North American Risk Services who will be providing updates and insights on the Workers Compensation market. Next, Jessica Dunker of the Iowa Restaurant Association will share how the Iowa restaurant industry weathered the pandemic and the liability considerations associated with changes prompted by the pandemic. We'll round out the day with remarks from the CPCU Society's President Elect, Chris Hampshire, lunch and our new designee induction.

New this year- mentoring circles! Join us at 8:00 am for a 30 minute informal group discussion with an experienced industry professional. Utilize this time to make connections, ask advice, and gain new perspectives. This is targeted toward students, candidate members, newer CPCUs, and anyone who is seeking career mentorship. When you register for I-Day select the group you would like to participate in. 
President's Message
Greetings from the Iowa CPCU Society!

I hope this message finds you doing well. The month of November is an important month for our chapter because we hold our traditional I-Day event to celebrate the insurance industry in Iowa. We are especially excited to meet in-person after our virtual I-Day in 2020. The Iowa Chapter is pleased to officially welcome 28 new designees in 2021 at our I-Day celebration. We are honored to have 2022 CPCU Society President, Chris Hampshire, in attendance to formally confer the new designees and provide the entire chapter with a preview of the year to come for the CPCU Society. Iowa Chapter Vice President, Sara Van Wyk, has been hard at work putting together the events for the day - please review this month’s chaptergram for further details and registration information. You can also visit our website, iowa.cpcusociety.org to find all the latest event and registration information.

I-Day will also include the presentation of our 2021 Burkhalter Award winner and the installation of the 2022 Chapter Officers. I’m pleased to report that we have a strong group of leaders taking office for the chapter in 2022. I will be excited to see everything they accomplish together next year and in the years to come.

Finally, I want to share a brief recap of my opportunity to attend the In2Risk conference in Orlando, Florida from 09/23/21 – 09/25/21. Like our I-Day event, the Society was pleased to hold an in-person conference again in 2021 after having a virtual conference in 2020. I personally enjoyed the opportunity to connect with fellow CPCU’s from all over the country and attend the informative working sessions during the conference. It was nice to have that sense of normalcy back. We hosted a small Iowa Chapter new designee reception on 09/24/21. I enjoyed networking with our new designees and other members of the Iowa Chapter in attendance. Overall, I am pleased to report that In2Risk continues to offer a wide array of relevant content to our industry and the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of insurance professionals. I hope you will mark your calendar for In2Risk 2022, taking place 11/10/22-11/12/22 in San Francisco, California.

I look forward to seeing you at I-Day on Thursday, November 11!

Brad Soma, President, Iowa CPCU Society Chapter
New Designee Spotlight
Joel Jellings, CPCU
Commercial Middle Market Underwriting Manager
Continental Western Group
 
I originally grew up on a farm near Oelwein, Iowa and have called Waukee, Iowa my home for 8 years. I am currently a Commercial Lines Underwriting Manager for Continental Western Group. I joined CWG 2 years ago, but have been in various management and underwriting roles for 17 years. I attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where I majored in Management with an emphasis in Finance and Insurance and minors in Marketing and Economics. 
 
I truly value learning opportunities and early in my career I was encouraged to study for the CPCU, but obviously was side tracked with life. I slowly chipped away at the tests and found the time of COVID to be a perfect opportunity to finish the designation. I took most of the tests further along in my career and have found that I have been able to tie many of the learnings with my everyday work functions. 
 
While not in the office I enjoy playing multiple sports, biking, and helping my wife chase around our two girls. 
Current Member Spotlight
Name: Ashley Laubscher

Hometown: Ames, IA

Alma Mater: Iowa State University

Employer: Grinnell Mutual

Title: Director – Commercial Underwriting

Insurance Designations: CIC and CPCU 

Have you achieved any recent promotions, awards, degrees, etc.? Recently promoted to Director of Commercial Underwriting from Commercial Underwriting Manager

Area of study: Hospitality Management for undergrad. I am taking MBA courses now with a focus in Risk Management and Insurance. 

How long been a member of CPCU? 2 years

How as your involvement with CPUC influenced your career? It helps in my everyday work. My increased knowledge helps me work faster and more efficient. I have been able to take train individuals and the department with the information I have learned. 

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? I have three young boys and two dogs. We go camping most weekends all summer and fall.

What’s the last book you read (personal or professional)? Leadership textbook. I hope to read something for fun on my holiday school break. 

Words you live by: Keep goals, personal and professional, to stay motivated in life.
Iowa CPCU Society Chapter | https://iowa.cpcusociety.org