February Meeting
Date: February 18, 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Mike St. Clair, owner of Capitol Edge, represents companies and associations before the Iowa legislature. Mike will share information on proposed legislation impacting the P&C industry.
Mike has a BA in Political Science from Iowa State. Prior to establishing his own business in 2000, Mike worked as a research analyst for the Iowa Senate . He has also supported presidential campaigns in Iowa.

Register Here
Registrants should receive an email with the Zoom link when they register via Eventbrite.
President's Message
Greetings from the Iowa CPCU Society!

It’s hard to believe the first month of 2021 is already over and we are beginning February. For a lot of us, the winter months can seem long as we anticipate warmer weather and springtime. My birthday is February 4th so each year I am excited to turn the calendar from January to February.

We had a great turn-out for our virtual January chapter meeting on the 21st. Our speaker was Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Brad Hart. Brad shared with us the experiences of the citizens of Cedar Rapids along with his personal experience from the August 10th, 2020 derecho. He described the widespread and destructive impact the storm had on their community and challenges they have worked through during the recovery. He told us they still have a significant amount of work to do and as you can imagine, several challenges still on the horizon.

As I listened to Brad speak, the theme that consistently stood out was resiliency. He described how immediately, the storm brought unprecedented damage and destruction to their community. In response to those challenges, the storm brought the citizens of Cedar Rapids together as they became united in the common cause of recovery. As I reflect about his message, that is the same experience communities across the Midwest are having recovering from their own destruction the derecho caused.

A theme I’ve been focused on to start this new year is incremental change. While some initiatives or goals can seem so big it can be overwhelming, it is important to focus on what is the one, small change I can make today to move myself closer to achieving the broader goal? In other words, what can I do now to help accomplish 1% of the goal and leave the other 99% of the progress needed for days to come? I think the experiences from Cedar Rapids and other communities across the Midwest show how powerful this concept can be. Most importantly, they show us the power of being united through adversity and the opportunity we have to make positive change anywhere in our lives when we work together.

Our next virtual chapter meeting will be Thursday, February 18th from 12:00 – 1:00 PM. Iowa insurance lobbyist, Mike St. Clair, will provide our group with state legislative updates. Registration information is included in our Chaptergram and on our website.

I hope to see you at our next meeting and hope you have a great February!

Brad Soma, President, Iowa CPCU Society Chapter
New Designee Spotlight
Mark Leifker, CPCU
Manager, Claims Quality Assurance
Nationwide Insurance

Hi, I am Mark Leifker. I grew up in Dubuque and after moving around some I am happy to call Central Iowa home. While attending the University of Northern Iowa for accounting and finance I was recruited for an internship in claims. I returned that fall with a career direction and focus, talking to any carrier that would take my call. Upon graduation I choose to join Allied Insurance / Nationwide Insurance as a property claims associate. After more than 18 years I remain at Nationwide currently serving as a Compliance and Regulatory Services – Claims QA Manager.

I’ve always enjoyed “geeking out” over insurance policy application and industry information. Knowing that, a friend had been encouraging me to pursue my CPCU for years, including providing some study materials and advice. After hearing details about her experience with the society and the 2019 Annual Meeting / In2Risk I decided it was time. 2020 was going to be the year I moved words to action. Then came the pandemic… With the quarantine I had nothing to do and nowhere to go so why not live CPCU. I read the Institutes book and completed reviews of the material over a 2-3 week period. I’d then spend about a week completing practice exams and re-reviewing the material with the most opportunity to ensure a firm understanding. The virtual exams were key as I was able to purchase and take the exams when I felt I had peaked in the material without concern for a scheduled date or time.

I would most definitely encourage any insurance professional to pursue their CPCU. As a career-long claims professional studying for the CPCU exams provided me a greater, more in-depth understanding of our industry, operations within carriers, compliance oversight, and a firm understanding of financial results/reporting.

As our pandemic restrictions let up, I look forward to seeing friends/family, traveling, going back to volunteering for a couple local nonprofits and visiting the gym with some regularity. I’m a proud Panther fan - I frequently attend football/basketball games and currently lead the UNI Central Iowa Alumni Club. Completing the CPCU did allow me to get on the bicycle a little more often last fall. 2020 was the first year since 2007 that I was unable to ride my bike across Iowa on RAGBRAI. Here’s hoping for a safe return of the event this summer.

I was able to attend In2Risk virtually last fall. While I don’t yet know if I will be able to join everyone in Orlando in September, I look forward to getting involved with the society through the interest groups.
2021 Fees
Any members experiencing financial hardship can email memberresources@theinstitutes.org to request a full or partial dues waiver (not including chapter dues) until February 15th.

The half price membership for 2020 New Designees has also been extended to 2021.
2021 Scholarship Applications
The CPCU Iowa Chapter Scholarships have been awarded to deserving applicants for many years. We will be offering a total of 5 scholarships this year!

Scholarships offered are:
  • One $2,000 graduate scholarship awarded to someone currently working in the insurance industry
  • Two $2,000 undergraduate scholarships awarded to students planning a career in insurance
  • NEW THIS YEAR: Two $250 scholarships to CPCU candidates to cover costs of obtaining the designation

To apply for any scholarship or find out more information, visit: https://iowa.cpcusociety.org/about/awards
Iowa CPCU Society Chapter | https://iowa.cpcusociety.org