Date: Wednesday, September 28th, 11:30 AM

Location: Glen Oaks Country Club

Speaker:  Adam McRoberts

Topic: Adam McRoberts, owner of Ted’s Body Shop will speak to us on the rising cost of vehicle repair and the impact supply chain issues have had on vehicle repair.

Please register here. Link live on 8.31

Greetings CPCUs!

I hope you all had a great summer and were able to engage in some fun and relaxing activities over the last few months.  If you haven’t been to a chapter event this year you should make plans to attend one of the great events we have coming up this fall.

Our chapter is excited to be coming back from our summer break starting with a social event on Thursday, September 8^th at Smash Park in West Des Moines. Please join us for food, games, networking and we’ll be recognizing and welcoming our 2022 new designees to the chapter! Thanks to Brooke Jeffus and Casie Smith for organizing this event.

Abby-Jaye Larson, our vice president, and her team have been hard at work organizing our fall meeting schedule. The fall meeting series will kick off with a meeting at Glen Oaks Country Club on September 28^th and will focus on trends relating to auto repairs.

We hope to see you soon!

Sara VanWyk

Iowa CPCU Society Chapter President

Chris Huszar started a new position as AVP, Specialty Programs at AmTrust Financial Services.

Jamie Dahlgren was promoted to Commercial Lines Underwriting Manager- Food & Beverage at Nationwide Agribusiness.

Have an accomplishment, promotion or award you'd like to share with your fellow CPCUs? Email them to [email protected].

The Iowa CPCU Chapter would like to invite you join us at our fall social/new designee celebration! This event is open to all Iowa CPCU members, new designees, and current candidates. Grab your friends and enjoy the company of your fellow CPCU professionals at Smash Park in West Des Moines - Thursday, September 8^th from 3:30p to 5:30p CST. Food and beverages will be provided while you enjoy networking with peers and celebrating the accomplishments of the new designees! 

Please RSVP here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Dr. Kurt Sikkema DC, MBA, MA-IBP, CPCU, AIC, AINS

SIU Clinical Specialist

EMC Insurance Companies

In my role as SIU Clinical Specialist for EMC Insurance Companies, I primarily focus on medical fraud investigations where I integrate traditional investigative techniques, as well as data analytics. After completing a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic and having my own practice in Michigan, I transitioned to the insurance sector to use my medical background and interest in healthcare in a new professional setting that would expand my career. 

Born and raised in Clinton, Iowa, I was active in sports and went on to play rugby at the University of Northern Iowa and obtained a B.S. in Construction Management. Realizing my passion for healthcare and wellness, I chose Palmer College to pivot my career. Since then, I’ve received my MBA from the University of Iowa with a Certificate in Finance, and most recently, graduated from Georgetown University with a Master of Arts in International Business and Foreign Policy. 

Along with advanced education, I decided to pursue my CPCU designation to increase my expertise in the field and prepare for future leadership positions. Already having obtained both AIC and AINS designations, I greatly valued the education from the Institutes, making the CPCU path the next logical step for me. My mentor at EMC, Bryon Snethen, had obtained his CPCU designation and stressed how valuable the designation can be for growth. 

Taking four to six weeks to study for each exam was important, and I balanced the time with work and extra studying in the evenings and weekends. The practice exams were the most useful to me in preparation for the tests, I highly recommend using those to best prepare. Overall, the knowledge gained from studying for the exams has been valuable to help me navigate different areas of business that were newer for me and gave me a greater grasp of the industry on a macro level.

Now that I’ve completed the designation, I’d like to devote more time to volunteering and traveling more extensively around the world. I’m also looking forward to attending the In2Risk conference in November and exploring San Francisco for the first time. 

Name: Casie Smith

Hometown: Brooklyn, IA

Alma Mater: University of Iowa

Employer: Grinnell Mutual

Title: Claims Manager Insurance

Designations: AINS, AIS, AICM, API, and CPCU

Have you achieved any recent promotions, awards, degrees, etc.? Along with a co-worker, I received the Grinnell Mutual Way award for our presence at Marshalltown Community College and Iowa Valley Community College. We had the opportunity to share our journeys into the Insurance realm, as well as discuss many exciting career opportunities within the industry. The Grinnell Mutual Way award is for employees of Grinnell Mutual who go above and beyond in service at our company.

Area of study: I received my BA in Marketing and Minor in Psychology.

How long been a member of CPCU? Since June of 2019

How has your involvement with CPCU influenced your career? As soon as I passed my first CPCU

core test, my career was influenced. The Grinnell CPCU Sub-Chapter and my peers pushed me

to continue on the CPCU path and to grow within my career at the same time. I was promoted

to leadership with one more CPCU course left, and then life happened. I took a short break from

CPCU to focus on my new position and my growing family. Then, in early 2019 I made a

commitment to myself to get the 540 behind me. In June I passed that final exam. Since

completing the CPCU, so many more opportunities have presented themselves. I joined the

Grinnell CPCU sub-chapter executive committee in the same year. I am currently the immediate

Past President. Currently, I serve as the new designee chair on the board of the Iowa Chapter. I

have also committed to mentoring a peer on her CPCU journey. Developing genuine connections

with people is hands-down the best thing that has come from earning this designation!

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? I was named after a well-

known radio personality. (Kasey Kasem). I was to be Cassie if I was a girl and Casey if I was a boy.

On the way to the hospital my mother heard Kasey Kasem on the radio and it was fate. (Now if

she would have spelled it a little better maybe people would pronounce it correctly!)

What’s the last book you read (personal or professional)? Currently I am reading Essentials of

Supervision to obtain my SM Certificate from the Institutes.

Words you live by: “Always find opportunities to make someone smile, and to offer random acts

of kindness in everyday life.” -Roy T. Bennett

October Chapter Meeting

Wednesday, October 12th

IMT Insurance

Gilmara Vila Nova-Mitchell, IMT’s DEI Director will speak to us about the best practices for building an inclusive and diverse workforce in the insurance industry.

I-Day

Thursday, November 3rd

Prairie Meadows

Dr. Brian K. Hornbuckle, professor at Iowa State University will speak to us on weather and climate change.

Lois J. Raiola, Holmes Murphy’s ESG Practice Leader will discuss the environmental, social and governance impact on the insurance industry.

Rob Galbraith, founder and CEO of Forestview Insights and author of “The End of Insurance as We Know It” will speak to us on innovation, insurtech, and the future of insurance.