April Meeting
Date: Tuesday April 12, 11:30 am
Location: Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden - 909 Robert D. Ray Dr., Des Moines
Speaker: Nicole Gunderson, Managing Director of the Global Insurance Accelerator

The Global Insurance Accelerator is a Des Moines-based, business accelerator designed to foster innovation in the insurance industry. Nicole will share the GIA’s mission and purpose, their successes over the years and introduce some of the insurtech startups participating in the 8th year of the cohort. You will hear from the startups sharing their perspective and experiences participating in the cohort.

If you have paid your 2022 CPCU Society dues, your registration is complimentary. If you have not paid your dues, it is $25.00 to attend. You can pay your dues by visiting https://www.cpcusociety.org/ or contacting member resources at (800) 932-2728.

Please register here.
President's Message
Greetings Chapter members!

Greetings CPCUs!
Did you know April is National Volunteer Month? Did you also know the Iowa CPCU Chapter and the committees at the national level are run by volunteers? As such, I’d like to recognize the local individuals who dedicate their time to putting together the meetings, activities, and development opportunities that are a benefit of your membership in the CPCU Society. Without their efforts we wouldn’t have a strong chapter that consistently achieves the Platinum Circle of Excellence award. Thank you to our chapter volunteers:

Melissa Allen, Cody Allen, Nikki Berry, Mary Calmer, Megan Eberth, Marina Gibbs, Craig Green, Kara Heinzig, Gina Helmers, Christopher Huszar, Brooke Jeffus, Barnes Kelley, Bruce Kelley, Ivy Kitzinger, Abby-Jaye Larson, Alexandra Levy, Matt Monfils, Laci Mortensen, Chris Murphy, Lori Myers,
Jen Peppenger, Morgan Regier, Casie Smith, Brad Soma, Evan Wheeler, Darren Wheeler, Neil Wysocki

I would also recognize that the work of these members wouldn’t be possible without the support of their employers. Thank you to the employers who enable our members to volunteer their time with the chapter:

Crum & Forester, EMC, Farm Bureau, Grinnell Mutual, GuideOne, Holmes Murphy, IMT, Innovative Captive Strategies, Nationwide, Pharmacists Mutual, USAA

The Good Works committee is hosting a clean-up event at Living History Farms on Friday, April 22nd. We’d love to have you join us for this volunteer event. If your employer offers volunteer time off this would be a perfect opportunity to use some of those hours while networking with your fellow CPCUs.

Please join us Tuesday, April 12th at the Des Moines Botanical Center for our April chapter meeting where Nicole Gunderson of the Global Insurance Accelerator will be speaking on their mission and introducing us to some of the participants in the current cohort.

Thank your chapter volunteers when you see them next!

Sara VanWyk
Iowa CPCU Society Chapter President
CPCU Member Recognition
Have an accomplishment, promotion or award you'd like to share with your fellow CPCUs? Email them to [email protected].
New Designee Spotlight
Lisa Lindley, CPCU
Commercial Underwriter
Grinnell Mutual

My name is Lisa Lindley, I am from Grinnell Iowa. I attended the University of Northern Iowa, where I obtained my bachelor’s degree. I am currently employed with Grinnell Mutual as a Commercial Underwriter.
 
What caused you to pursue your CPCU? I have always valued the power of education. I knew for myself that obtaining my CPCU I would gain further knowledge into the Insurance Industry and help me become a better Underwriter.

Has the knowledge you gained from studying for the tests helped your work? -Yes, very much so! I learned a lot about coverages that my company currently offers, but also ones that they do not.
 
How did you study for your CPCU exams? I used the institute materials and BDU course for the CPCU 540.
 
Now that you are done studying, what are some hobbies you are looking forward to enjoying again? I plan to continue furthering my education any hope to obtain my CIC designation soon. Additionally, we are welcoming a baby girl into our lives at the end of July 2022. She has an older brother that will be just over 2 years old when she arrives. I bet that will take up a lot of my time.

Will you be attending In2Risk in November 2022? Due to the arrival of another baby in July, I will not be able to attend In2Risk in November.
Current Member Spotlight
Name: Danielle Bushong
Hometown: Denison, IA

Alma Mater: University of Iowa

Employer: EMC Insurance

Title: Commercial Lines Underwriter

Insurance Designations: CPCU, AAI, AINS

Have you achieved any recent promotions, awards, degrees, etc.? Completed my AAI designation in March 2021
 
How long have you been a member of CPCU? Since September 2019

How has your involvement with CPCU influenced your career? Being involved with CPCU allows me to stay up to date with insurance events and trends we can expect. This has allowed me to stay more involved with what is happening in the market and it has also allowed me to meet other members of CPCU who would also like to broaden their knowledge
 
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? I made it to the third and final round of Wheel of Fortune auditions. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up being chosen as a contestant but it was still one of the coolest experiences I’ve had!
 
What’s the last book you read (personal or professional)? It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Spring Good Works Volunteer Event
Roll up your sleeves this spring and join our Good Works event at Living History Farms (LHF) for their Spring Clean Up Day! We’ll help them prepare for the 2022 touring season by cleaning, picking up trash, and assisting the collections team. The event is on Friday, April 22, 2022, from 1-4pm.
 
Sign up here by 4/8/22: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-cpcu-good-works-event-tickets-300124599757 During registration you’ll be asked your shirt size and if you are interested in an optional social event either before or after our volunteer session.

Contact our Good Works chair, Morgan Regier, at [email protected] or 515-371-4221 with any questions
Upcoming Events
May Chapter Meeting
Date: Wednesday May 11, 12:00pm (noon)
Location: Zoom
Speaker: Rita Williams-Bogar, MBA, CPCU, ChFC, President & CEO at Personal Development Solutions, LLC
Topic: Protecting Your Ethics. The environment in which we work and conduct business presents professionals with a number of potential ethical challenges. The remote environment has further compounded this fact. Join us to discuss a few of these challenges and come away with actions to mitigate them.
Iowa CPCU Society Chapter | https://iowa.cpcusociety.org