2015 Leadership &
Development Conference
Growth, sustainability and networking were the focus of this year’s Leadership & Development Conference. More
than 100 agents and company representatives met in Wichita to participate in a series of sessions geared toward
agency principals and future agency owners. A leadership panel on Oct. 7 featured industry leaders – Brian McNeely
of Reagan Consulting, Dave Talka of InsurBanc, Wayne Walkotten of Marshberry, and Joe Brossard of Farmers
Alliance (pictured above) – who discussed emerging trends, mergers and acquisitions, and perpetuation planning.
Opposite Page (clockwise from top left): (1) Jolene Biggs of Insurance
Planning in Great Bend talks with Ray Ryan of Ryan Insurance in Pittsburg.
(2) Dusty Davis of ICI in El Dorado was elected president of KAIA. See
our November-December for an introduction of the 2015-2016 officers
and board. (3) Special guests at the awards banquet included Greg and
Marsha Renn of Renn & Company in Wellington who serve on the Big
“I” golf committee; Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer; Big “I”
National Chairman Randy Lanoix; SueAnn Schultz of IMA who is outgoing
KAIA president and serves on the Big “I” Agent Advisory Council; Bob
Fee of Fee Insurance in Hutchinson who was recently elected to the Big
“I” Executive Committee; and Aubie Knight, CEO of the Independent
Insurance Agents & Brokers of North Carolina. (4) Senator Jeff Longbine,
chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee, was recognized as KAIA’s
Advocate of the Year for his leadership in the Legislature on behalf of
agents. (5) Matt Jones, a three-time cancer survivor and motivational
speaker, gave the keynote address at the conference.
tom murry, cic, lutc
Honoring a Lifetime of Service
The association presented a Lifetime Achievement
Award to the family of Tom Murry at this year’s
conference. Murry was a long-time active member of
KAIA and a passionate advocate for the independent
agency system. He served on the KAIA board for 10
years, was president of the association in 2001, and was
a member of the Government Affairs committee at the
time of his death. Murry died March 13. Dusty Davis of
ICI, who worked alongside Murry; Ryan Murry, Murry’s
son who now operates ICI; Kim Murry, Tom’s wife; and
Greg Renn of Renn & Company, a longtime friend of
Murry, accepted the award in honor of Tom.