KIA&B 2016 Vol. 21, No. 5 | Page 4

| PRESIDENT’ S PAGE |

What a year!

I t’ s hard to believe that this year has passed so

quickly. It doesn’ t seem that long ago that I was completely surprised by our entire ICI staff attending the Leadership & Development banquet in Wichita, when I became President. We’ ve had a very exciting and challenging year to say the least. Anytime you lose someone in a leadership role people become worried about the state of the organization and any potential changes. ICI experienced this firsthand a year and half ago when we lost Tom. However, you take what you’ ve learned from their leadership and stay the course. Our association was no different. Having a strong team on board allows this to happen. It was my role to keep the team moving forward while searching for the best possible candidate to replace Kerri. Change can also bring the best out in people … people recognize they must take their own initiative, find ways to improve, assist their co-workers and function as a team.
I am privileged and honored to have served as your Kansas Association of Insurance Agents President the past year. This experience has definitely made me a better person, and I’ ve developed many great relationships over the years serving on the KAIA board. Being involved in the association allowed me to gain valuable knowledge and understanding of the ever-changing insurance industry and how it impacts our members in all areas.
I have several people that I would like to personally recognize that contributed in different ways to make this year remarkable. First I want to thank my wife Lisa … I learned this from Dale Chaffin at the Past President’ s Dinner. Lisa supported me in many ways throughout the year, attending conferences, hosting several functions and being my sounding board. She always has the right thing to say and brings out the best in me.
I need to thank the entire ICI team. Having a knowledgeable and experienced staff in the office every day allowed me the time away to work on association
DUSTY DAVIS KAIA President
business. I also appreciate the great partnership I have with Ryan Murry and Lonnie Currier … looking forward to many more successful years with ICI.
I mentioned earlier the great staff we have at the association!!! They all pulled together to work through the transition process and continued business as usual. The KAIA staff is always there to assist our members with anything that comes their direction. They continue to look for new programs and resources that bring value and allow our members to operate more efficiently and effectively. Having a great staff like we do makes this association one of the best in the country.
I do want to brag about an few of the valuable resources and opportunities provided by KAIA:
• EDUCATION – KAIA has received the Diamond Award( the highest level) from national for our excellence in education. We offer numerous courses and continuing education classes throughout the year in all regions of the state, including online courses, the CIC & CISR designations and the AFIS & CRIS Designations. KAIA also provides Agent Licensing materials, E & O & Risk Management Training, Sales Training and Industry Specific webinars.
• EVENTS – The Rural & Small Conference is our largest event attended by over 600 members and company partners, the Leadership & Development Conference( which we moved to Manhattan this year) was very successful … and that’ s coming from a Jayhawk), the President’ s Golf Classic – GOLF … do I need to say anything more?, the Kansas Agent’ s Legislative Day – updates on all our legislative issues and valuable time spent with your local legislators.
2 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | September- October 2016 |