| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE |
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
You Spoke, We Listened
by Dave Hulcher
As September 1 marked the start of KAIA’s 2020 fiscal
year, I want to take the opportunity to reflect on our fiscal
year, including what we accomplished and where we are
heading. board structure at the Annual Membership Meeting in
October that was approved with a unanimous vote. The
new structure will provide more flexibility with fewer zones
and an opportunity for outside directors.
STAFF UPDATES ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
We saw turnover and transition with some of our
employees. While losing employees can have a short-
term impact on productivity, it is an opportunity to evolve
our organization. The association brought on Chrissey
Breault as our marketing and communications manager
and Karlyn Judd as professional development and events
manager. This allowed Joan Sutton to transition to our vice
president of member experience and be more focused on
growing membership, connecting with Industry Partners,
and enhancing the overall member experience. Finally,
this fiscal year, our for-profit operation, Agency Services
Corporation of Kansas (“ASCK”), began using WAHVE
(Work at Home Vintage Experts) for our Account Managers
with Carolyn Rouse and Valerie Dunnam.
FINANCIALS
Industry consolidation continues the have a negative
impact on membership. We consistently see a 5 percent
reduction in membership year-over-year driven by mergers
and acquisitions. Even with membership numbers down,
we were able to finish the fiscal year in the black due to a
strong year in ASCK and reduced expenses.
BOARD STRUCTURE
Throughout FY19, KAIA’s board discussed the best way to
structure the board moving forward. In recent years, it has
been difficult to find members willing to fill zone positions
in Western Kansas. The board presented an alternative
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Behind the scenes, we have been working to implement
and use a new association management system. The
previous method was a legacy system that was antiquated
and provided limited capabilities. This is a significant and
on-going project and one that we needed to invest in to
better utilize our data and meet our needs in the future.
A new website that will integrate with the membership
database is also being developed.
CHANGE IN SERVICES PROVIDER
As we looked to change our Association Management
System, it made sense to review our IT provider. We
ultimately choose Nex-Tech who joined our Industry
Partner program. We also installed a new phone system,
which provides the ability for us to receive calls anywhere.
E&O PROGRAM
Servicing the E&O needs of members has been a
significant priority for the ASCK. Katie Hobson is our E&O
program manager and has been focused on having more
targeted conversations with our members about changes in
operational exposures, setting limits, and risk management
resources. We worked closely with Swiss Re/Westport to
become as competitive as possible while maintaining the
long-term stability of the program.
NEW ASCK MARKETS
Interest in our market access programs continues to grow
from members and Industry Partners. With the shifting