To let your peers know of an honor you have received, or anything else in which you feel other IRES members would be interested, please E-mail the information to ireshq@swbell.net and we'll post it on this page.
We would be delighted to publicize any honor or award – academic degrees, professional designations, promotions, whatever (although we'd probably skip gallon blood donor, we might go for your 300 game or hole-in-one). Obituaries and other important milestones also are appropriate, as are meetings of state chapters or pretty much anything else in which you feel other IRES members would be interested.
If you have a scanner, please attach a photo of the award presentation or other appropriate artwork. (We automatically list the names of IRES members who have received their AIE or CIE designation over the past few months, as well as new sustaining members of the Society.)
James Gardiner, who worked 42 years as a life actuary with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and then an additional 30 years for the New York State Insurance Department, died on Dec. 11 following a brief illness. He was profiled in the January 2001 issue of The Regulator ("The Country's Oldest Working Life Actuary").
While with the Life Insurance Bureau of New York Department, Mr. Gardiner had a major role in ensuring that the public pension funds under the department's jurisdiction were being funded on an actuarially sound basis. Jim would have been 97 in January. He will be sorely missed by his many friends and coworkers.
Jann Goodpaster, CIE, of the Oregon Department of Insurance was honored at the 2003 CDS in Scottsdale as recipient of the Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society's annual President's Award. Goodpaster is the consumer protection manager for the Oregon Department. She is a Past President of IRES, former chair of its Accreditation & Ethics Committee and a longtime member of the Society's Board of Directors and Executive committee.
In presenting the award, IRES President Paul Bicica of Vermont called Goodpaster "one of the most dedicated and hard working people I know and someone I am honored to call my friend."
The Al Greer Achievement Award was presented to R. Weldon Hazlewood, CIE, of the Virginia State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance. Hazlewood is the market conduct supervisor for life and health at the Virginia bureau. He was honored for his many years of service as a Virginia regulator as well as his years of volunteer service to IRES and its activities.
The Schrader-Nelson Publications Award was presented to Gerald A. Milsky, J.D., CIE, ACS, FLMI, deputy commissioner of the Virginia State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance. He was recognized for his in-depth article on the issue of insurance producer licensing, "Uniformity for the Sake of Uniformity?" in the July 2002 issue of The Regulator, the Society's bimonthly publication.
Milsky is a past president of IRES, secretary of the IRES Past Presidents Council, former chair of IRES' Education, Meetings & Elections, and Membership & Benefits committees, and he received the Society's President's Award in 1995. He becomes the first person to win both a President's Award and a Schrader-Nelson Award.
The next meeting of the Nebraska State Chapter will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, in the Terminal Building basement at 10th and O Streets in Lincoln (941 O St.). Get there early and network (there's a rumor there may be treats). The topic will be "How to Reduce Expenses Associated with Market Conduct Examinations," presented by Fred Kottmann, Pam Bishop, Barb Graves and Kathy Meyer of Mutual of Omaha.
Kottmann is first vice president, market conduct, and he is also responsible for expense review, issue resolution and negotiations. Bishop, as lead drafting and compliance coordinator, oversees and coordinates exams and serves as a liaison between the company and the examiners. Graves and Meyer are policy drafting and regulatory coordinators, with responsibility for coordinating the day-to-day activities associated with market conduct exams.
All state chapter meetings are worth at least one hour of CE credit for CIEs, AIEs and those who need credit for other purposes besides IRES. Regulators and insurance-related folks are always welcome – come and bring a friend or colleague. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Dyke.
The Colorado State Chapter continues to provide continuing education classes for its members and interested DOI staff. Last February, for instance, the state's chief actuary, Victoria Lusk, discussed the impact of the federal Terrorism Act on the industry and the department.
If you weren't one of the 26 who attended, be sure to be there next time.
Oregon – IRES members and other DOI employees gather on the third Friday of each month for an afternoon of continuing education, including David M. Kahn of the U.S. Department of Labor on outreach programs and federal-state cooperation, NAIC updates and administrator Joel Ario on the Future of Market Regulation.
April's meeting, for instance, featured Leslie Melville of the National Flood Insurance Program and Phil Benson of the Oregon FAIR Plan.
Virginia IRES members have voted to organize their own state chapter to provide certain training and educational sessions for its 45 members – especially to those who need CE to maintain their designations. In addition, the chapter's meetings will provide training for new examiners from all areas of market regulation, training/education on new statutes and education information regarding the NAIC and industry news.
The new chapter's first meeting covered insurance-related bills passed the Legislature.
The Louisiana Chapter met in January to learn more about medical professional liability insurance, and in March, Attorney Randal Beech discussed the policy form matrix system that permits insurers to access legal requirements for each type of policy they issue.
The new chapter's first meeting covered insurance-related bills passed the Legislature.
In addition to election as president in 1997, Christel served as CDS chair and an active member of the Past Presidents' Council. In 2000, she received the President's Award in recognition of her years of service to IRES. Besides a CIE, Christel's professional designation's include CPCU, AIM, ARM and CPIW.
During three decades with the Colorado deppartment, Christel became the department's expert on P&C, enforcement and no-fault. She also chaired the state's Workers' Compensation Cost Containment Board and managed the Automobile Personal Injury Protection Independent Medical Examination Program.
John Reimer, a long-time member of the IRES board, has retired from the Kansas Insurance Department after 19 years. He's also chaired IRES's Life & Health Section and planned many of the workshops offered at our annual Career Development Seminar. Best wishes, John.