So much happened at Regional this year, I barely know where to begin! We had a lot of  winners from our Chapter. Nancy Ladd won for Underwriter of the Year and Ruth Hinkfuss won Rookie of the Year. Gia Blanco also seemed to win almost every raffle that they had for the First Timers! She first won her registration money back and then she won two more raffles where she won $100 Gift Cards in each.

Not only did we walk away with a lot of awards and prizes but our very own Kathleen Kerstenbeck will serve as next years Regional Vice President! Let's all support Kathleen as I know she will make next years Regional conference one that will be unforgettable. If you haven't heard, next years Regional will be held in Hawaii so.....start saving your money to attend!

This time we only had one issue to vote on and it was definitely a hot topic. We had to vote whether or not we wanted to change NAIW's name to include the dba: Association of Insurance Professionals International. This was voted down by a vote of 15 to 6.

This month we are having a membership drive and I really encourage everyone to bring at least one person who is not a member. If any of you have any good ideas on how to bring in members please let me know! I am completely open to suggestions!

See you at our next meeting!

In fellowship,

Jennifer Hetzel

We're in the second half of our fiscal year for SDIW!  In keeping with our mantra of "every member bring a member" we are hosting a membership drive/mixer on March 21 at the Doubletree Club in Mission Valley.  To make it fun, we're also having a wine tasting.  Prospective members will learn about NAIW and the benefits it holds for employers in addition to the networking possibilities for employees. Please start thinking about your friends in the industry who you would like to invite.  An email blast and flyer with more information will be coming soon!  You may want to also think about some of your industry-related vendors.  As a reminder, our membership eligibility has been expanded.  Below is directly from the NAIW site:

Membership eligibility includes, but is not limited to:

a. Employees of insurance companies, agencies and those handling insurance/risk management functions (i.e. health benefit coordinators at public utility, risk managers at restaurant, etc.)

b. Employees of Third Party Administrators (TPA) and adjusting organizations.

c. Employees of trade associations, rating, auditing, salvage, engineering, investigative, reporting, statistical and advisory boards, bureaus and companies.

d. Members of editorial staffs of publications which cover the insurance and risk management industry.

e. Attorneys at law regularly handling insurance and/or risk management functions.

f. Employees of premium finance companies.

g. Professors and other educators who teach/author courses in the insurance and risk management industry.

h. Accountants regularly employed in the insurance and risk management industry.

i. Employees of companies providing repair, restoration and/or replacement of property following an insured loss, medical rehabilitation, auditing and structured settlements.

For information about membership benefits - please visit the membership section of the website at: www.sdinsurancewomen.com

In fellowship,

Kathleen Kerstenbeck, ARM, CPIW,

California Council Director

Please feel free to take advantage of this FREE Employment section of our website to post current job openings you or your company may have open.  If you would like to place an ad, please contact Julie Brown, and indicate you would like to post a job in the SDIW Newsletter at jobs@sdinsurancewomen.com or call 888-528-8367.

Click here to view current job postings Job Openings.

This month, San Diego Insurance Women invites you to our wine tasting membership drive on March 21. Come enjoy and learn about wine while at the same time, learning about our organization and what it can offer you. We'll be meeting at the Doubletree CLUB Hotel in Mission Valley and we hope you can make it.

San Diego Insurance Women will also be participating in the 2^nd Annual Business Women's Mega Mixer and we encourage all to attend. The event will be on March 24, 2011 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Provide-Commerce in University Town Center.

All of the information is on the Calendar of Events on our website. It gives you more information and you can register on-line from the link provided. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

Update on my first Regional Convention. So amazing!!! It is so amazing how contacts & acquaintances that I met at the California Council meeting in September have turned into friendships & support. And what a better place to do it than in Sonoma, CA. Wine country, education, networking, friendship, it's all there. I highly encourage anyone who hasn't been to any of these conventions to check it out. Next stop, the National Convention in Las Vegas...stay tuned.

Please contact us for further details.

In Fellowship,

Gia Blanco

Rhonda Collins              March 18, 2007

Gia Blanco                      March 20, 2009