Gamma Iota Sigma Newsletter                           
November 2013
 
In This Issue
Check Out the GIS Career Center
Calling all GIS Alumni!
Interview with Beta Theta's Dr. Brenda Wells
Chapter News: Beta Theta
Chapter News: Beta Iota
Chapter News: Eta and Rho
Seeking Scholarships
Quick Links






Board of Trustees
 

Margaret Accordino, ARM

 

Khadine Adams

 

Meg Allwein*

 

Lauri Atkinson

 

Michael Boa

 

Alyssa Bouchard*

 

Brian Bowerman*

   

Noelle Codispoti, ARM*

 

Glenn Dorr

 

RB Drennan, Ph.D.*

 

Karen Epermanis*

 

Brittany Foye

 

Jacob Galecki

 

Wesley Griffiths

 

John Hammond*

 

Josh Hart*

 

Derek Hazeltine

 

Jeffrey D. Henry, M.Ed.

 

Alan F. Hoffmann*

 

Peter Hohman, FCIP, CRM, CAE, ICD.D

 

William J. Hold

 

Cynthia Hornby

 

Mike Kelly*

 

Tim Kelly

 

Matt Kletzli

 

Julia Kramer

 

Jeff Lamb*

 

Lance A. Lancour

 

Tim Leman

 

Lyric Lewis, AIC, FLMI, AIAA, ACS

 

Steve Marohn

 

Stephanie McElroy

 

John Meder

 

Peter Miller, CPCU

 

Christopher Place, FSA, EA*

 

Paige Stiefel

 

William Tarinelli, Jr.

 

Jason Terrell

 

Jacob Timmins*

 

Jason Warden

 

Dr. Alan C. Williams, Emeritus

 

Decker Youngman

 

 

* Executive Committee Member

GIS Career Center: Targeted Recruiting
Build Your Pipeline, Attract Top Talent
 
Does your organization have open jobs and internships? Are you looking to hire the best and brightest students preparing for careers in the insurance industry? Be sure to visit our new Career Center!
 
It is a resource to reach Gamma Iota Sigma members exclusively, where you can easily:
  • post your internship and job opportunities
  • search student resumes
  • set up a resume alert
  • manage applicants
Our 1,800 student members are majoring in Risk Management, Insurance, Actuarial Science and more, including Statistics, Finance, Business and Mathematics. Don't miss out - your future employees are looking for the opportunity to work with you!


Are you (or do you know) a GIS Alum? 
Stay in Touch for the Latest News and Updates!
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Help us keep your contact information currentGIS boasts an annual membership of over 1,800 students and an alumni base of more than 17,000 individuals from our 57 chapters, and we need your help in updating our records. Use the link below to update your details, and pass it on to fellow alumni!

Interview with Dr. Brenda Wells, CPCU, AAI
Beta Theta Chapter Faculty Advisor

 

Dr. Brenda Wells is the Robert F. Bird Distinguished Professor of Insurance and Director of Risk Management & Insurance at East Carolina University. Beta Theta Chapter was chartered on October 3, 2013, during the 42nd Annual International Conference.

 

What drove your school's interest in forming a GIS Chapter?

We kept hearing great things about the opportunities offered by Gamma Iota Sigma, and some students asked to attend the annual conference in 2012. They did, and they came back absolutely thrilled and excited about the prospect of starting our own chapter. This process was entirely student-driven and I'm so proud of the pioneers who led the way on this.

 

What does it mean to you to have a GIS Chapter?

We feel more anchored and in touch with other schools that may be facing the same challenges that we face as a small program. It has instilled a sense of pride in our students, who now feel they are part of something much bigger than they were before. We are excited about what the future holds.

 

What are your hopes for the new relationship?

East Carolina University is "The Leadership University" and it is part of our mission to develop and create leaders. Gamma gives us the framework to do this by offering training and experiences that no other organization has for students. I also hope to see a greater sense of pride in the field of risk management and insurance. Sometimes as insurance people we apologize for what we do, but the reality is that we are a very valuable and integral part of the world's economy and we should be proud of that. 

 

What do you think will be the most immediate impact on your students?

What I am seeing is a greater sense of camaraderie among the students after attending the GIS conference in Charlotte. Many of them went on the trip not knowing anyone else, and now they are in touch with each other regularly and participating in events together. It is nice to see those relationships develop, because as we all know risk and insurance is, first and foremost, a relationship business. The sooner students see and embrace that fact, the sooner their career success can begin. I'm really proud of my students for starting this chapter and proud to have been a Gamma member myself since 1987!

 

  

Chapter News: Beta Theta
First Chapter Chartered at GIS International Conference
East Carolina University originally took interest in joining Gamma Iota Sigma in 2012. The Risk Management Society decided that the next step in growing our newly established program would be to join the ranks of Gamma. With the hard work of past and current executive board members, Gamma became a reality. It was an honor to be recognized and chartered at this year's International Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The chartering ceremony was an amazing induction into Gamma. Our chapter is extremely proud to call ourselves the Beta Theta Chapter and look forward to growing within the fraternity.

 

Submitted by Kenny Blair, Beta Theta Chapter President
Chapter News: Beta Iota
GIS's Newest Chapter is Keeping Busy!

This year's Annual Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance Symposium and Career Fair was extra special for Troy University. Not only were we once again given an awesome opportunity to network with industry leaders and fellow insurance students, but we also became a part of something much bigger. On November 1, 2013, Troy University officially became the Beta Iota Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma, with 25 chartering members. We appreciate the help of all schools involved in our chartering ceremony. Gamma is something that our students have always been interested in and it is great to finally be involved with such a great organization.

 

The annual symposium that Troy University hosts with a generous sponsorship from the Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation is one of biggest events of the fall. It gives students an opportunity to become exposed to all that the Excess and Surplus Lines market has to offer. This year's symposium was another success. We had students represented from all over the Southeast and even reached out to schools like North Texas, Illinois State, St. Mary's, and New Mexico State.

 

The industry was also well represented. The job fair attracted several companies in the E&S lines market, including wholesale brokerages, companies, and managing general agencies. Our keynote speakers included names like Marcus Payne with All Risks Ltd. and Pat Talley with Lloyd's America. Each speaker brought something unique about the industry to present. It is always exciting as a student to get the personal connections with industry leaders like we are able to at our annual symposium.

 

We look forward to becoming more involved with all sorts of Gamma events in the coming year and also being able to increase participation from our insurance peers around the country at our symposium next year.

 

Submitted by Lee Tatum, Beta Iota President

Chapter News: Eta and Rho
UGA/App State Football Face-off 
On November 8th, the Appalachian State Mountaineers went to Athens for a football face-off against the University of Georgia Bulldogs. The Rho and Eta Chapters decided to make the very most of this opportunity and connect our chapters. The Eta Chapter at UGA was gracious enough to host App State's Rho Chapter for a Friday afternoon event, during which our chapters enjoyed food and each other's company.

 

Willis came to present to our Gamma Iota Students about Willis as a company and their Risk Management Analyst program. Several of the Willis presenters were Gamma Iota Sigma alumni from the Eta and Alpha Kappa Chapters. They gave advice on building resumes, interviewing for jobs, and transitioning from the role of student to industry professional.

 

The day concluded with Eta and Rho students participating in a friendly game of Insurance Jeopardy. The following day, Gamma Iota Sigma students cheered on our teams as the Bulldogs went on to beat the Mountaineers. We had a great time connecting with our fellow Gamma Iota Sigma members!

 
Submitted by Alyssa Bouchard, Rho Chapter President
Scholarships: Investing in the Future
We Help Match Talent with Resources

Does your company or organization offer scholarships to students? Let us help spread the word among Gamma Iota Sigma members! Email us the details or for further discussion.
 
 

__________________________________________________________

Noelle Codispoti, ARM
Executive Director, Gamma Iota Sigma
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