NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brianne Spellane
Senior Director, Communications
202.662.4303
brianne.spellane@ciab.com
The Council Foundation Awards $375,000 in Academic Scholarships to 75 Industry Interns
WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 9, 2019 – The Council Foundation announced today that it is awarding $375,000 in academic scholarships to 75 college students interested in pursuing careers in insurance brokerage. Each intern selected will receive $5,000 toward their college education. Since 2006, the Foundation, formerly known as the Foundation for Agency Management Excellence (FAME), has awarded $2.6 million to 525 students across the country, including $1.4 million to 275 students in the last four years alone.
The Foundation’s Scholarship Program partners with the internship programs of member firms of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. The Scholarship Program exposes college students to the commercial insurance brokerage sector with a goal to recruit the students to the industry after graduation.
“The commercial insurance brokerage and employee benefits industries offer countless opportunities and dynamic career paths for young college graduates,” said Ken A. Crerar, president/CEO of The Council. “It is critical that we continue to work together to invest in the next generation of leaders and promote the important work we do for millions of people and businesses around the world.”
The mission of The Council Foundation is to bring fresh, diverse talent into the brokerage sector by way of internships with CIAB member firms. Students must be formally nominated by the respective brokerages at which they worked. In awarding the scholarships, an independent selection committee looks for candidates who have the potential to excel as leaders and contributors to the industry post-graduation.
“Since I first arrived in this country when I was in high school, I learned to be very independent. I have had to work long hours, attend school as a full-time student and remain active in my school organizations while relying solely on public transportation. The support I am receiving from The Council Foundation through this scholarship reminds me today that all my hard work has been worth the sacrifices I have had to make,” said Diana Gonzalez, a scholarship recipient from Sacramento State University. “I am truly honored that The Council Foundation believes in me and my future.”
Firms whose interns won scholarships include: Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.; AmWINS Group, Inc.; AP Intego; Arlington/Roe & Co.; Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.; Assurance Agency, Ltd.; AssuredPartners, Inc.; Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners; Borislow Insurance; Brown & Brown, Inc.; Burns & Wilcox; CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services Division; Cook Maran & Associates; Cottingham & Butler, Inc.; Cross Insurance; Hagerty; Heffernan Group; Higginbotham; Holmes Murphy & Associates, Inc.; Hylant; Insurance Office of America, Inc.; InterWest Insurance Services, LLC; Johnson Kendall & Johnson, Inc.; Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance, LLC; Lockton, Inc.; M3 Insurance; Marsh & McLennan Agency; Moreton & Co.; NFP; Pritchard & Jerden, Inc.; RCM&D, Inc.; Risk Strategies Company; SCU – CRC Group; The Crichton Group; The IMA Financial Group, Inc.; The Plexus Groupe LLC; and TrueNorth Companies.
“We are very proud to support The Council Foundation,” said Bob Cawley, President & COO of RCM&D, Inc., in Baltimore, Md. “The Council is an excellent partner for us in so many ways.”
The Council Foundation is a 501c(3) organization administered by The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. Contributions made to the Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
The 2019-20 scholarship recipients are:
| Name | University | Major |
| William Alexander | University of Florida | Business Administration |
| Antonio Amaral | Saint Joseph’s University | Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing |
| Luke Amman | University of Colorado at Boulder | Accounting and Finance |
| Gabriella Ammond | University of Michigan | International Economics and Politics |
| Nnamdi Anene | University of Georgia | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Payton Bertermann | Valparaiso University | Actuarial Science |
| Ben Biswas | Tufts University | Economics |
| Tyler Boehm | Missouri State University | Risk Management and Insurance & Business |
| Sean Boles | University of Pennsylvania | Finance |
| Jeff Borngesser | Florida State University | Risk Management and Insurance |
| James Carlson | Texas Christian University | Entrepreneurship and Innovation |
| Daniel Chavez | California State University, Sacramento | Business Administration – General Management |
| Dylan Chrismer | University of Missouri | Communications |
| Gregory Darling | Indiana State University | Insurance and Risk Management / Financial Services |
| Joseph Demetroulis | University of Missouri-Kansas City | Interpersonal Communications |
| Andrew Dix | Pittsburg State University | Environmental and Safety Management |
| Sarah Dockham | Washington College | Political Science |
| Kayla Felderman | University of Iowa | Computer Science and Engineering |
| Abel Felix | Temple University | Risk Management & Insurance |
| Amanda Ferguson | University of South Carolina | Statistics |
| Justin Fletcher | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Electrical Engineering |
| Nicholas Garth | University of Dayton | Finance |
| Ashlynn Geiger | California State University, Chico | Agriculture Business |
| Lauren Gilley | Texas A&M University | Applied Mathematical Sciences |
| Diana Ivette Gonzalez Garcia | California State University, Sacramento | Finance |
| Shannon Griffin | Princeton University | Political Economy |
| Charles Hagen | Gettysburg College | Organization & Management Studies |
| Thomas Heath | Mississippi State University | Business Information Systems |
| Gisel Herrera Trinidad | Temple University | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Maddie Hill | The University of Alabama | Management |
| Ariana Holt | Xavier University of Louisiana | Sales & Marketing |
| Arden Hudson | Ball State University | International Business |
| Courtney Janssen | University of Iowa | Business Analytics and Information Systems |
| Jon Jennings | Appalachian State University | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Otto Keisker | Temple University | Risk Management |
| Grace Kenney | Trinity College | Art History |
| Buck Krueger | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | General Management |
| Ian Kubbe | University of Northern Iowa | Marketing: Sales Management |
| Emily Lahm | Binghamton University | Human Development |
| Brandon Lee | University of Southern California | Business Administration |
| Ba Lee | University of Wisconsin Milwaukee | Human Resource Management |
| Steven Lim | Texas A&M University-Commerce | Mathematics & Physics |
| Zachary Luceno | East Carolina University | Finance |
| Ryan Machado | Florida State University | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Joey Machuga | Ohio Dominican University | Mathematics & Risk Management and Insurance |
| Megan Mannato | Arcadia University | Mathematics |
| Madison McKenzie | Baylor University | Professional Selling |
| Kristin Miller | University of Central Missouri | Finance |
| Walter Nystrom | Appalachian State University | Finance & Banking, Risk Management & Insurance |
| Kate Pendergast | The University of Arkansas | Organizational Leadership Management |
| Erika Perry | Indiana State University | Insurance and Risk Management, Financial Services |
| Josue Piedra-Gomez | Edgewood College | Accounting |
| Kylie Piotte | Washington and Lee University | Business and Politics |
| Kennedy Plowman | Iowa State University | Speech Communications |
| Jamie Quach | The University of Texas at Dallas | Finance |
| Gabe Rasmussen | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | Marketing |
| Marissa Richardson | MidAmerica Nazarene University | Marketing |
| Karson Ringdahl | Texas Christian University | Finance |
| Meredith Rivera | Florida State University | Finance |
| Madelynne Rodriguez | Coastal Carolina University | Economics and Marketing |
| Cristian Rodriguez | California State University, Sacramento | Finance, Accounting |
| Lieke Rolvers | University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Lauren Ross | Miami University | Strategic Communication and Spanish |
| Heidi Rubenstein | Tufts University | Community Health |
| Ryan Schweinberg | Indiana University | Finance & Accounting |
| Carran Smith | University of New Hampshire | Mathematics |
| Lexie Smith | University of Illinois | Marketing & Supply Chain Management |
| Jameson Smith | University of Utah | Finance |
| Katie Tragakis | Florida Southern College | Mathematics |
| Sam Unger | University of South Florida | Finance |
| Summer Vinson | Florida State University | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Justin Wieder | SUNY University at Buffalo | Financial Analysis and Marketing |
| Harrison Wolf | Temple University | Risk Management and Insurance |
| Michael Wommack | University of Central Florida | Health Services Administration |
| Macie Zurfluh | St. Norbert College | Business Administration Finance |