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CPCU: Good, better, Betsey!

California agent Betsey Brewer talks about her year ahead as CPCU president

By Bruce D. Hicks, CPCU, CLU

With the turn of a new organizational year, the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) Society recently welcomed their newest chief. Betsey Brewer, a commercial lines producer and partner with The Rule Company of Pasadena, California, took the reins from Millie Workman as the CPCU Society president for the 2006-2007 term.

Brewer’s employer, The Rule Group (see box below) has offices in Pasadena, Newport Beach and San Francisco, California, and produces $10 million in annual revenue.

Brewer met with Rough Notes at the CPCU annual meeting in September to discuss the initiatives of the Society and her agenda for the coming year.

Question:
What are your duties with The Rule Group?

Brewer:
I joined Rule five years ago, leaving Aon where, by the way of various purchases and mergers, I worked for 26 years. I became a member of Rule’s management team after being there a year. I’m currently an agency partner. Besides handling my own commercial clients, I direct our company’s education and continuing education, specifically planning CE classes and in-house training.

Question:
What initiatives do you hope to implement with the CPCU Society?

Brewer:
I’m very concerned with persons entering the property and casualty field, so my focus is on candidate development and [the Society’s] visibility. A key component to candidate development is diversity. I plan to continue to speak to diverse groups, working with organizations such as the Chinese American Insurance Association and the Korean American Insurance and Financial Professionals Association. Also, Larry Oney, my at-large governor appointment, will be joining the board of the National African American Insurance Agents Association. We’re actively looking to increase our opportunities to attract a wider variety of persons into our organization.

We also recognize the importance of being visible. Visibility equates to credibility. Our “Spread the Word” campaign represents a good starting point, and I want to take it to the next level.

(Editor’s note: “Spread the Word” is a public relations campaign that encourages CPCU Society members to pursue activities that increase awareness of the CPCU designation.)

Question:
Has the Society made good use of the Internet?

Brewer:
We are really improving our use of the Internet and our Web site, but we’d like to increase use for members by adding resources. We want to increase links to other Web sites and provide greater access to the articles produced in the E-journal as well as the many articles found in our Interest Sections’ newsletters.

However, I’d also like for our members to take advantage of our membership directory that can be accessed through our Web site. It’s where membership contact information can be searched by company or by name. I call it my “CPCU Rolodex” and I encourage all members to use it. I find it invaluable because it gives me immediate access to a huge volume of expertise. It’s a tangible value of our organization, and it has really helped me over the years.

Question:
How do you think the insurance industry would be affected if the CPCU Society ceased to exist?

Brewer:
I’d like to address that in two parts: if the organization went away and if the designation disappeared. If the Society were no longer around, I believe that individual CPCUs would continue to find ways to gather together. They would continue to contribute to their companies and the industry.

However, if the designation went away, it would hurt the [insurance] industry, particularly due to our focus on ethics. We’re bound by our own code of ethics that applies in addition to the requirements of the IIA (Insurance Institute of America which administers the CPCU course of study) and various state rules that oversee the actions of agents and brokers. CPCUs who act in violation of our code may lose the privilege of using their designation. Our organization increases the focus on ethics and accountability.

The loss of our designation would also result in reducing our depth of knowledge. We encourage our members to develop a thrill with acquiring knowledge and pursuing learning. Our gatherings bring together and strengthen our knowledge base. They contribute to sharing expertise and solving problems. We create a thriving knowledge base!

Other programs may do a wonderful job with very current issues, but topical issues have to be learned within the right context. Our focus is to be broader and deeper. The Society works for persons who are concerned with foundational knowledge. CPCU studies take time, but they’re important. Insurance professionals have to choose to make education and learning a priority.

The amount of research conducted by CPCUs is also a key contribution that we make to the insurance industry. Research is so important that the Society is exploring the addition of a research component to its National Leadership Institute (NLI) program.

The NLI program is another example of our contributions. It helped Rule with its presentation of the communications program to our staff, improving our ability to use e-mails and correspondence. It also helps us with our outreach to non-CPCUs. We have to be aware of how others view us. Our meetings, events and luncheons are typically open to everyone. The NLI program expands our contact with others.

Question:
What do you anticipate to be your greatest challenge during your presidency?

Brewer:
It’s always a challenge to take care of my agents and clients, and that will be especially important while serving my term. I’m lucky that my clients are understanding. It’s even more important that I can count on my coworkers at The Rule Companies for help. Also, e-mail and other technology will be critical. I live by my expirations list, so I have to carefully schedule my travel in order to make sure I’m available to take care of my clients. My office support has been great. Rule has offered strong support to accommodate my national service. Rule’s executives back each other up; sharing expertise, we work together to pick up any slack.

I think that the Society’s diversity and candidate development goals are very important. We’ll have to make sure that we coordinate our short-term, intermediate and long-term plans to make sure that they get done.

It’s important that our members become acquainted with others’ interest sections and disciplines (underwriting, claims, reinsurance, loss control, information technology and others). It increases our knowledge and our communication skills. I have also worked hard to cross-pollinate my committee appointments to encourage this goal.

Our Society has to continue to be able to respond to outside issues, such as public perception of our industry, working with the media and dealing with catastrophes. CPCU candidates and designees need the support of their employers. We need to show employers the value we add, such as the access to professional expertise provided by our membership directory and through networking.

I really feel positive about the direction we’re heading. We’re taking off our gloves to shout out to the rest of the insurance industry. We’re among those who recognize the need to focus on ethical behavior, professional development and education and we’re here to lead the charge. I’m excited about the fun and the responsibilities! *

The author
Bruce D. Hicks, CPCU, CLU, is senior editor, Technical and Educational Products Division, for The Rough Notes Company, Inc. He began his career in insurance in 1981, serving several regional and national companies in personal lines underwriting, product research and development, auditing, regulation and compliance. Hicks has been the research committee chairperson for the Central Indiana Chapter of the CPCU Society, and he currently serves on the CPCU Society’s Information Technology and Diversity Committees.

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