Awards

The winner is a person who demonstrates leadership and initiative in addressing and overcoming difficult and demanding licensing and compliance issues. This respected and coveted award is a meaningful and important career milestone. To preserve the high standards of this award, please be sure your nominee is worthy of such recognition. 

Qualifications are as follows:

• Nominees must have at least two years of experience in insurance licensing or securities registrations, or a related area.
• Nominees must hold a SILA Association or SILA Fellow designation.
• Nominees must be active members of SILA. The SILA Board of Directors and SILA Executive Director are not eligible.
• Previous winners are not eligible.

Check if your nominee has a SILA Designation

SILA appreciates our committed members who model dedication through active service. The President’s Award recognizes a highly involved and tireless member who sets a high standard of volunteer service over an extended period of time. Qualifications are as follows:

• Nominees must demonstrate dedication and continuous volunteering and service to SILA over a number of years.
• Nominees must be active members of SILA.
• Nominees must have a minimum of two years’ experience in insurance licensing or securities registration-related area.
• Previous winners are not eligible.

This award is presented to an industry regulator who demonstrates leadership and initiative in the improvement of the relationship between the insurance departments and the licensing/securities industries. Warren E. Spruill was an insurance/securities regulator from Virginia and an active SILA member. We lost Warren due to an accident that took him away much too soon. This award recognizes a regulator who demonstrates Warren’s brilliant spirit of cooperation. Qualifications are as follows:

• The nomination must include reasons why the regulator should be given the award, such as: improving the relationship between the insurance department and the companies and agencies, through education and awareness of industry changes.
• Nominees must have at least two years of experience in insurance licensing or a licensing-related area.

The regulator will be recognized at the National Education Conference. Attendance at the Conference is preferred but is not required.

An individual who has made an outstanding contribution to SILA will receive this honor. Bob Kennnedy was an employee of Marsh USA and a SILA member, who lost his life in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Bob was an upbeat, kind, helpful and generous man. He had a wonderful sense of humor, a great laugh and he loved to tell jokes and stories. He was a man who loved and valued his family. Bob was active in SILA, attending New York/New Jersey Chapter meetings and other events. To learn more about Bob Kennedy go to the Marsh Memorial website. The recipient of the Robert C. Kennedy Award must demonstrate dedication in continuous volunteer service to SILA, in addition to the advancement of the SILA objectives and principles. Previously called the “Appreciation Award: Individual”, on February 12, 2002, the SILA Advisory Board voted to change the name to the “Robert C. Kennedy Appreciation Award”. Qualifications are as follows:

• Nominees must demonstrate dedication and continuous volunteering and service to SILA.
• SILA Board members are not eligible.
• Nominees must be active members of SILA.
• Nominees must have a minimum of two years’ experience in an insurance licensing or securities registration-related area.
• Previous winners are not eligible.

This award is reserved for an excellent organization that demonstrates leadership and dedication in continuous service to the insurance and/or securities industries.

Qualifications are as follows:

• Nominees may be insurers, agencies, chapters and volunteer teams.
• Nominees must demonstrate dedication and continuous support and service to SILA.
• Nominees must have at least one active member of SILA.
• Previous winners are not eligible.

1994 - Karen Murphy
1995 - Jean Cassiere
1996 - Mary Restelli
1997 - Jean Filipiak
1998 - Lana MacCumber
1999 - Donna Richardson
2000 - Lance Van Vleet
2001 - Michael Supple
2002 - Ellen Obrey
2003 - Robert Hamburger, CPCU
2004 - Susan Zartman
2005 - Peter Fitterer
2006 - Patricia Duryea
2007 - Karen McArdle
2008 - Diane Hoteling
2009 - Joe Como
2010 - Denise Boyer
2011 - Janet Sumney Edwards
2012 - Kathy Halverson

President's Award (formerly Special Achievement Award)

2001 - Jean Cassiere
2002 - Lois Hennen
2003 - Margie Webber
2004 - Janet Sumney
2005 - Karen Machamer
2006 - Vicki Dees
2007 - John Humphries
2008 - Beth McCullough
2009 - Dan Corridon
2010 - Julia Van Buren
2011 - Bob Birman
2012 - Deirdre Patten

2000 - Gene T. Reed (DE)
2001 - Barbara E. Cheles (NY)
2002 - Moira Herbert (CT)
2003 - Nancy Bourgoin (SC)
2004 - Molly Champagne Seward (RI)
2005 - LeRoy Brungardt (KS)
2006 - Matt Ray (TX)
2007 - Laurie Wolf (ND)
2008 - Treva Wright Donnell (KY)
2009 - Jeff Baughman (WA)
2010 - Jimmy Gunn (AL)
2011 - Anne Marie Narcini (NJ)
2012 - Linda Brunette (AK)

Robert C. Kennedy Appreciation Award
1996 - Connie Workman
1997 - Karen Brajdich
1998 - Marian Desilets
1999 - Yolanda Garcia
2000 - Betty Martin
2001 - Karen Murphy
2002 - Margie Webber
2003 - Lois Hennen
2004 - John Humphries
2005 - Dan Corridon
2006 - Daniel Baker
2007 - Beth McCullough 
2008 - Mara Buffington
2009 - Jean Cassierre
2010 - Jeffrey Lehman
2011 - Michelle Luedeman
2012 - Deborah Gregory

Organization of the Year (formerly Organization Appreciation )
1995 - Aetna Financial Services
1996 - ERC/Westport
1997 - Protective Life
1998 - Metlife P&C
1999 - Walnut Street Securities
2000 - AMICA
2001 - AIG/American International Companies
2002 - Protective Life
2003 - Republic Underwriters
2004 - AFLAC
2005 - Nationwide Insurance
2006 - GEICO
2007 - MGL Consulting
2008 - Waddell & Reed, Inc.
2009 - MetLife
2010 - St. Louis Chapter
2011 - Allstate Insurance Company
2012 - Business Information Group (BIG)

Above & Beyond Recognition
2007 - Robert Hamburger
2008 - Kaplan Compliance
2009 - LeRoy Brungardt
2010 - Margie Webber
2011 - Lois Hennen
2012 - Jimmy Gunn

Richard P. Andersen Scholarship
1995 - Linda Guerrero
1996 - Bonnie Escobar
1997 - none
1998 - Protective Life
1999 - Aetna Financial Services
2000 - Merrill Lynch
2001 - Chubb & Son
2002 - Sheila Williamson
2003 - Sherri Przybyzs
2004 - Raquel Smith
2005 - Karen Machamer
2006 - Rashunda Grady
2007 - Marcy Payne
2008 - Ellen Stanek
2009 - Regan Strother in memory
of Jane Strother

2006 - Ralph Lambiase (CT)
2007 - NASD Gateway Call Center

Regulatory Unit Recognition 2005 - Texas Insurance Department
2006 - NASD
2007 - Indiana Insurance Department

Outstanding Chapter 1994 - Minnesota LEG
1995 - Minnesota LEG
1996 - Heartland (now the Midwest Region)
1997 - Crossroads (Indiana, Southern Illinois & Michigan)
1998 - Minnesota LEG
1999 - Crossroads
2000 - New England
2001 - Buckeye
2002 - New York/New Jersey
2003 - California & Iowa
2004 - St. Louis

MVP Award
2005 - Mary Stiles