Committee Spotlight: Pay It Forward Committee

• The personal touch with other members, whether they’re young and new to the industry, or have been in the industry a long time but are new to FAIA. You don’t always get that in large organizations. It’s seeing that deer in the headlights look on somebody’s face when they first come to a FAIA event and being able to say, “Hey, how can we help you get connected?” 

What are you most passionate about related to the committee’s mission? 

• Throughout our history at the agency, one of our important pillars has been mentorship. Another is community connection. In the past, mentoring high schoolers and new people in the industry has been a skill set that I’ve developed over the last 30 years. Additionally, I have worked closely with our local Chamber of Commerce and other organizations on connecting businesses with the goal of greater success for all. I was looking for a place where I could become a more intrinsic part of FAIA. I found that the Pay It Forward Committee was a perfect fit for me. Serving here has allowed me to use those skills and help people grow into FAIA. It gives me that connection that I needed to get more involved and everything I have learned has just made me want to learn more.  I am looking forward to becoming further involved in other areas of FAIA.   

What would you say to someone interested in being involved in the committee? 

• You’ve got to take that first step, find a committee, and see where that takes you. You may find something that is a better fit for you, but taking that first step by coming to Summer Leadership, or just speaking to someone on a committee to get involved, is very important. If you’re at that point in your career where you want to start giving back, the Pay It Forward Committee is the perfect committee for you. All of your  experience will help somebody in some way. 

As the chair of this taskforce, what is/was one of your priorities for this year? 

• In the last two years I’ve been in leadership, one of our biggest priorities has been getting videos out there that FAIA could use to help folks preview events prior to attending. Our goal with those was to take some of the trepidation of attending an event for the first time away. We’ve also been focused on getting our mentorship program off the ground. It’s always been a part of what we do but now we’re restructuring it by working a little closer with the Young Agents Council (YAC).  

If you could travel anywhere, where would you travel and why? 

• One of my bucket list trips is to take an eating tour of Italy. That is where my ancestors are from, and I would love to just take a month to tour about and see what’s there. 

The Pay It Forward Commitee’s charge is to carry forward the ideal of assisting others new to FAIA, new to the insurance industry, or new to the independent agency system to become full-fledged participants in their future and to perpetuate this assistance through future generations. 

If you want to get involved or volunteer with this committee, check out their webpage to learn more and email Melissa Weaver to get started.