Committee Spotlight: YAC Task Force

• It’s important to me to give back, so I try to make sure that we provide the most value possible to the young agents, whether we're doing that through education, speakers on hot-button issues today, or networking events. We want to make sure we're giving young agents the best advantage possible on today’s topics and issues. 

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

• Don’t be afraid, even though I know it seems scary. When I first started, I didn’t know anybody, but everyone was welcoming, and nobody is your enemy, even if they're your competitor. Agents that I’ve gotten close with through this will call me to talk about ideas or ask questions, and I do the same with them when I need to. There’s a huge benefit in being able to do that.  

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

• When I took over as chair, I really wanted to push getting back to more in-person events as much as possible. There’s value in virtual events but the interaction that you have with somebody in person versus over a Zoom event is tenfold more, in my opinion. So, part of that has been cutting back on virtual events and pushing our zone coordinators to do more in-person, which has been going well.  

Can you share a specific example of something the committee has done or worked on and the impact it's had on independent agents? 

• We’ve been talking a lot about artificial intelligence and virtual assistants since we’re embracing the digital age as an industry. We’ve been really focused on bringing on speakers that have expertise in that to give our agents the tools to grow and succeed, and bring to light problems that may arise. We’re also going to have some awesome speakers at the Sales and Leadership Conference in September that will be speaking on AI, so any agent who wants to learn more on those topics should come.  

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

• I really want to go to Australia because I want to dive down and see the Great Barrier Reef. 

The charge of the YAC Task Force is to foster an environment in which young insurance professionals can interact with each other, resulting in successful career paths for young agents and growth for their agencies. Part of how the task force does this is by organizing events and activities that promote leadership development and offering networking opportunities that foster industry relationships. 

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.