 | Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCT Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. A dynamic international keynote speaker, trainer, coach and consultant, he specializes in applying the science of influence and persuasion in everyday situations. Brian’s business experience includes more than 30 years in the insurance industry, having held positions in underwriting, sales and corporate training. During his career Brian coached regional vice presidents, sales managers and field sales reps. He also worked extensively with claim reps and independent insurance agents. |
 | Steve Anderson Often revered as the insurance industry tech guru or the Godfather of Insurtech, Steve Anderson is practically synonymous with innovation. He spent over 22 years as president of The Anderson Network – an authority on insurance agency productivity, technology and profits – and has served on various boards and committees for IIABA and Big I NY. |
 | Ryan Deeds
Insurance Agency Data Expert, Ennabl Ryan Deeds is an insurance operation and IT executive. He works in the middle of the intersection between insurance and tech and spends the majority of his time working on building solutions based on users input and then figuring out how to implement them. He's also building a slack community and if you are in insurance he'd love for you to join. |
 | Glenn Hegar Glenn Hegar was elected as Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in November 2014. Glenn is a sixth-generation Texan who grew up farming land that has been in his family since the mid-1800s. He’s a 1993 graduate of Texas A&M University and earned his law degree at St. Mary’s University. Glenn has served in the Texas Legislature, where he worked on issues including public education, transportation, tax reform, government transparency, Second Amendment rights, water issues and tort reform. As comptroller, Glenn is chief finance officer for the world’s ninth-largest economy. He has emerged as a passionate advocate for conservative financial management and government transparency who has focused on creating a more efficient and customer oriented agency. He founded the state’s Transparency Stars program, pushed for smarter ways of investing our rainy day fund to protect it for future generations, and guided the formation of the nation’s first ever state-administered precious metals depository. |
 | Nicole Malachowski First Woman Thunderbird Pilot, Combat Veteran, Fighter Squadron Commander White House Fellow & Advisor Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) defies stereotypes. Yes, she was a jet fighter pilot, but if you think you know her based on that, you’d be wrong. A leader, a combat veteran, the first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, a White House Fellow, and an inductee into both the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame, Nicole’s distinguished 21-year Air Force career exceeded her wildest dreams. But the dream came to an end when a devastating tick-borne illness left her struggling greatly to speak or walk for almost nine months. An indomitable spirit, Nicole fought back against overwhelming odds and prevailed. Drawing on stories from her career and personal life, Nicole inspires audiences to rethink the challenges they face every day. She urges them to go beyond resilience and become resurgent. Nicole’s empowers people with three key beliefs: failure and risk is the price of entry for achieving something great; sometimes you need to yield to overcome; and her personal mantra – “nobody wants to lead a scripted life." |
 | Marit Peters Marit is passionate about helping organizations grow, solve problems and thrive! She believes people are the true heart-beat of every company. Marit believes that it's a leader's responsibility to understand their employees' strengths and provide them the opportunity to engage and be part of the solution. |
 | Sara Bradshaw Ray, CIC Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Big I Oklahoma Founder, MyNetwork Sara brings more than three decades of agency ownership and management, complimented by a background in company commercial underwriting and cluster creation/management, Sara brings a wealth of industry experience and knowledge to the table. Her vast experience coupled with a keen sense of the dynamics of efficiency, and its impact on productivity uniquely suits her to meet a variety of operational, management, and marketing needs in agencies today. The founder of Agency Opportunities department at Big I Oklahoma, Ms. Ray is also a certified Kolbe consultant, executive coach and heads up the consulting practice designed to provide strategic resources, professional development, and management consulting services to BIGiOK members who are looking to thrive in today’s dynamic environment. With a lifelong passion for developing female leaders in the insurance vertical, Sara founded MyNetwork which is a national network of facilitated mastermind groups. MyNetwork provides leadership, management, personal and professional development, executive coaching, training, and network facilitation on a highimpact virtual platform throughout the United States. Cutting edge leaders join MyNetwork groups to leverage peer perspectives in an invigorating environment for growth. |
 | Carey Wallace President, Agency Focus Carey Wallace has worked in the insurance industry for more than 12 years and with entrepreneurial small businesses throughout her entire career. During that time, she has developed key business consulting services to ensure that agencies have the information and support needed to plan for their agency and successfully perpetuate to the next generation. She has worked with more than 150 agencies to help them understand their agency's value and plan for the future. Carey is a nationally recognized speaker on both the impact of leveraging data in your agency & valuation and perpetuation planning. She has presented on these topics in over 20 states, several national conferences, carrier events, been interviewed on various industry podcasts and has published several articles on these subjects. Carey possesses extensive experience, knowledge, and passion in assisting independent insurance agents in making the best decisions based on data and insights specific to their agency. |
 | Joan Woodward Joan Woodward is President of The Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy for The Travelers Companies, Inc. She is a member of the company’s Executive Management Committee and Operating Committee, and serves on the Travelers Foundation Board. Woodward joined Travelers in 2008 from Goldman, Sachs & Co., where she was the founding Executive Director of the company’s Global Markets Institute. During her ten years at Goldman Sachs, she also established the Washington Equity Research operation for the firm, serving as its first Director of Washington Research within the Global Economic Research division. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Woodward worked on Capitol Hill for 12 years, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, as well as Chief Economist for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Plunk, a technology company. Joan also serves on the Board of the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is Vice Chairman of the Board of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, and a member of the President’s National Small and Medium Enterprise Export Council. She is engaged with numerous community and charitable groups. Woodward holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science and a master’s degree in public administration all from American University. |
