National Association of Insurance Women Formed From Need for Education
NAIW International took root in 1938, when Elsie B. Mayer and C. Bertha Rachofsky joined nine other Denver insurance women to form an organization for insurance education purposes, according to NAIW International. The two most challenging aspects facing Insurance Women of Denver in those first years were soliciting members and convincing employers that the association’s purpose was truly educational and not a cover for union activities.
The first dinner meetings cost 65 cents and were dominated by discussion of insurance education along with the need and potential for a national insurance women’s organization.
By 1940, it was determined that the time for such an association was ripe. The organizational meeting was held June 21 to June 23, 1940, in Denver. Mayer served as general chairman for the event and 19 groups, representing some 1,500 individual members, were among the attendees. Total registration was 187, of which 65 were delegates. States represented at the first meeting included Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. The chartering groups were 17, representing 2,000 individual members.
Today, NAIW International, headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., has a membership that includes both women and men, and work in every facet of the industry — as agents or brokers, adjusters, underwriters, claims professionals, risk managers, producers, insurance educators, customer service representatives, agency owners and automation specialists. Membership spans the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, England, Virgin Islands, Australia, Africa, Kuwait, India and Mongolia.
The organization aims to serve its members by providing professional education, an environment in which to build business alliances, the opportunity to make connections with people of differing career paths and levels of experience within the insurance industry, and encourage diversity. Membership is open to all professionals in the insurance and risk management industries.
“The biggest benefit to me of the organization is that I’m comfortable and can be myself,” said Gail McKenzie, customer care senior representative for AIG Direct and incoming president for the Los Angeles chapter of NAIW. “I don’t have to put on any airs or anything like that.” She noted while the chapter does have male members, membership is predominantly female.
McKenzie added that she enjoys the networking benefits and educational opportunities provided by such a large organization. Members who have moved out of state, for example, have been able to find another position through the organization, she said. And because the organization does not limit itself to one sector of the insurance industry, members get a feel for the industry across the entire nation. Members who are interested in legislative issues can stay abreast of changing laws, and partake in writing campaigns to Congress and senators, McKenzie provided as an example.
For more information about NAIW, visit www.naiw.org. For information about Los Angeles’ 80th Annual Installation/Awards Banquet, visit www.insurancewomenla.org.