BIP Winter 2024

REGION II

REGION I

Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. T here are two reasons Stacy Fry, Region II vice president, is particularly focused on increasing registration and attendance for Capitol Conference in 2025. “One, geographically, our region should have a bigger presence. It’s in our region,” she says. “Two, because we often hear that when first-timers attend CapCon, they’re sold on NABIP as an association. It’s an experience unlike any other.” Specifically, she wanted to see a 10% increase in registrations for the region. Region II has already well surpassed that goal, which means Fry can set her sights on the same achievement for this summer’s Annual Convention in Miami. “We’re looking to bring some bigger numbers this year, which we’re excited about,” she says. Other areas of excitement include the region’s new LinkedIn group, which is helping to further Fry’s intention to improve member communications. Although centered around Region II, the LinkedIn group is open to anyone and features monthly highlights of membership and registration stats as well as a featured member. Fry, senior director of operations at Alera Group, got her start in NABIP leadership on the Leadership Development Committee, and she remains committed to spreading the word about its benefits. “It offers some great development opportunities that are already built into the price of your membership that I don’t think enough people are aware of,” says Fry. Region II aims to have five Leadership Academy graduates from the region this year. Its other two initiatives — having a Medicare event in at least two states and having five state conferences — are already near completion. “I’ll have to set higher goals next year,” Fry says.

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont I n her fourth year as RVP, Michele Gentile has attended every Annual Convention since it was held in New York City in 2009. “The camaraderie, that’s part of what brought me into this organization,” she says. However, of the seven states in Region I, only three have active state boards and hold events. As such, Gentile, Region I vice president, wants to prioritize boosting engagement across the region in 2025. She’s had help from national leadership who have attended regional events in a show of support, “but I need people in my own region to step up as well,” says Gentile. The last several Region I RVPs have been from New York, Gentile included. She hopes someone will step up from one of the other Region I states to run for the next term of RVP which will help to broaden the net. “I think it will be nice to have leadership focused somewhere else and see what we can do to bring the region together,” says Gentile. The pandemic made it challenging to continue to staff boards across the region. In 2024, New York consolidated from five local chapters across the state to two, upstate and downstate. Still, with significant threats on the horizon, particularly the drive for single-payer, Gentile says there’s even more reason to become and stay involved in Region I affairs. “If people want to protect their careers and their commissions and their livelihoods,” she says, “being active in NABIP is the one thing that can help them.”

The Leadership Development Committee “offers some great development opportunities that are already built into the price of your membership,” says Stacy Fry, Region II VP.

Winter 2024 bip magazine 41