NetVU is the resource it is today because of the volunteers who help drive the organization, taking leadership roles, using their experience to lead committees, and leveraging Vertafore technology to build their businesses. It was evident at the 2024 Accelerate conference in New Orleans May 1-3, as board chair Kate O’Toole presented annual awards to honor those for their hard work and dedication to the industry.
There were many peer-nominated individuals, three people were honored for their impact.
The Leadership Award in Memory of Louie E. Woodbury, Jr. was awarded to Shyla Lankford of the Lipscomb Insurance Group, LLC. Honors long-time leadership, proven achievement, and contribution to NetVU and our industry This is awarded annually to someone who has taken on and sustained a leadership role as a volunteer in the NetVU community. Shyla has served as the NetVU board of directors Secretary/Treasurer for the past year and has been on the board for two years. She has served on NetVU’s conference steering committee and Chapter Modernization task force. Shyla is a work group leader for the AMS360 Product Work Group and the AMS360 Work Group – End User Improvements Focus and is a member of two other AMS360 work groups. She has served as an NCOM ambassador and been a critical part of Net VU education committees over the years. Shyla is a true NetVU Leader dedicated to helping others and leading NetVU forward.
The Insurance Technology Advocate Award in memory of Wade S. Dunbar, Jr. was awarded to Robbi Gwaltney from Shepherd Insurance. NetVU Insurance TechnologyAdvocate Award in Memory of Wade S. Dunbar Jr.
Honors a leader in automation and working towards full-system utilization industry-wide Status quo is not in Robbi’s vocabulary as she consistently advocates for the advancement of technology in our space. Robbi's wealth of knowledge and expertise has played a pivotal role in Shepherd Insurance's success. In fact, her leadership was instrumental in the development of Shepherd’s internal service team: Shepherd Client Services. Robbi used several pieces of insurance technology including AMS360 and ImageRight, Microsoft tools like OneNote and Quick Parts, and a CRM - InsuredMine to scale a service model that utilizes a team of 13 people across Indiana and Kentucky to service over $100 million in Personal Lines premium, standardized the service model across several offices and improved service turnaround time and increased customer retention
The Volunteer Service Award in memory of James M. Gibson is Carrie Miller with Threlkeld & Company. NetVU Volunteer of the Year Award in Memory of James M. Gibson
Honors outstanding volunteer service to our NetVU member community over the past year This past year, Carrie has been an instrumental part of NetVU's Fall Conference Task Force, helping to design an intimate and incredibly powerful event called Spark for NetVU leaders and decision makers focusing on organizational and operational excellence. In fact, Carrie enjoyed the event so much, she didn't want the conversations to stop. Inspired by the number of books that were recommended by thought leaders at the event, Carrie quickly pulled together other volunteers to launch NetVU's newest community of peers, the Narrative Navigators. Each month, the Navigators will read a leadership or business excellence book every month, then gather on Zoom to discuss the book and share insights.
The Chairman’s Award is given annually to the driving force that helps make NetVU a strong community. This year, the entire NetVU staff was honored by chair Kate O’Toole. The board chair explained the NetVU staff work tirelessly to create education courses, encourage connections, and promote leadership, including all the behind-the-scenes work to put on events like Accelerate. The NetVU staff exhibit and personify their core values: servant minded, flexible, problem solvers, and maybe most important, humble.
Join us as we continue to honor NetVU members during the next Accelerate, powered by NetVU May 7-10, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. To learn more, click here.