(Cooperstown, New York, May 14, 2015) — The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) today elected R. Todd Rockefeller as its chair of the board for the 2015-16 term. Rockefeller took the oath of office during a ceremony following IIABNY’s Annual Business Meeting, held at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown. Members also elected and installed new officers and regional members of the board of directors.

Rockefeller is a partner with DeRosa, Rockefeller, Sohigian & Werdal, Inc. (DRSW) in Harrison, New York. A member of the IIABNY board of directors since 2009, he has chaired the group’s audit and finance committees, chaired the public policy legislative review and policy working group, and served on the association’s transition working group. He is past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Westchester.

Rockefeller is active in charities such as the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, the Westchester-Putnam Boy Scouts of America, and the Mount Arab Preserve Association. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he worked in underwriting and sales capacities with Aetna Life & Casualty, Hanover Insurance and ManagedComp. He joined DRSW in 1998.

In his remarks, Rockefeller emphasized the need to make insurance careers accessible and attractive to the next generation of workers. He also said independent insurance agents need to better spread their message. “We are the best insurance delivery system for the American public,” he declared. “We are advisors and a supermarket of solutions, affording consumers the best possible insurance coverage at a reasonable price.” He promised that IIABNY will defend independent agents against competition from insurers who use constant advertising to sell coverage directly to consumers.

He also called for the merger of IIABNY with the Professional Insurance Agents of New York.

Jack Smith, CPCU, ARM, CIC, executive vice president for the William A. Smith & Son agency in Newburgh, was elected to a one-year term as vice-chair and secretary-treasurer.

IIABNY members also elected and re-elected the following regional directors:

• Louis Atti, CPCU, vice-president of The Evans Agency in Angola, New York, to a two-year term representing the central and western areas of the state; 
• John Cofini, executive vice-president of BNC Insurance Agency, Inc. in Rye Ridge, New York, to a one-year term representing the New York City metro-suburban areas.

Lane S. Rubin of The Excelsior Group in Valley Stream, New York, won a two-year term as member representative on the Nominating Committee. This committee evaluates candidates for leadership positions and makes recommendations to the membership.

Earlier in the day, the IIABNY board of directors re-elected Lawrence Pistell, ARM of St. Johns University in New York City to a two-year term; and Jeanne Salvatore of the Insurance Information Institute, also in New York City, to a one-year term. Both will serve as a directors-at-large.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. has represented the common business interests of independent insurance professionals since 1882. More than 1,750 agencies and their 13,000 plus employees currently rely on the DeWitt, New York-based not-for-profit trade association for legislative advocacy, continuing education and other means of industry support. In addition, most IIABNY members proudly identify themselves as Trusted Choice® agents and brokers, a national consumer brand uniting more than 21,000 independent agencies across the United States. For more information, go to www.trustedchoice.com or www.iiabny.org.