The University of Louisiana Monroe Foundation announced the creation of the Jeff Albright Insurance Society to benefit ULM’s nationally recognized Risk Management and Insurance program in the College of Business and Social Sciences. The announcement was made Feb. 8 in a news release from the ULM Office of Marketing and Communications.
The mission of the Jeff Albright Insurance Society is to support the needs and advancement of the ULM RMI program, while providing the industry with the opportunity to support recruitment, development, and job placement of a well-prepared, talented candidate pool that is focused on careers in insurance distribution, according to the news release.
Gifts to the Jeff Albright Insurance Society will help fund student scholarships, student development activities, internship support, research, industrial engagement events, and workforce and job placement strategies.
The giving society was named after Jeff Albright, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana (IIABL), soon after he announced his planned retirement following 40 years in the insurance business.
“When the IIABL contacted me about a way to honor Jeff Albright, the idea of the Jeff Albright Society immediately came to mind,” said Christine Berry, Ph.D., professor and program director of RMI.
Berry continued, “We appreciate the IIABL for allowing ULM to be a part of honoring Jeff in this way. Over the years, Jeff has been an advisor and mentor to our faculty and students and a champion of insurance education across the state. The Jeff Albright Insurance Society will ensure that, together, we are able to continue Jeff’s tireless work toward creating a better Louisiana insurance industry and to strengthen insurance education in our state.”
To date, the ULM Foundation has received $50,000 from the IIABL, $50,000 from the AmWINS Group, and $20,000 from CRC in support of the Jeff Albright Insurance Society.
“The IIABL board of directors unanimously and overwhelmingly with excitement endorsed this honor in Jeff’s name. I can think of no other individual in the last 30-plus years that has had such a profound and positive effect on the insurance industry in Louisiana. Jeff’s passion for education has been strong since the very beginning of his career and continues today. This is a perfect match to honor Jeff Albright,” said Joey O’Connor III, IIABL immediate past president.
“The ULM Risk Management and Insurance Program is outstanding and produces very high-quality graduates which are critical to the future success of the insurance industry. It is an honor and a privilege to work with Dr. Christine Berry and her students, and I urge everyone in the insurance industry to support this program,” Albright said.
About Albright
Albright fell in love with the insurance industry while taking an elective insurance course in college.
After the elective course was completed, Albright joined the Gamma Iota Sigma insurance fraternity, graduated with a major in insurance, and embarked on a 40-year career, 31 of which he has spent with IIABL. He started his career as an independent insurance agent and was hired by IIABL as education director in 1988. Albright used his experience as a former instructor of insurance at Louisiana State University to develop extensive education programs for IIABL aimed at improving the professionalism of agency staff. He became the organization’s CEO in 1996.
In his nearly 30 years leading the association, Albright became a respected expert and advocate for the rights of policyholders and independent agents. He is known throughout Louisiana for his government affairs work with the state’s Department of Insurance and Louisiana Legislature.
Among Albright’s achievements in leading IIABL include helping pass legislation regulating banks in insurance, PEOs, certificates of insurance, producer compensation and the creation of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. He was instrumental in establishing the statutory ownership of expirations for independent agents in Louisiana and was involved in supporting the 2020 automobile insurance tort reform legislation.
Over the years, his service to the industry has included appointments to the board of directors of the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, as a member of the Louisiana Property and Casualty Insurance Commission and the Louisiana Health Care Commission.
Albright’s work has garnered numerous awards, including: two Maurice G. Herndon National Legislative Awards from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America; the IIABL Lou Daniel Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007, and a place in the Insurance Business America Hall of Fame.
About the RMI Program
The nationally recognized Risk Management and Insurance program at ULM focuses on insurance production and distribution and specializes in surplus lines insurance.
To give to the Jeff Albright Insurance Society, please contact the ULM Foundation at 318-342-3636.
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