IIABA First Woman President Set

NU Online News Service, April 18, 11:52 a.m.EST?The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers ofAmerica said Louise C. "Bebe" Canter has been nominated to be theassociation's president-elect and Thomas A. Grau its vicepresident.

If her nomination were approved, Ms. Cantor would be in line tobecome the first woman president of the association. IIABA'smembers will vote on her nomination during the association'sconvention to be held in New Orleans, Sept. 21 to 24.

The nomination announcement, made today, follows the IIABA'sExecutive Committee mid-year meeting last week.

Ms. Canter is senior vice president at Patterson/SmithAssociates, Falls Church, Va. She was elected to the executivecommittee in 1998, and is the first woman to be elected to IIABA'stop leadership panel, the association said in a statement.

Ms. Canter has served the Metropolitan Washington Association ofIndependent Insurance Agents in many capacities, including statenational director and president. She served as chairman of theSouthern Agents Conference and as member of the IIABA Large AgentsCommittee.

Mr. Grau is a sales executive with Payne Financial Group inBillings, Mont. He was elected to the executive committee in 1999,and has been active on the local, state, regional and nationallevels of the association. Mr. Grau served Montana as TechnicalAffairs Committee chairman, state national director and president.He was chairman of IIABA's Finance Committee and served on theAudit and Direction and Resource Coordination Committees.

Ms. Canter and Mr. Grau are scheduled to assume their new postsat IIAA's InfoXchange. Current President-elect, W. Cloyce Anders,would be sworn in then as president.