A former basketball super-star turned entrepreneur, an economist and historian, and an advocate for individuals with disabilities will be the major speakers at The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers 2008 Employee Benefits Leadership Forum this month.
The EBLF, which is in its seventh year, will take place May 27-30 at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va. The venue change was necessitated by ongoing labor negotiations at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., the Washington, D.C.-based CIAB said.
This year's speakers will feature legendary basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson, an entrepreneur; Neil Howe, an economist, demographer and historian who has written extensively on the generational differences in America; and April Holmes, an advocate for the disabled.
Mr. Johnson is chairman and chief executive officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises, which provides entertainment products and services to ethnically diverse urban communities through strategic investments, partnerships and endorsements. MJE recently teamed up with Aetna to empower businesses and minority communities to make informed choices on health care options, improve health care literacy and promote wellness programs. He will keynote the first general business session on May 28.
Mr. Howe is an expert in unlocking the mysteries of what motivates Gen-Xers and the Millennials and explaining why they differ from older generations in their approach to life and the workplace. He has written a number of books on generational differences and what motivates each group as consumers and workers. He will headline the second general business session on May 29.
Ms. Holmes will also speak at the second session. She became an advocate for individuals with disabilities following a 2001 train accident that resulted in the loss of one of her legs. Ms. Holmes was an all-star high school and college runner before the accident, and she quickly resumed her athletic endeavors after the injury.
She is now one of the country's most promising Paralympians and will participate in the Paralympic Games in Beijing this summer. She also is serving as the National Spokesperson for Disability Insurance Awareness Month, an educational event throughout the month of May.
The conference features special business sessions on the efforts currently under way to standardize group employee benefits forms and enrollment processes; ways that benefits brokers can differentiate themselves from the competition to gain new business; and ways to develop and implement an effective internship program.
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