Partners Sought To Boost Opportunities

A big opportunity to accomplish this goal took place last week in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the NAAIA's annual meeting, she noted. "We need to give members the opportunity to interact with others so that it will develop into business," said Ms. Garza, adding that the goal is for attendees to walk away with something "tangible" to use professionally.

Networking is a priority that has increased in importance at NAAIA, she added. "If you know who is out there, making the connections among other professionals enables members to reach out to someone you know is doing [a line of business in which you are interested] and which will stimulate economic development" for insurance professionals of color, she added.

However, to maximize the effectiveness of networking, an association must increase the number of potential contacts–thus NAAIA's emphasis on "boosting membership across the country," along with efforts to reach out to other minority associations, according to the group's chairman–Aubrey Branch, chief executive officer of Branch, Olson & Hernandez, an insurance agency in Las Vegas.

NAAIA has about 700 members and boasts annual growth of about 150 new memberships in recent years. "We have chapters in place or in progress in Detroit, Chicago, [Washington,] D.C., Cincinnati, Atlanta and now [most recently] in New York," said Mr. Branch.

"In 2006 we are expanding in Philadelphia, Houston and Cleveland, plus two additional cities to be named in two-to-three months." Ms. Garza noted. "We're planning on spreading more to the west in areas like Dallas and Las Vegas."

NAAIA also wants to strike alliances with other groups serving professionals of color–especially Hispanic organizations. One such group with which NAAIA already collaborates is the Latin-American Association of Insurance Agencies, based in Miami. In addition to sharing information, the two groups occasionally exchange speakers for each other's events, emphasizing overlapping goals, interests and challenges.

NAAIA believes the most effective way to promote opportunities for African-Americans in today's insurance industry is to reach out to other minority organizations to support one another's efforts. Indeed, NAAIA has even evolved the traditional criteria of membership to include other ethnicities, Mr. Branch explained.

"We need to expand NAAIA to include and collaborate with people of color, though it is good to keep an African-American focus," said Mr. Branch.

One prime example of NAAIA's pluralistic perspective is Ms. Garza, a board member and emerging markets director at Aetna, who is a Latina.

With the intention of moving westward and into other major metropolises, the need to expand the membership criteria of NAAIA is in part a response to U.S. demographic changes. In Los Angeles, Hispanics represent 46.5 percent of the population, as compared to African-Americans at 12 percent, while in Dallas, Hispanics hold 35.6 percent compared to African-Americans at 26.5 percent.

Furthermore, it is projected that by 2020, Hispanics will represent 17.8 percent of the U.S. population, versus African-Americans at 13.5 percent, compared to today, with the two groups almost dead even at about 12.6 percent.

Such numbers point to the importance of establishing a supportive relationship with Hispanic populations and organizations early on, to jointly work toward expanding opportunities for minorities in the insurance industry, NAAIA believes.

"We do not want to lose focus and we do not want to change our name," said Mr. Branch, "but we do want people to see us as a diverse group of professionals banding together for people in the insurance industry–for people coming up behind us so we can start to mentor them."

Does discrimination remain a barrier to entry or growth for minorities in the insurance industry? Mr. Branch said there are more productive tactics to take than playing the blame game. "We are not about focusing on discrimination," he said. "We're about the future, about looking ahead, about promoting opportunities for professionals of color."

Ms. Garza added that "our platform is looking for educational and economic development. I understand discrimination, and we acknowledge potential discrimination, but what we work for is opportunity."

The challenges of achieving greater opportunity for NAAIA members today are distinctly different than past obstacles, according to Mr. Branch. "When we first got started on a national level, NAAIA didn't have any credibility. Now we don't have to go through that–NAAIA has laid a foundation and the hurdles we went through five years ago are not barriers now," he said.

"Today's problem is that we have a board running NAAIA's operations with day jobs, so they're working nights, too," he said. "To have major insurance carriers provide us with executive loans and finance us to carry out executive day-to-day operations would be a dream."

To realize this dream, NAAIA plans to increase strategic corporate partnerships with Aetna and Travelers and is looking to build relations with Marsh, Allianz and Metropolitan Life, as well as with well-established industry educational groups, such as the CLU and CPCU Societies. "The other companies we are associated with are the Hartford, Safeco, Genworth, Prudential and CNA," noted Mr. Branch.

Another challenge is getting accurate demographic information on professionals of color working within major carriers, according to Mr. Branch.

"You can't get [internal work force statistics] in the industry," as carriers often can't or won't break down how many African-Americans work for them, he said. "We need to find this out to provide a more powerful service for NAAIA members, and also for others who might want professional support within the industry, because it's growing and the level of diversity will be expanding."

The NAAIA's core mission today, according to Mr. Branch, is the same as in 1977 when founder Jerald L. Tillman first started to build on his vision, seeking "to help and assist the independent insurance agent that didn't know what to do or how to run an agency, and get an appointment with insurance carriers."

"Now, when a professional doesn't want to be an underwriter anymore or a claims person," and perhaps wants to become an agent or even launch their own agency, noted Mr. Branch, NAAIA can be a source for that individual of contacts and education.

Taylor Mitchell is a freelance journalist in New York City.

Quoteboxes, with mugs, if possible:

"Our platform is looking for educational and economic development. I understand discrimination and we acknowledge potential discrimination, but what we work for is opportunity."

Alejandra Garza, NAAIA Board Member

"We want people to see us as a diverse group of professionals banding together for people in the insurance industry–for people coming up behind us so we can start to mentor them."

Aubrey Branch, NAAIA Chairman