NU Online News Service, Sept. 30, 2:12 p.m. EDT

The new executive director of the National Risk Retention Association, appointed in July, says multiple projects are in the works for the organization.

"You're going to start seeing an even better NRRA than you saw before," says Joseph E. Deems, who is also general counsel for CPLIC, an RRG in California.

"We have great plans for raising money, great plans for raising friends, great plans for building the coalition, great plans for more expanded advocacy," He tells NU Online News Service.

Deems says he is building a program specifically for purchasing groups as well as an expanded plan for RRGs.

NRRA also will announce an alliance with the Risk Retention Reporter to produce "The compendium," a compilation of newspaper articles on key legal cases affecting the RRG industry in the last 25 years.

His main focus has been on NRRA's annual conference, Oct. 5-7, in Washington, D.C., which will include a web conference with the International Center for Captive Insurance Education (ICCIE).

"It's an exciting, upbeat conference with more speakers and sponsors than ever before," he says, adding that attendance should be more than 150, making it NRRA's biggest conference to date.

"It's an excellent program with a large group of speakers," discussing a variety of topics unique to RRGs and purchasing groups, he says.

The keynote speaker on Thursday is Graham White, deputy chairman, Lloyd's of London.

A panel on Wednesday will discuss how Lloyd's reinsurers assess RRG exposure; and getting a better reinsurance deal. The lineup also includes a regulators panel, a session on litigation trends and a session on how A.M. Best views RRGs.

Jennifer Williamson, who previously was president of NRRA and organizer of the conference, left in July to form Development Allies Inc., for nonprofit organization management, NRRA says.

More information about NRRA is available at www.nrra-usa.com.

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