Dear Friends of IEI:

We’ve ushered in the New Year with a flurry of activity designed to upgrade our web site as an educational resource for teachers and students. This investment is the next logical step after the overhaul of our newsletter, The Insurance Educator, last year. We hope you will have a chance to visit www.IEI.org to see the new features for our target audience, as well as the section devoted to donors. It is one more way we are looking to recognize our loyal supporters.
Sincerely,

William J. Howell, CLU, ChFC, CAE
CEO


Web Site Development
Among the improvements we’ve made to the IEI web site, none is more critical than the addition of new teaching materials. There are four new lesson plans on insurance already available, and more under development. We’ve added clips of our educational videos so that they can be previewed by teachers prior to ordering. In addition, the text of our Choice-Chance-Control kits and Fast Lanes: Risky Roads brochures has been provided on the site to allow instant access and downloading for use in the classroom. There are a number of new links for teachers and students as well, increasing the value of the site as a resource tool.

IEI Golf Classic
The twelfth annual IEI Golf Classic will precede the NAMIC convention in Washington, D.C. The date is set for Saturday, September 22, at Andrews Air Force Base. We are fortunate to be sponsored onto this restricted course by former Board member Kent Williams. In a departure from past tournaments, there will be a two o’clock tee time for our shotgun start. Look for your registration forms in the upcoming NAMIC mailing.

IEI Dinner
We will be using our Washington, D.C. venue to attempt something new in September. The Board is planning a gala dinner on Friday evening, September 21. We will be featuring a high profile speaker that evening as we focus on education of America’s youth. Please mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us at the Washington Hilton on the evening before the golf classic. We will keep you informed as the plans progress.

IEI on Channel One
For the second consecutive year, IEI’s Choice-Chance-Control video has been featured on Channel One Connection, which is available to 12,000 schools encompassing as many as 8 million students and 500,000 educators. This showing was made possible through our participation as a Board member on the Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy. It is just one more way that IEI is striving to disseminate a fair and favorable message about insurance to America’s secondary schools. Our teacher training program will also be featured in the Spring issue of the Jump$tart newsletter, which goes to over 100 cooperating associations, corporations, schools, and government agencies.

New Contributors
IEI welcomes the following new contributors since our last publication. We are pleased to recognize the support of: Aegis Security Insurance Company, Harrisburg, PA; Benfield Greig Group, Philadelphia, PA; Daniels Agency of NY, Inc., Pawling, NY; Paul Davies; Anthony Domino, Jr.; Donegal Group, Marietta, PA; The Farmers Mutual Fire Assurance Association of NJ, Flemington, NJ; Farmers Mutual Fire Ins. Co. of McCandless Twp., Wexford, PA; Frederick Mutual Insurance Company, Frederick, MD; Millard Grauer; Jeff Harrold; Peter Hohman; Thomas Kearney; William Lebo; Mutual Fire Insurance Co. In Calvert Co., Prince Frederick, MD; Mutual Insurance Company of Lehigh County, Allentown, PA; Navigators Insurance Company, New York, NY; John Peyton; Philadelphia Contributionship Group, Philadelphia, PA; The Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Providence, RI; Verlen Rufenacht; Gordon Stewart; David Thompson; Kent Williams and Alan Ziegler. Thank you all for your generosity and for helping to educate the next generation of young consumers about insurance.

Governance Changes
At the February 15th Board meeting, IEI bid farewell to three Board members, Bob Bischoff, Bob Harrison, and Kent Williams. Mr. Bischoff had been a Board member since 1991 and was serving as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Harrison had been a staff member, serving as President until his retirement last year. Mr. Williams represented USAA on our Board, and he has been succeeded by Earl King, Sr. VP, P&C Industry Affairs. Other new Board members elected at this meeting were Edward Rafter, President & CEO, Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance Co., and David Tritton, Executive Vice President, American Re-Insurance Co. Sharon Heaton, CIC, President, Heaton Agency, Pontiac, IL was elected Chair of the Foundation for 2001, and Bill Lebo, CPCU, Executive Vice President, SAFECO was elected Vice Chair.