Last week, the Big “I” installed Randy Lanoix as its new chairman, Spencer Houldin as chairman-elect, Vaughn Graham as vice chairman and Bob Fee as an at-large executive committee member.
The new officers began their terms at the conclusion of the board meeting held in conjunction with the Big “I” Fall Leadership Conference last weekend in New Orleans.
“The Big ‘I’ is honored that such a distinguished group of professionals will be the association’s leaders,” says Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “Randy Lanoix, Spencer Houldin, Vaughn Graham and Bob Fee, along with the rest of the executive committee and officers, are an outstanding and experienced team of industry leaders who position us well for a productive year.”
Lanoix, president of Lanoix Insurance Agency in Lutcher and Brusly, Louisiana, served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana (IIABL) in 2001 and as the Louisiana representative on the Big “I” national board of directors from January 2005 to September 2010. He is a recipient of the Lou Daniel award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the IIABL, as well as a past recipient of the “Mr. Chairman” award for his work as Louisiana’s legislative chairman and the Louisiana state legislature.
On the national level, Lanoix has served on the Professional Liability Committee, the Trusted Choice® board of directors, numerous task forces and two terms on the Government Affairs Committee, where he was chairman of state government affairs. Lanoix and his wife Nell have two grown sons who work in the family agency.
Houldin is president of Ericson Insurance Advisors, a second-generation insurance agency with offices in Litchfield County, Connecticut and New York City. In 2008-2011, Houldin served as chairman of the Big “I” Government Affairs Committee and testified before numerous Congressional committees on behalf of the association. He has also represented Connecticut on the Big “I” Board from 2006 to 2011 and served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Connecticut in 2004.
Houldin has held seats on agent advisory councils for several insurance companies and is also active in his local community, serving on the executive committee of Western Connecticut Health Network, a multi-hospital organization. He is past president of the local rotary and now resides in Roxbury, Connecticut with his wife Carol and two children.
Graham, president of Rich & Cartmill, Inc. headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a past chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma and has served on the Big “I” national board of directors. He earned recognition in 2012 with IIAO’s highest honor, The Eagle of Excellence Award. At the national association level, Graham served as chair of the Membership Services board, on the Big I Advantage® board, as a trustee on the InsurPac Board and as a member of the Agents & Brokers Roundtable. Graham remains active in his community with charitable and civic organizations and resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife, Candace. They have two children, Hayden and Vaughn, Jr.
Fee is president and COO of Fee Insurance Group in Hutchinson, Kansas. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents (KAIA) and has represented Kansas on the national board of directors since 2013. He has also served on several KAIA committees, including the Government Affairs Committee, and was the 2007-2008 KAIA president.
At the national association level, Fee has served on the Government Affairs Committee since 2013 and on the Trusted Choice board of directors in 2008-2012, serving as chair of the board in 2009-2011. Fee is active in his community with numerous charitable and civic organizations and has four children with his wife Annie. They reside in Hutchinson.
The 2014-2015 Big “I” chairman, David Walker, who will serve on the executive committee as immediate past chair for one year, is president of Hartland Insurance Agency in Hartland, Michigan.
Above: David Daniel swears in Lanoix as new Big "I" chairman.