InvestSM, the insurance industry's premier classroom-to-career education program, today announced that Diane Wagner, the chief operations officer of First Choice Agents Alliance (FCAA), has joined the Invest Board. Based in North Carolina, FCAA is one of the largest insurance agency networks in the country.
Wagner was appointed by Craig Welsh, Westfield's chief distribution and marketing officer, because of her strong commitment to attracting young people to career opportunities in the insurance industry. She has been involved with Invest, a Big “I" affiliate, for many years—starting with a speaking engagement at a local business school early in her career. She taught an Invest class in 2015, which led to placements of several interns at South Carolina insurance agencies.
Wagner started her career immediately after high school in central New York and spent the first 20 years working her way up through multiple mergers & acquisitions in the insurance industry. She eventually moved to the Carolinas in 1996 as an insurance company marketing representative. Since 2001, Wagner has been involved with several insurance start-ups, including FCAA.
“Diane brings experience and enthusiasm to the Invest board and she will be instrumental in helping us to expand our programs into more classrooms as well as assist us in launching our agency apprenticeship program pilot in Maryland," says Deborah Pickford, executive director of Invest.
“Insurance is such a great business and an excellent path for so many young people," Wagner says. “I have had wonderful mentors in my career, and I plan to continue to mentor the next generation with the hope that they find their place and their purpose. Careers in our industry have been the best kept secret for too many years."