WASHINGTON, D.C., April 26, 2007—Matt Berry of the William Gammon Agency in Austin, Texas, today received the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) bestows upon an individual.
“After 24 years of service to his state and national association, he is still being called upon as a valued resource and leader,” Big “I” President Alex Soto said. “As a state association staff person so aptly put it, ‘It has really not mattered what the request has been; he has always answered the call and then given his best to the task placed before him.’”
The Woodworth Award was established in 1925 in memory of C.H. Woodworth of Buffalo, N.Y., the second president of the association. It is awarded annually to the Big “I” member who best demonstrates outstanding service to independent insurance agents and the entire insurance industry.
Berry has contributed to the independent agency system first at the state level on the board of directors of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas for 13 years, serving as its president in 1991. In 2002, Berry received the Drex Foreman Award---the Texas association’s highest individual honor.
At the national level, Berry served from 2003-2006 as chairman of the Professional Liability Task Force, leading the Big “I” national professional liability program through crucial negotiations with Westport while exploring new ways for the national association to work with its state association partners. He also served as the State National Director from Texas from 1993-1998. Prior to that, he served on the Direction and Resource Coordination Committee from 1993-1996, the Planning Committee from 1993-1999 (chairman from 1996-1999) and on the Finance Committee from 1995-1996.
Founded in 1896, IIABA (the Big “I”) is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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