YOU SHOULD GET A LICENSE

Meet Dwight Geddes, founder of Metro Claims & Risk Mgmt and The Geddes Mgmt Group in Floral Park, New York. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Dwight originally wanted to be a firefighter and studied pre-law in college before "falling into insurance" over 25 years ago.

Today, his company handles claims and catastrophic events nationwide. As Co-Dean of CLM Claims College and national board member of the National African Ame...

Meet Diandra Nims, a Senior Underwriter specializing in E&O risk for video and film, and the Creative Director of Limitless Visions, LLC. This multi-talented professional has carved a unique path in both the insurance and creative industries. Starting as a self-taught videographer and cinematographer, Diandra's journey led her to become a powerful voice in professional liability underwriting while maintaining her passion fo...

Lavaisha Davis is a Managing Partner at Ell Wess Advisors. With offices in Ohio and Georgia, she's transforming how families build and preserve generational wealth. A wife and mother of four, she began her journey with a biology background, and she built and sold several successful businesses with her husband before discovering her calling in financial services during the pandemic. Through her unique combination of analytical t...

Sandra Moody-Gresham is the owner of Dehan Insurance in Columbus, OH., with over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. Recently celebrating 25 years in business, Dehan has become one of the most successful and respected multi-line insurance brokerage firms in the country. Sandra herself is an inspiring leader, innovator, and industry expert who has chaired professional and charitable boards, is a university professor, a...

As CEO of Benefyx and BRM Specialty Systems, Roman McDonald leads the nation's only minority-owned medical stop-loss firm, underwriting self-insured healthcare plans nationwide. Based in Philadelphia, he's transformed from being a distribution outlet to becoming the distributor himself.

Though he now commands a multimillion-dollar underwriting empire, McDonald's journey began differently. While he dreamed in his youth of a career in...

Gertha "Gigi" Jean is the CEO of One Way InsuranceGroup and Founder of BLB Global Consulting, in Seaford, DE and specializes in Commercial Insurance solutions for Non-Profit organizations. A product of a Haitian household living in the Bahamas, she was raised in a home with no indoor plumbing or electricity. With childhood dreams of becoming a Broadway performer, she decided to honor her parents' dream of pursuing edu...

Nick Allen is the CEO of Blue Raven Actuarial. Over the last two decades, he has exemplified excellence in the healthcare actuarial consulting industry.  Moving to Virginia as a teenager, he attended Virginia Tech University graduating with a Degree in Mathematics. Initially, he wasn’t quite sure where his interest would lead until a family member mentioned actuarial science. This led him on a journey that would see him become a Fe...

Sylvia K. Alston, CEO of Momentum Risk Management LLC, has exemplified excellence in the insurance and financial services industry. Originally from Newark, New Jersey, she has established herself as a distinguished leader and trailblazer in the field.

She is an alumni of Morgan State University and a Cornell University Women's Entrepreneurship Certificate holder and innovative leader. Sylvia has dedicated her career to breaking ba...

Lee Bethel, President of Comprehensive Benefits Services, Inc. , a HUB International company, has exemplified excellence in the insurance and financial services industry for over 45 years. A Morehouse College graduate and innovative leader in life insurance and employee benefits, Lee has dedicated his career to solving clients' problems, preparing them for retirement, and creating generational wealth. Born in Oklahoma City, Lee...

Ben Rathbun is the President of Rathbun Insurance in Lansing, Michigan. Growing up in the industry, he had his first day at the agency at age seven in 1999, working there through high school and interning at an insurance carrier during college. He joined his father's firm full-time in 2014, became a partner in 2019, and became CEO in 2021 following his father's death. Ben loves solving people's problems, working directl...

On this special edition of the, You Should Get a License podcast, host Rod Powell engages in a lively and insightful conversation with insurance industry executive and host of the How To Corporate podcast, Fela Abioye. They discuss their unique backgrounds and paths in the often-overlooked insurance industry. Fela, who has been in the industry for 14 years, started in life insurance underwriting for Medicare supplements before movi...

Keyson Dingle is an accomplished insurance executive based in Atlanta, GA, holding nine insurance designations and involvement with several professional trade associations. Originally from Jersey City, NJ, Keyson received a football scholarship to Cheyney University in PA, where he balanced his passion for football with an internship in the insurance industry. Graduating in 2018, he entered the insurance industry full-time, quickly...

Ladda Love Hawkins, TRIP, is an accomplished insurance industry professional with extensive experience in claims, education, and as an independent broker based in the Dallas, TX area. She is also a certified Meta digital marketing and community engagement specialist assisting professionals with virtual networking. Raised in Hawaii, she was a rebellious youth before moving with her family to Louisiana. She entered the insurance fiel...

Aubrey Branch is the Chairman and CEO of Branch Hernandez Insurance Consulting. He began his working career in a sugar refinery in Louisiana but soon transitioned to the insurance industry after meeting a local door-to-door insurance salesman. Within six months, he became a Million Dollar Roundtable member. Seeking greater opportunities, he moved to California and eventually Nevada, where he and his business partner established the...

Herman Ross is the founder and Chief Operations Officer of National Insurance Consultants, Inc., an insurance and risk consulting firm based in Dallas/FT. Worth, TX. Initially aspiring to a career in politics, he joined Hartford Insurance after college, marking the start of his extensive career in the industry. Insurance is a family business for Ross, with his wife, Katrina, serving as NIC Inc.’s CEO, and their children also workin...

Alistair Edwards, is an Atlanta, GA based Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist with Insurance Consultant for Small Businesses. Born in the UK and raised in Mandeville, Jamaica, a strong work ethic was instill in him at a young age which allowed him to thrive in a professional journey that initially led him into grocery retail industry and a six-figure income in his corporate role. Yearning for more freedom from the ...

Meet Chris. Christopher Cobb is the CO-CEO of Chosen Agency in Houston, TX, a Fintech-focused Independent Life Insurance brokerage offering Financial Education for consumers and paths to Entrepreneurship for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Insurance Industry. Growing up in a small town in rural Georgia, he began his professional career after college in a Management trainee program with a major car rental company before entering the i...

With over 25 years in insurance and financial services, Clark Cesar brings a wealth of expertise from roles including life and annuities sales, financial representation, and brokerage management. Beginning his career in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, Clark's journey has seen him excel in various domains, from advising on retirement plans to his current position as a Sales Executive in group healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia. Beyo...

Kassi O’Brien is a Champion for both Employee Benefits and Women in the Insurance Industry. A native of Kentucky, she grew up raising tomatoes used her chore of picking up and selling the tomatoes that were going to be thrown away for imperfections, showing early signs of entrepreneurship.   After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in Finance she spent time in Florida working in manufacturing and even designing childr...