ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Sept. 21, 2011 — Michael “Mike” R. Donohoe of Mankato, Minn. was installed as the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) chairman at the conclusion of the Big “I” Leadership Conference Sept. 13-17 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Donohoe is an owner of the James R. Weir Insurance Agency, an independent agency in Mankato, Minn.
“Mike has lead by example and is a true champion of the independent agency system in his home state of Minnesota and across the country,” says Robert Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “The Big ‘I’ is proud that he will now head the association’s leadership team as the chairman of the executive committee.”
Donohoe’s numerous contributions to the independent agency system have spanned several decades and include serving as president of the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (MIIAB) and representing the North Star State on the Big “I” board of directors. He was twice named Minnesota “Young Agent of the Year” and was the 1994 “Minnesota Agent of the Year.”
At the national level, Donohoe was elected to the Big “I” executive committee in September 2006. He has been instrumental to the success of the Big “I” Virtual University and served as the chair of the VU oversight task force from 2001 to 2006. Donohoe was instrumental in founding the Big “I” Eagle Agency, an independent agency created exclusively for Big “I” members. In 2005, Donohoe received the Woodworth Memorial award, the highest honor that can be earned by a Big “I” member for outstanding service benefiting independent insurance agents and the entire insurance industry.
Donohoe grew up in Lake Forest, Ill., and is a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minn. He has been married to his wife Mary for more than 30 years, and they have four children: Katie, Gina, Meghan and Patrick.
Founded in 1896, 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, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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