ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Aug. 9, 2016–InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom to career education program, recently announced that Lindsey Shank, CIC, has returned to its national board as an agent member. Shank was elected to the board as an agent representative and is BB&T Insurance regional agency operations manager in St. Petersburg, Florida.

 

“InVEST is proud to announce Lindsey Shank has returned our distinguished board of directors,” says Cindy Hower, InVEST board chair and president of Kellerman Insurance, an independent agency in Holton, Kansas. “Lindsey is the quintessential InVEST success story having started as an InVEST high school student who was then an active young agent leader and is now a senior level professional at an independent insurance agency. Lindsey brings enthusiasm and a unique personal experience to the InVEST board of directors and we look forward to continuing to work with her to improve the program.”
 
Lindsey Shank first experienced InVEST at St. Petersburg Catholic High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she was an InVEST student her junior and senior years. She began working at Iler Wall & Shonter (now BB&T Insurance Services, Inc.) a week after high school graduation where she continued to rise through the ranks throughout her college career. Shank earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Honors College at the University of South Florida.

 

Shank continues to be an advocate for the industry. She previously served on the InVEST board from 2012 to 2015 and was enthusiastically elected to serve another term as an agent member. She serves on the Florida Association of Insurance Agents board of directors. Shank previously served as a volunteer teacher for the InVEST program at her alma mater, St. Petersburg Catholic High School and is currently involved with two new InVEST programs at Morning Star School and Northeast High School. She coordinates guest speakers and field trips; serves as a guest presenter in the classroom; assists in mentoring the students on insurance education, business and life skills; and coordinates the local scholarship process for the seniors. She previously served as the Florida state InVEST committee chair and was presented with the DACH Award which honors an insurance industry volunteer in 2005 and 2010.

 

“InVEST is vitally important for the future of the independent agency system and the insurance industry as a whole,” says Robert Rusbuldt, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) president & CEO. “Lindsey Shank is a leading example of the InVEST program’s mission and success. Educators, volunteers, agents and industry leaders, especially those with firsthand InVEST experience like Lindsey, are key to the success of this program. We are so proud of Lindsey and grateful for her continuing commitment to this critical endeavor.”

 

As a 501(c)(3) educational trust, InVEST benefits from the support of numerous insurance organizations, hundreds of agencies, brokers and volunteers. The program provides the insurance industry with motivated, talented and intelligent professionals through a support structure of state associations, board members, national staff, teachers and the many industry professionals who work in the field as classroom liaisons.

 

Founded in 1970 and based in Alexandria, Virginia, InVEST promotes insurance education in order to attract individuals to pursue a career in the insurance industry. Each year, the program prepares thousands of students for insurance-related careers with a hands-on curriculum taught in high schools, adult education centers and colleges. These courses provide students with a working knowledge of the basics needed to pursue careers in the insurance industry. For more information, go to www.investprogram.org.

 

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 approximately a quarter of a million 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.