Awkward Insurance

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Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

• Sydney Hoffmans - iTrust Insurance Group -  Sydney Hoffmans is an Arkansas native and second-generation insurance agent. With over a decade of insurance experience, she has worked in various roles at small and large captive and independent agencies, as well as commercial insurance carriers. In 2017, she joined her family’s independent agency, iTrust Insurance Group, as an insurance advisor. Sydney serves as Secretary for the Young Insurance Professionals of Arkansas and was recognized as the Young Insurance Professional of Excellence at the 76th Annual Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) of Arkansas Convention. Sydney is also a youth softball coach and a dedicated community member. She lives with her partner and four fur children in Little Rock, AR.  

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Optimist, self-proclaimed IA hype-man, and insurance nerd, Seth Marana fell into the insurance industry and has been running full steam ahead to make his dent within the independent agency channel.

Having served as both a Personal and Commercial Lines agent for nearly 6 years and while earning his CIC, CRM, and TRA designations, he gained real-life experience and knowledge to serve in his new role as the Member Experience Manager with the Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA).

In 2022, Seth transitioned to the OIA to serve the broader agents’ community by coaching and mentoring agents, while equipping them with the tools for everyday agency life.

Aside from insurance nerding, Seth's main passion is business experience and coaching others about it. He helps others elevate their existing model and understanding of how to delight their clients or customers in fresh and meaningful ways. This helps strengthen relationships, increases client satisfaction, grows referability, and makes doing business a lot of fun!

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

• Taylor Garcia, CIC: Taylor quickly fell in love with the insurance industry after starting work at his in-law's agency in 2015. Coming from a creative background, creating videos, marketing, and social media content has worked really well in his career as a producer. Taylor has earned the CIC designation and is currently the VP of Jackson and Jackson Insurance in San Dimas, CA.

Need advice on professional development for your job role?  Download a FREE Account Manager, Producer, Underwriter, or Risk Manager Learning Path, and review a curated learning journey specific to your job role!  Learn More!

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

GARRETT DROEGE, CIC, CPCU, CLCS, CBIA, CWCA, CRIS

Garrett Droege serves as Senior Vice President and Director of Innovation and Digital Risk Practice Leader at IMA Financial. His role oversees IMA’s national focus in the technology, and digital risk verticals (collectively called the Advanced Industries Specialty). He also co-manages IMA Labs, IMA’s insurtech innovation, investment, and strategy with BrokerTech Ventures. Additionally, he is part of the founding team of IMA’s web3Labs initiative and helped IMA become the first broker to build an insurance and risk management facility in the metaverse and issue the industry’s first “proof of coverage” via blockchain/NFT. He serves on the Crypto.Chicks NFT Advisory Board and consults with several other NFT projects.

Prior to his current role, he served as CEO/Executive Director of TechAssure Association, Inc., an international consortium of insurance agents/brokers specializing in technology-related risks.  Garrett’s expertise includes Errors & Omissions, Cyber, and Technology Risk Management. Additionally, he is a brokerage technology specialist – focused on InsurTech, AMS/BMS/CRM platforms, data mining, and client journey tech stack development. 

Garrett has designed complex insurance and risk management programs for some of the most sophisticated and diverse tech businesses in the country.  These include firms in info tech, medical technology, telecommunications, new media and all types of digital risk and blockchain. 

Garrett is an alumnus of University of North Carolina at Wilmington and The Hartford School of Insurance.  He was named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list and Insurance Business America’s Young Guns of Insurance list. Garrett is routinely featured in national publications and media productions, including NPR’s All Things Considered. 

He holds the esteemed Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) industry designations, among others. He has been a featured keynote speaker for numerous organizations, including: Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Public Radio, CIO Magazine, Society of CPCU, Insurance Innovators, FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Net Diligence, Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), North Carolina Technology Association, Texas Blockchain Council and many more.

Droege has been named three times to the Hot 100 List – a group of the top 100 insurance professionals that have “moved the industry forward” over the past 12 months. Garrett also serves as an advisor and mentor to several technology startup companies and has extensive relationships with global accelerator programs and investors.  He is a frequent guest on business podcasts including: “The Insurance Guys”, Lowenstein Sandler’s “Don’t Take No For An Answer,” “InsurTech Geek Podcast,” “Beyond Insurance,” “A.I. Wisdom,” “The Insurance Coffeehouse,” and more.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Ms. Liljenberg, entered the insurance business in 2004 as she started her first agency from ground zero, growing the business to over $6 million in revenue in less than 12 years.
Ms. Liljenberg holds a BA in Journalism/Public Relations and a MA in Political Science/Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a Professional Financial Representative holding both Series 6 and Series 63 licenses, she is an Expert Witness in the Insurance field, a Texas Public Adjuster, Property & Casualty Agent, Life & Health Agent, and a Texas Real Estate Broker.
She is well-known in the insurance and real estate industries for her responsiveness, knowledge, and professionalism in handling situations in both industries. Her 36 years of contractual knowledge is extensive and is strengthened by her years as a Commodity Electricity trader during Deregulation in 2001.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Taylor quickly fell in love with the insurance industry after starting work at his in-laws agency in 2015. Coming from a creative background, creating videos, marketing and social media content has worked really well in his career as a producer. Taylor has earned the CIC designation and is currently the VP of Jackson and Jackson Insurance in San Dimas, CA.

The Dynamics Series is renowned with agencies, companies, and carriers for its career-elevating sales techniques, sales management strategies, and motivational power.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

• Carey Wallace: Carey works with agencies all across the country to understand their value and leverage it to position themselves for growth and plan for the future.

Realize your full producing potential with our Dynamics Producer Coaching program. Learn more: https://www.scic.com/dynamics-producer-coaching/

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Elisa Stampf

CEO/Co-Founder of Insure Equality

Elisa “fell” into insurance over a decade ago. She spent most of her time on the carrier side with regional and national carriers; she was an underwriter for commercial lines and a marketing rep for the Chicagoland area. Throughout her insurance career, Elisa was a sales leader, a trainer, and an advocate for giving campaigns within her companies. She earned six designations and an MBA and has an insatiable appetite for learning and growing. After a brief visit to the agency side, her exit propelled her to co-found a community that pushes everyone forward and welcomes everyone in: Insure Equality.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.