Bill Wilson Honored with Jeff Yates Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (IIABA or the Big “I”) has awarded Bill Wilson, CPCU, ARM, AIM, AAM, with the Jeff Yates Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor the association bestows on a non-agent, for a lifetime of work in the independent agency system. Wilson is Big “I” associate vice president of education and research and Virtual University director. He works via remote for the association from his home office in Gallatin, Tennessee.

“The Big ‘I’ is proud to present Bill Wilson with the Jeff Yates Lifetime Achievement Award for his remarkable career dedicated to the independent insurance agent community,” said Randy Lanoix, Big “I” chairman and president of Lanoix Insurance Agency in Lutcher and Brusly, Louisiana. “Bill is one of the premiere insurance educators in the country and has helped thousands of agents nationwide–from Hawaii to Rhode Island–on a variety of issues including insurance coverage technical matters, agency management concerns and more through the VU’s ‘Ask an Expert’ service and has given hundreds of seminars, workshops and convention presentations.”

Wilson joined the Big “I” team in 1999. He previously served as director of education and technical affairs for the Insurors of Tennessee and was a licensed insurance and surplus lines agent. Wilson’s professional affiliations include having served as president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of CPCU, board member of the national CPCU Society, PMLG of the Honorable Order of Blue Goose, Intl., member of the Big “I” National Education Committee, member of the Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) National Advisory Committee, member of the Society of Insurance Trainers and Educators (SITE) and its SITE Journal editorial committee, member of the National Writers Association, chairman of the Tennessee Insurance Commissioner’s Education Advisory Committee, member of the Middle Tennessee State University Insurance Liaison Committee, member of the Nashville State Technical Institute’s Financial Services Advisory Committee, member of the National Underwriter’s FC&S Editorial Advisory Board, and an instructor for insurance and risk management programs for Tennessee State University and Nashville State Technical Institute. Wilson is a recipient of the CPCU Society’s George M. Gottheimer Memorial Award which is presented periodically to a CPCU Society member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of insurance education, risk management or insurance consulting.

“Bill has been quoted in hundreds of news stories and his writings have been published in dozens of trade and business publications,” continued Lanoix. “Many in our industry and the media view him as the ultimate insurance guru and we are tremendously lucky to have him on our team.”

Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in fire protection and safety engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He’s also an accomplished guitar player and regular on the Nashville area music circuit. He and his wife, Gail, have an adult son.

The Jeff Yates Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2013 in honor of Jeff Yates, a 39-year veteran of the Big “I” who served in numerous capacities within the association from 1975 to 2014. Yates served in the general counsel’s office from 1975 to 1982 (as executive vice president and general counsel for most of that period). In 1989, he spearheaded the association’s move from New York to its current headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1998 he was promoted to CEO and first retired in 2000. In 2001 he returned to the Big “I” to lead the ACT program as executive director and retired in 2014.

Lanoix presented the award during the annual Big “I” Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.