Wilkens elected PIANJ president

Thomas Wilkens, of Belford, N.J., was elected president of the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey at the association’s annual business meeting. Wilkens is branch manager & director of McGowan Risk Specialists in Eatontown, N.J.

Active in the association, Wilkens served as vice president in 2019-21; treasurer of PIANJ in 2018-19, and secretary in 2017-18. He is vice president of the Membership Services/Programs and he is a member of the NJ Agents Justice Task Force. Wilkens also is a member of the Executive/Budget Finance, PIANJ Political Action Governing committees and is a member of the association’s Carrier Advisory Council. Wilkens also is an active past president of the New Jersey Young Insurance Professionals–an organization dedicated to the professional and personal growth of newcomers to the insurance industry. Additionally, he is vice president of the Special Olympics Golf Committee.

In 2017, Wilkens was named NJYIP Young Insurance Professional of the Year. This award is given to an individual who has exemplified a commitment to professionalism, networking and service, and whose actions have served to the betterment of the NJYIP organization. Wilkens was named the PIANJ Director of the Year in 2016. This award recognizes the hard work and dedication of a member of the association’s board of directors who has contributed remarkable time and talent to help support the association and its many programs. In 2010, Wilkens received the NJYIP Director of the Year award for his leadership, attention to responsibilities and tireless work ethic.

In his community, Wilkens is a member of the Middletown Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, and served on term as an elected member of the Middletown Township Committee. In 2000, Wilkens was Captain of the United States Olympic Swim Team in Sydney, Australia where he won the Bronze Medal in the 200 Individual Medley. He is a motivational speaker, and was featured in a book called “Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dram of Olympic Glory” and in the full length documentary movie called “The Water is My Sky.”