Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Gov. Haley Barbour will be among featured speakers April 27 for the 18th annual Mississippi Insurance Day at Mississippi State University.
Sponsored by the College of Business and Industry's Peter K. Lutken Chair of Insurance, the Wise Center event includes a series of assembly programs and continuing education sessions featuring professionals and others involved in the insurance industry. The college's risk management, insurance and financial planning academic program is co-sponsor of the event.
Barbour will address participants during the 1:15 p.m. assembly program in the center auditorium.
During the 8:30 a.m. opening ceremony--also in the auditorium--Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale, along with fellow commissioner Robert Wooley of Louisiana and former New York superintendent of insurance Greg Serio, will discuss current business climates in their areas.
The annual spring semester gathering traditionally attracts insurance company attorneys, claims adjusters and agents, as well as fire investigators, legislators, municipal and county managers, and law enforcement officials. This year's theme is "2005: Continuing the Success."
"Insurance Day program has grown significantly over the past few years, as evidenced by the more than 500 who attended last year," said Ed Duett. "It now is one of the largest risk management and insurance activities held in Mississippi."
Duett, a department of finance and economics faculty member who holds the Lutken endowed professorship, said the growth and development of Insurance Day has a parallel in the risk management, insurance and financial planning academic program.
"It has become one of the fastest growing academic programs of its kind in the country, and is ranked ninth largest in a recent issue of Business Insurance magazine," he added.
Other 2005 Insurance Day speakers will include, among others:
--William Mullaney, president of the MetLife Home and Auto Co.;
--Ernie Cisiszar, chief executive officer of the Property Casualty Insurers Association;
--Larry Forrester, chief executive officer of the Insurance Education Foundation; and
--Bob Hartwig, senior vice president of the Insurance Information Institute.
The complete Insurance Day schedule may be viewed at www.cbi.msstate.edu/iday.
For more information, telephone Duett or Tammi K. Riddle at (662) 325-2341.