ACN Updates

Celebrating the 2020 Distinguished Contribution Award Winners

Published: January 08, 2021

During Applied Net 2020, Applied Client Network (ACN) announced its slate of 2020 award winners among the many high-achieving and distinguished volunteers. Each winner has made a lasting contribution to the organization throughout their career(s) and especially during the past year of unprecedented hardship. The awards are peer nominated and recognize the exceptional efforts of those who have gone above and beyond to help ACN fulfill its mission to educate, advocate for, and connect Applied Systems users. Discover and celebrate the 2020 winners below!

Individual Awards

Reflecting on 2020, ACN Past Chair Christine Horne, of Bankers Insurance LLC, shared a sentiment of gratitude during the awards presentation. Gratitude that, among other things, outside of the chaos and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the insurance industry remained largely stable and unchanged, with professionals still responding to concerns and claims as they always have...just in new ways.

“This [year] is yet another reminder of why our members are so deserving of the recognition we’ve built with the Applied Client Network awards,” noted Horne. “It’s a chance to continue to practice gratitude in our organization.”

Bill McNulty Chapter Volunteer of the Year

Amy Crandall, of AAA Washington, demonstrates many of the same leadership qualities as award namesake Bill McNulty. As President of 2019’s Most Improved Chapter Award winner, Crandall has been instrumental to revitalizing the Washington Chapter and has helped take the chapter to the next level through her devotion to ACN both nationally and locally. Amy’s willingness to dedicate time outside of her day job to ensure the chapter thrives, and her positive and collaborative nature, has shown true leadership in helping her chapter grow its membership and engagement its community.

Committee Volunteer of the Year

This year’s honoree, Joe Pratts of Hoffman Brown Company, currently serves as Chair of the Education Committee. Joe is an excellent advocate for ACN and the insurance industry as a whole and has consistently been very active in promoting the importance of CAN to his peers. When Applied Net went virtual, Joe was an integral piece to adapting the Applied Epic track, and he has been invaluable in the development of new educational offerings through ACN, such as digital badges. In addition to his role on the Education Committee, Joe serves as the President of the Southern California Chapter and has further played a pivotal role in bringing educational content to chapter members over the years.

Chapter Awards

The ACN Circle of Excellence program recognizes effective chapter management annually. Through the Circle of Excellence, chapters grade themselves in order to determine whether they’ve earned a gold, silver or bronze title. These titles then factor into whether chapters can apply for the annual Chapter of the Year and Most Improved Chapter awards.

For 2020, chapters were evaluated on six key areas: leadership skills, member education and meetings, membership recruitment and retention, marketing and communications, overall chapter management and administration, and COVID-19 modifications. Silver winners were the Maine and Northeast Ohio chapters, and gold winners were the Alabama/Georgia, Eastern Pennsylvania, Florida, Greater Texas, Large Agent Alliance, Massachusetts/Rhode Island, Michigan, Mid-Atlantic, Tri-State Epic and Washington State chapters. Out of this list of nominees, the winners are…

Chapter of the Year

For a year unlike no other, ACN's Tri-State Epic Chapter has been awarded the 2020 Chapter of the Year Award. Led by President Collin Passman, of The Signature B&B Companies, and chapter officers Shaun Lopez (Millennium Alliance Group), Margaret Black (Allan M Block Agency), and Carmela Whaley (Millennium Alliance Group), Tri-State Epic did a great job pivoting its offerings in a way that allowed the chapter to maintain planned education for its members virtually — they were first to pilot virtual chapter meetings and even shared some tips on Connections. Current chapter leadership also developed a new member pipeline aimed at fostering stronger relationships with its member agencies and brokerages as part of membership development efforts.

Most Improved Chapter

In recognition of leadership efforts in 2020, ACN’s Maine Chapter has been honored with the designation of 2020 Most Improved Chapter. The Maine Chapter is led by President Stacy Johansen, of Downeast Insurance, and Vice President Suzanne Strachan, of Cheney Insurance. The two-officer structure was introduced in 2020 and its expanded leadership team opened eyes to new opportunities for the Maine Chapter. For one, the officers were able to establish greater organization for the chapter, which led to strong member engagement both during meetings — which the chapter expanded in 2020 — and with regional events. Like Tri-State Epic, the Maine Chapter also stepped up to pilot virtual meetings, which contributed to continued momentum for its members throughout the region.