Events

Rich Belanger
Chief Technology Officer, Applied Systems

Rich Belanger, Chief Technology Officer, leads the Product Development, Product Management and Quality Assurance teams for Applied Systems. Previously, Rich led ProQuest, a global SaaS company with over 100 million users, through a complex migration to a modern cloud architecture and deployed world-class software development processes. As a result of his leadership, ProQuest achieved significant improvements in performance and reliability, as well as meaningful improvements in the speed and quality of new product development. Rich also held prior leadership roles at Target Software and Forrester Research.

Amanda Crawford
Director of Operations at Compass Insurance

Amanda Crawford is the Director of Operations at Compass Insurance, where she specializes in agency structural organization, technology implementation, and fostering employee relations. With a background in both personal and commercial lines, Amanda brings nearly two decades of industry experience to her role. As Co-Leader of the EZLynx User Alliance, Amanda is passionate about empowering agencies to feel confident using the EZLynx platform, enabling them to grow and streamline their operations. She is also dedicated to cultivating a positive and collaborative community of EZLynx users who share knowledge and promote growth and learning.

Cortney DeCaires
Application Manager at Morris & Garritano Insurance

Cortney DeCaires is the Application Manager at Morris & Garritano Insurance, where she oversees the management of Applied Epic. In this role, Cortney collaborates with all departments within the agency to ensure cohesive workflows and optimal system configurations. Although not directly working in their Business Intelligence unit, Cortney frequently participates in data related projects, effectively bridging the gap between highly technical personnel and day-to-day servicing staff, including best practices for data ingestion.

Ashley Fimian
Senior Vice President at Applied System

Ashley is an accomplished operation executive with experience leading high-performing teams, solving complex customer problems and driving innovation across multiple organizations and industries. She has 17+ years of proven performance and has developed a reputation as a collaborative leader who is passionate about driving improvement and delivering world class customer service. As Senior Vice President at Applied System, Ashley is responsible for Customer Success across Applied’s largest and most strategic customers. She joined Applied from SMS Assist, a national facilities maintenance company, where she was responsible for operations and service delivery. As Vice President, Operations, she managed a $80M line of business and was responsible for all retail commercial operations, with a focus on transforming the customer experience.

Justin Goodman
CEO, Total CSR

Justin Goodman is the founder and CEO of Total CSR. He has trained over 50,000 customer service representatives (CSRs), account managers and producers and is considered the go-to authority for insurance onboarding and training. He was previously named to Insurance Business Magazine's Hot 100 and one of the 2024 Insurance Journal Agents of the Year. Justin's recent efforts surround the launch of Project 55, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community that empowers individuals and insurance organizations to improve mental health outcomes in the workplace.

Beaux Pilgrim
Founder and CEO of IA Blueprint LLC

Beaux Pilgrim brings 31 years of experience in the insurance industry and 16 years as an agency owner. Specializing in Insurance, VAs, and Automation, Beaux leverages his extensive knowledge to help businesses optimize operations, address staffing needs, and integrate technology for greater efficiency.

Jamieson Freageau
Co-Founder of Quandri 

Jamieson co-founded Quandri with his brother, Jackson, to transform operational efficiency and drive intelligence in the insurance industry. With a solid foundation in computer engineering, Jamieson has been instrumental in establishing Quandri as a vital partner for insurance agencies aiming to implement smarter, AI-driven solutions, particularly within their personal lines business.

Waji Khan

Senior Associate Product Manager, EZLynx

Waji has over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, currently working on AI projects. He also has experience with various other efforts across EZLynx including rating, Sales Center, Agency Workspace and other Management Systems features to improve business operations and user experience.

Jessica Klipphahn
Director, Head of North America Middle Market Cyber/E&O at Willis Towers Watson

Jessica brings 16 years of insurance experience to WTW, focusing the last 14 years on Property & Casualty business. In her prior role, she worked as an Account Executive managing a large book of middle market accounts with a special focus on Cyber and E&O lines of business. Jessica joined WTW in September of 2021 as the Middle Market Team Lead and was then promoted to head up the Middle Market Cyber/E&O national practice in June of 2023.

Brian Langerman
Chief Executive Officer of Applied Client Network

Brian Langerman is a Business Management Executive with more than 20 years of Technology experience in Corporate America as well as Association and Technology Communities. His expertise includes, new business development, operations management, strategic marketing, channel management, project coordination, change management, process implementation, and management of multi-million-dollar accounts and budgets. Langerman currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Applied Client Network a global Technology Community for Applied Systems network of independent insurance agents and brokers worldwide that are focused on driving system utilization to increase agency and brokerage value for the next generation of insurance professionals.

Tanner Randolph
Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, Applied Systems

With over 20 years of experience in technology and cybersecurity, Tanner Randolph is a builder and transformer of organizations across multiple verticals, from large SaaS companies to Fortune 50 enterprises. As the Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Applied Systems, Tanner leads the global information technology and security functions, enabling Applied to deliver secure, cutting-edge solutions. Outside of Applied Tanner is also an active advisor within the cybersecurity and AI ecosystems, collaborating with startups, venture capitalists, and industry experts.

Melissa Zornes
Senior Vice President Practice Leader of Employee Benefits at OneGroup 

Melissa Zornes is Senior Vice President Practice Leader of Employee Benefits at OneGroup. She joined OneGroup in 2024, bringing with her more than 14 years of experience. Throughout her career, Melissa has developed a strong expertise in group benefits and HR management. She has held various roles in insurance agencies, including Account Manager, Account Executive, Benefits Practice Manager, Director of Client Services, and SVP and Head of Employee Benefits Client Services. Melissa’s responsibilities in those roles varied between maintaining client relationships, providing consultative support, benefits program design, project management, strategic development, cross-functional collaboration, and more. Her collaborative approach extended to agency growth, operations and technology initiatives, driving positive company performance and innovation