August 21, 2008
Warriors to Work Program Participants
Honored at Luncheon in Manhattan
As part of their mission to make this the most successful,
well-adjusted generation of veterans in our nation’s history,
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) hosted a three-day Warriors to Work
Insurance Industry Workforce Development program this week in
partnership with the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, St.
John’s University’s School
of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science (SRM) and
major insurance leaders from ACE INA, AIG, Benfield and Chubb.
Photo
Gallery
The program brought together 11 wounded warriors, most of who
are from the New York Metropolitan Area, to introduce and educate
them on potential career opportunities within the insurance
industry. An awards ceremony held yesterday in Manhattan honored
the participants in the Warriors to Work program by presenting them
with certificates of completion for a job well done.
The goal of the Warriors to Work program is to provide our
nation’s wounded warriors the necessary tools for a successful
transition into a new career. Veterans learn about career
opportunities in the insurance industry, received tips on how to
network with human resources personnel, and reviewed valuable
interviewing skills through one-one-one mock interviews with HR
representatives from major insurance companies.
“We are so proud to have provided the educational element for the
Warriors to Work program,” said Maureen Furlong Weber, Director of
SRM at St. John’s University’s Manhattan Campus. “We’ve heard great
feedback throughout the course of the past three-days and that is a
credit to all those who participated in making this effort a
success. When you have good partners you get a great product.”
As major companies, organizations and partners in the endeavor
ACE INA, AIG, Benfield, Chubb and the Insurance Industry Charitable
Foundation all had a hand in educating the wounded warriors in
their areas of expertise.
“The program was excellent and brought together competing
insurance companies for a common goal which has been a great
benefit to us,” said Ryan Kules, Program Manager for the Warriors
to Work program. “It shows how caring American people can respond
to help our cause.”
Kules notes that the WWP is also looking to future programming
initiatives and job opportunities in the areas of information
technology, defense and securities as well as transportation and
logistics.
St. John’s University’s Manhattan campus and home to SRM, hosted
the first two-days (August 18-19) of the pilot program. Two of the
school’s most respected professors, Albert Beer and Richard Bennett
contributed their time and expertise to the cause and gave classes
on Risk and the Risk Management Process, Underwriting and
Ratemaking as well as many other topics for discussion.
The final element of the program on August 20 held in Manhattan
had veterans conducting mock interviews with human resources
professionals from the aforementioned insurance companies, along
with an impromptu “Conversation with our Leaders” question and
answer session. John Alfieri, Senior Vice President and Regional
Executive of ACE INA, Peter Tucker, Senior Vice President of Chubb
and Greg Sandvik, Senior Vice President for Client Development of
Benfield, all participated in the lively discussion.
The day culminated with the certificate of completion
presentations to the 11 wounded warriors to a rousing ovation from
those in attendance at the elegant 60th floor Board Room of Chubb
Group of Insurance Companies and AIG in Downtown Manhattan.
For more information regarding the program, please contact Ayla
Hay at (757) 340-7425 or via e-mail at ayla@themeridiangroup.com
or visit the Wounded Warriors Project website at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Information about St. John’s and the School of Risk Management,
Insurance and Actuarial Sciences can be obtained by calling Dominic
Scianna, Assistant Vice President of Media Relations at (718)
990-6185 and found by visiting the university website at www.stjohns.edu.