--News Direct--

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA), a nonprofit, nonpartisan trade association representing all segments of the surety and fidelity industry, held its annual meeting last week with more than 175 members and guests attending. John Welch, SFAA chair and president and CEO, CNA Surety, and Lee Covington, SFAA president and CEO, presided over the event each providing updates on SFAA’s accomplishments from the past year and ongoing initiatives.

Welch opened the meeting by emphasizing how amazing it was to finally be back in person after 2 years of “Zoom” meetings and thanked members for their leadership and contributions to SFAA’s work. The SFAA Membership then elected the Board of Directors, adding two new members to the Board: Steve Lubin, President, Surety Division, Crum & Forster and Stephen Ruschak, Executive Vice President, Arch Surety. Covington provided updates on SFAA’s advocacy accomplishments and goals, SFAA PAC, and SFAA’s Strategic Priorities, in addition to the results from the 2022-Member Survey, which showed a dramatic increase in SFAA’s effectiveness in all categories since the 2019 Member Survey.

A “Year in Review” video celebrating SFAA’s accomplishments throughout 2021 was shared, which included the 97-0 Senate vote on the SFAA TIFIA-bonding amendment to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The video also highlighted the successful launch of the SFAA and NASBP Contractor Bonding Education and Mentoring Program for minority and other disadvantaged or emerging contractors, as well as an update on a record year for the SFAA Foundation’s Intern and Scholarship Program for underrepresented college students, with 17 internships and scholarships awarded totaling $85,000. The winners of the 2021 Surety Industry Awards were announced via a celebratory video and those in attendance were invited to the stage to accept their award.

Charlie Cook, a renowned political analyst, then took the stage and delivered an impactful keynote presentation, captivating the audience with his uncanny and deep insights into the current political landscape in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

To end the meeting, two leading political and policy experts, Mike Nielson of CGCN Group and Kichelle Webster from Stewart Strategies, participated in an insightful “Inside the Beltway” panel discussion moderated by SFAA’s president and CEO Lee Covington.

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan trade association representing all segments of the surety and fidelity industry. Based in Washington, D.C., SFAA works to promote the value of surety and fidelity bonding by proactively advocating on behalf of its members and stakeholders. The association’s more than 425 member companies write 98 percent of surety and fidelity bonds in the U.S. For more information visit www.surety.org.

Contact Details

Peter Roth

+1 703-401-0676

proth@surety.org

Company Website

https://surety.org/

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