Big ‘I’ Names Whitnee Dillard New Invest™ Executive Director
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Dillard promoted from previous role of Big ‘I’ director of diversity & inclusion.
ALEXANDRIA, VA, May 4, 2022— The Big “I” is pleased to announce the appointment of Whitnee Dillard as the new executive director of Invest™ and diversity. Dillard succeeds Deborah Pickford, executive director of Invest, who will retire in May after six years of outstanding contributions to Invest, the insurance industry’s premier classroom-to-career education program administered by the Big “I.”
Dillard has over 10 years of experience in insurance, nonprofit management and youth educational programming. She began her insurance career in 2012 as a licensed property-casualty agent, joining the Big “I” in 2014. She currently leads the development and implementation of various diversity and inclusion initiatives across the independent agency channel as the Big “I” director of diversity and inclusion and also serves as the staff lead to the Big “I” Diversity Council, representative of Big “I” agents and 24 insurance companies.
In her new role, Dillard will direct Invest’s programs to improve the insurance literacy of students and attract diverse talent to the insurance industry, and she will also oversee diversity and young agents. This change gives the association the opportunity to combine three programs with similar goals under Invest. Prior to joining the insurance industry, Dillard managed multiple nonprofit initiatives focused on youth development and college preparation in partnership with middle and high schools, the foster care system and the juvenile justice system.
Dillard has received the national Big “I” Chairman’s Citation, an Ohio Insurance Agents Citation and most recently the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Industry Partner Award.
“Whitnee’s passion for providing opportunities for young people makes her the perfect leader for Invest’s mission to attract the next generation of workers to the great career choices in the insurance industry,” says Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “Perpetuation and staff retention are challenges the independent agency channel must meet head on, and Dillard’s expertise in spearheading programs to engage diverse, new talent will be crucial as Invest continues to provide industry-leading programs.”
Dillard will begin in her new role with Invest on May 31.
About Invest
As a 501(c)(3) educational trust, Invest benefits from the support of numerous insurance organizations, hundreds of agencies, brokers, and volunteers. The program provides the insurance industry with motivated, talented, and intelligent professionals through a support structure of state associations, board members, national staff, teachers, and the many industry professionals who work in the field as classroom liaisons. For more information, visit the Invest website.
About the Big ‘I’ Diversity Council
The Big "I" Diversity Council is a collaborative industry group comprised of member agents and executives from leading insurance companies. The council partners with Big “I” state associations, national committees and external multicultural industry groups to build a more sustainable diverse, equitable and inclusive independent agency network. Visit www.independentagent.com/diversity for more information.
About the Big ‘I’
The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) was founded in 1896 and is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of approximately a quarter of a million agents, brokers and their employees nationally.
