Leadership Awards

Leadership Awards

Leadership Awards

2024 ANNUAL HVBA LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Among the event’s highlights were the acknowledgments and honors awarded to outstanding partners and board members who have pivotal roles in elevating the Association’s stature and creating valuable experiences for current and future members.

These exceptional individuals have played a pivotal role in HVBA’s growth throughout 2024, fostering enhanced collaboration and networking opportunities for members, corporate sponsors, and partners. A heartfelt congratulations to Don Cahalan on his induction into the HVBA Hall of Fame, joining an esteemed group of industry leaders.
ROB SHESTACK
Chairman & CEO of the HVBA

The Health & Voluntary Benefits Association® (HVBA) is pleased to recognize the following professionals for their exceptional contributions during 2024:

The Health & Voluntary Benefits Association® (HVBA) was pleased to recognize the following professionals for their exceptional contributions during 2023:


ELIGIBILITY RULES

The HVBA Recognizes Award Recipients with a profile highlighting how they have demonstrated excellence and their meaningful impact in the trajectory of the voluntary benefits industry. This spotlight features the extraordinary strides, breakthroughs, and outstanding and lasting contributions that have advanced the voluntary benefits space.

  • 20+ years of industry experience
  • Proven service to their community
  • Unprecedented track record of helping grow the VB industry
  • Has distinguished themselves within the VB industry
  • Recognized by their peers as a VB industry thought leader
  • Outstanding leadership qualities
  • Has been a prior recipient of any prior HVBA Award
  • Hall of Fame Award nominations solely determined by the Executive & Advisory Board Members
  • Selection to the Hall of Fame Award requires one of the following: (1) If a previous HVBA award recipient, at least 13 HVBA Board Members must approve induction or (2) If NOT a previous HVBA award recipient, at least 18 HVBA Board Members must approve induction
HVBA Leadership Award Ceremony Group Shot (Orlando, FL, 2016)

AWARD WINNER PROFILE

The HVBA Recognizes Award Recipients with a profile highlighting how they have demonstrated excellence and their meaningful impact in the trajectory of the voluntary benefits industry. This spotlight features the extraordinary strides, breakthroughs, and outstanding and lasting contributions that have advanced the voluntary benefits space.

Rob Shestack Leadership Award Profile (Hollywood, CA 2011)

HALL OF FAME (HOF)

HVBA Hall of Fame Winners: (October 2-4, 2017, Los Angeles, CA)

This annual award is one of the most prestigious honors available in the VB industry, which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence and has had a meaningful impact over the course of a career in Voluntary Benefits. This award was created to recognize the men and women who have made extraordinary strides and outstanding and lasting contributions to the Voluntary Benefits industry.


HoF Award Recipient Ron Agypt celebrating recognition success with Industry peers RAE Egleston & Marty Trainor (2009, Los Angeles, CA)

HOF ELIGIBILITY RULES

  • Can be a previous award recipient
  • 10+ years industry experience
  • Proven service to his or her community
  • Proven track record of helping grow the VB industry
  • Has distinguished themselves within the VB industry
  • Recognized by their peers as an industry leader
  • Outstanding leadership qualities
  • Hall of Fame Award nominations rules are different (see below)
Rob Shestack, HVBA CEO & Chairman presents HoF Award to Jim Davidson, EOI (2020)


SPONSOR THE AWARDS

Interested in Sponsoring the 2025 Awards Ceremony?

HVBA LEADERSHIP AWARDS SPONSOR

($7,500)

Be the Official Sponsor of the Health & Voluntary Benefits Association (HVBA) Leadership Awards. This opportunity is a highly recognized sponsorship as the awards honor innovative industry leaders. Award Recipients are nominated by their colleagues and include a Feature in the Daily Industry Report.

The Leadership Awards present sponsors with a unique opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to recognizing and supporting excellence and innovation in a thriving industry. 

The sponsors gain respect through their support of recognizing those leading change.
Sponsoring an award category will enable your organization to align itself with the values and philosophies of the HVBA and the HVBA’s Annual Leadership Awards and Hall of Fame (HoF) inductees while showcasing your corporate identity, services, and products. Sponsorship will further raise your organization’s profile and enhance your credibility with prospective clients, customers, and industry peers. In short, an Award sponsorship provides your company with the ideal means to reach its target clientele.

SPONSOR BENEFITS

  • Company Logo on the website as the Official Sponsor of the Annual Leadership Awards (remains even after the event)
  • Profile on the HVBA Awards webpage
  • Sponsor Logo Featured on the Award Ceremony Presentation Slideshow 
  • The logo will be featured in AV Loop Prior to the Awards Ceremony
  • Opportunity to Announce & Present Award
  • Speaking Opportunity for one (1) Sponsor Representative Centre stage at the Awards Ceremony
  • Sponsor Recognition and Company Logo alongside Awards Ceremony Program Inclusion (and Conference Agenda if applicable)
  • Corporate Signage (supplied by you) Prominent during Leadership Awards Ceremony
  • Opportunity to distribute one (1) promotional flyer (supplied by you, maximum 8.5×11”) to award ceremony delegates (live or virtual)  
  • Full Page Advertisement in Awards Ceremony Program (live or virtual)
  • A Complimentary Sponsor’s table at the Awards Ceremony for inviting VIP clients or potential business partners (only for in-person events)
  • Additional Branding in Pre and Post Award Ceremony Announcements: Press, social media, and/or other industry Announcements (Includes Logo, Corporate Profile, and Ceremony Photos)

Join Past Sponsors & Gain Recognition

AWARDS

  • Two (2) Crystal Awards for Leadership Recipients Value: $250
  • One (1) Crystal Award for the HoF Inductee Value: $500
  • As a sponsor, you will have your company name and logo on three (3) Crystal Awards.

GIFT CARDS

  • Two (2) Leadership Award Recipients will receive a gift card. Value: $250
  • One (1) HoF Inductee will receive a gift card Value: $500 

AWARD CATEGORIES

RISING STAR AWARDS

This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a young, emerging leader in the Voluntary Benefits profession. This is someone who has made a “splash” in Voluntary Benefits.

EXCELLENCE IN VB AWARDS

This award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of individual employees, above and beyond their normal job responsibilities. Someone who has made an impact during the prior year in Voluntary Benefits.

INSURE-TECH AWARD

This prestigious award recognizes the visionaries who are driving strategic technological transformations in Voluntary Benefits. Presented to a person or organization who is making breakthroughs in tech innovation that help improve the customer experience and bottom line for carriers and their broker partners. Open to benefit plan sponsors, benefits technology company executives, benefits advisers, brokers and consultants, and others on the leading edge of technology development, adoption, and deployment (ie: ML, AI protocols, claims filings, unique platform features, devices, software, systems, initiatives, or other programs that push the envelope).

PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD

A person or firm that has made a significant innovation impact in the Voluntary Benefits vertical, product development, or product enhancements, and is honoring outstanding products that serve professionals who work in the Voluntary Benefits industry. Leaders include healthcare-seeking behavior (HSB) enhancements, Pandemic Benefits, or other product-unique features.


Hall of Fame Inductees

Warren Benoit

Gil Lowerre

Jim Davidson

Robert Shestack

Tom Farmer

Marty Traynor

Leadership Recipients

Ron Agypt

Rae Egleston

Amy Hollis

Lorrinda Lattimore

Emil McCulloch

Robert Shestack

Troy Underwood

Warren Benoit

Tom Farmer

Dori Hummel

Ron Leopold

Rich Pfadenhauer

Walter Sprang

Hunter Whittington

David Bird

Nelson Griswold

Jo Johnson

Alison Lewis

Robyn Piper

Jason Steed

Jim Davison

Christina Harmon

Ruth Larkin

Gil Lowerre

Bill Safford

Marty Traynor