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KD Sponsors Black History Month Trivia Night Hosted By The Water Street Club and NAAIA New York Chapter

Posted Mar 9, 2021

Event Start Date: Feb 25, 2021

On February 25, 2021, The Water Street Club and NAAIA New York Chapter hosted a Black History Month Trivia Night for employees of insurance carriers, brokerage firms, and insurance agencies. The event was held virtually via Zoom. Kaufman Dolowich Voluck LLP was one of two named sponsors of the event.

About The Water Street Club

Among the event’s organizers was KD Partner John E. Mancebo. John is a co-founder and board member of The Water Street Club. The Water Street Club is an organization focused on promoting diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry. Its mission is, “to have a positive impact on increasing diversity and inclusion at all levels of the insurance industry,” and it seeks to do so through publishing resources, collaborating with other similarly-focused organizations, providing networking opportunities, and hosting events such as the one held on February 25.

The Water Street Club’s other board members include: Ayesha West, Vice President at Everest Insurance; Peggy Menard, Vice President at Sompo International; Tevin Smith, Client Relationship Director at Willis Towers Watson; Ho-Tay Ma, Vice President at Partner Re; Denise Campbell, Senior Vice President at Marsh; and Kirk Hudson, Complex Claims Director at AIG.

About the NAAIA

The National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) was organized, “to create a network among people of color and others employed in or affiliated with the insurance industry.” In order to promote diversity and inclusion in the industry, the NAAIA, “attempts on a continuous basis to promote and enhance professionalism in a manner that leads to industry recognition and career opportunities for its members.” The NAAIA currently has 17 chapters, including the New York Chapter that co-hosted the February 25 Black History Month Trivia Night.

In 2018, the NAAIA jointly released a study with Marsh entitled, The Journey of African-American Insurance Professionals. As the study explained:

“As the demographics of the US change, becoming more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, socio-economics, age, and gender, the insurance industry’s executive and management ranks — from insurers to agencies and beyond — need to better reflect those emerging trends. . . .

“The Journey of African-American Insurance Professionals provides quantitative and personal insights into the significant deficiencies of opportunity faced by African Americans over many decades at leadership and other employment levels throughout the insurance industry.”

The study is very much worth reading and remains relevant today. A copy is available on Marsh’s website.

At KD, we are committed to diversity and inclusion both within and outside of our practice. Our firm currently holds Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certification and is currently in the process of securing Mansfield Rule 4.0 certification in 2021. We appreciate John’s efforts in co-founding and serving on the board of The Water Street Club, as well as the efforts of our other attorneys and staff who participate in diversity and inclusion organizations and initiatives outside of the firm. For more information about KD’s internal diversity and inclusion initiatives, you can visit our Diversity page.

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