Hearing from PLUS Volunteer Leaders: Part 3

We’re back with more perspectives from our valued PLUS Volunteer Leaders!

There are so many fantastic volunteer leaders throughout the industry who step up to take on responsibilities with PLUS and beyond. They give their time and expertise in order to help others, and we couldnt be more thankful for the work that they do. We asked some of these leaders about their experiences with PLUS, and are happy to share more of them with you here on the blog. These are the people that help make PLUS the organization and the community that it is.

The first post in this series can be found here, and the second post can be found here.

Kimberly Melvin

• What is your volunteer role(s) with PLUS?  I serve on the PLUS Board and  PLUS Sponsorship Task Force.
• Why do you volunteer with PLUS?  I believe it is important to give back to an organization that plays a critical role in professional liability insurance industry and has given me meaningful opportunities to advance professionally and personally.
• How has volunteering for PLUS impacted your career?  Volunteering with PLUS has raised my profile within the industry and given me opportunities to build robust and deep connections within the industry. 
• What are some of your favorite things about volunteering with PLUS?  Hands down, the best part of volunteering with PLUS are the people within the organization and other volunteers.  The organization attracts kind, professional and engaging people to work for and with it. 
• What are you looking forward to in the coming months in regard to volunteering with PLUS?  As we all start to emerge from our home offices and out from behind our computers, I look forward to the many opportunities to connect with industry leaders within and that volunteer with PLUS. 

Marty Toth

• How has volunteering for PLUS impacted your career? During a PLUS Conference Cause, I volunteered alongside a someone who was a business partner of our company. The two of us had not spent much time with one another outside of typical business interactions, and this volunteer event enabled us to not only learn more about on another personally, but also to share in our mutual enjoyment of giving back. From there our relationship grew stronger and made for an even stronger relationship as my career developed. 
• What are some of your favorite things about volunteering with PLUS? Volunteering with PLUS is more special because it supports the image of our entire industry as a whole while making a meaningful impact in our local communities. It also offers leadership opportunities to those who seek it within individual organizations in which we work. 
• What has been your most memorable PLUS volunteer experience? PLUS held a Conference Cause BBQ/festival that supported veterans and their families. The event gave such joy to children of the families and it was great to be given an opportunity to thank members of the military for their service in a new and unique way. 
• What are you looking forward to in the coming months in regard to volunteering with PLUS? With the pandemic, volunteering opportunities were quite scarce. I am eager to see what in-person volunteer events are on the horizon so we can reignite the professional liability industry’s volunteering spirit. 

Chelsea Laing

• What is your volunteer role(s) with PLUS? Chair, Southern California Chapter Steering Committee.
• Why do you volunteer with PLUS? Its a great way to meet new people and stay connected.
• How has volunteering for PLUS impacted your career? PLUS has allowed me to network and build new relationships while also educating myself on the professional liability industry.
• What are some of your favorite things about volunteering with PLUS? My favorite thing about PLUS is the people, particularly our Southern California Chapter Steering Committee.
• What has been your most memorable PLUS volunteer experience? I have very much enjoyed volunteering at all of the events the Southern California chapter has hosted over the last several years, but if I had to choose the most memorable, it would be the Womens Leadership Network event we hosted in 2019 called How Women Can Have it All: Our Journeys in the Insurance Industry and Lessons Learned Along the Way.  A panel of top female executives in the insurance industry shared their successes, lessons learned and words of wisdom with everyone in attendance.   
• What are you looking forward to in the coming months in regard to volunteering with PLUS? Hosting in-person events again!

Cecelia Lockner

• What is your volunteer role(s) with PLUS? Planning Committee for Transaction Liability Symposium
• Why do you volunteer with PLUS? Amazing organization that helped me as a junior attorney, and continues to be an excellent resource for continuing education, events and networking.
• How has volunteering for PLUS impacted your career? It has allowed me to have deeper connections to peers that I might otherwise have very limited interactions with during the course of underwriting and claims.
• What are some of your favorite things about volunteering with PLUS? The other fantastic volunteers, as well as the fulfilment you feel attending an amazingly successful event you helped plan.
• What are you looking forward to in the coming months in regard to volunteering with PLUS? The opportunity to learn and network at the Transaction Liability and D&O Symposium!

A sincere thank you to all who responded to the questionnaire! Check the blog in the coming weeks for more answers and insights from your volunteer leadership, as well as other great professional liability content from your peers.