Big ‘I’ installs new chair

ALEXANDRIA, VA, September 15, 2025—The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) installed Maryland’s Angela Ripley, owner and president of VW Brown Insurance Service in Columbia, as the 2025-2026 Big “I” chair at the recent Big “I” Fall Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ripley is the second woman to serve as Big “I” chair. Bringing more than 25 years of experience as an independent insurance agent, she has held numerous positions at the national level for the Big “I,” including Big “I” Government Affairs Committee chair and Board of Directors member. She has also served as Maryland state InsurPac chair from 2011-2020 and was chair of Big I Maryland in 2014.

Ripley has also served on several agency advisory boards, including the National Association of Registered Agents & Brokers (NARAB) Board and the Federal Reserve Board’s Insurance Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC).

“Angela has demonstrated her dedication to the independent agency channel and Big ‘I’ members through decades of outstanding service to the association and the industry as a whole,” says Charles Symington, Big “I” president & CEO. “We’re grateful for her skilled leadership and experience as the Big ‘I’ continues to provide the tools and support members need for long-term success.”

As the new chair, Ripley is focused on sustaining the independent agency system through education and strategic growth, prioritizing programs that equip members to become more agile and tech-enabled while strengthening personalized service and relationship-building. She also emphasizes the importance of supporting independent agents through inclusion and collaboration and is working on a national initiative for women in insurance.

“I am committed to continuing the important work of supporting agents through innovation, inclusion and advocacy,” Ripley says. “I am honored to work together with Big ‘I’ state associations and members across the country to not only address today’s challenges but to build a future that’s resilient and full of opportunity.”

Along with Ripley’s installation, Greg Sandrock, owner of The Cornerstone Agency in Tampico, Illinois, was sworn in as Big “I” chairman-elect. Bryan Clinkscales, owner of Boone Ritter Insurance in Springdale, Arkansas, was sworn in as Big “I” vice chair. Ripley succeeds chairman Todd Jackson, owner and partner at McGowan Insurance Group in Indianapolis, who will remain on the Big “I” Executive Committee for an additional year as immediate past chair.