GEICO’s Holt Finishes at Top of Class of CPCU Graduates

Business Wire

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GEICO associate Rachel Holt recently took home top honors for academic excellence from the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) Society. Her cumulative grade-point average on CPCU exams placed her atop a class of more than 2,270 students; she shared the prestigious Academic Excellence Award honor with one of her classmates.

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The Institutes President Peter Miller congratulates GEICO’s Rachel Holt for earning an Academic Excellence Award, which she received by earning a near-perfect score on her CPCU exams. Photo: The Institutes

“I was very surprised,” Holt said of earning the recognition. “I wouldn’t say I’m naturally an intelligent person, but I will try harder than anyone else. My best qualities are hard work and determination.”

Indeed, earning a CPCU is a lesson in determination. The designation is conferred by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (The Institutes) to industry professionals who meet certain requirements in the Three E’s – Education, Ethics and Experience. Fulfilling the education component requires passing eight national exams on a range of topics—everything from insurance law and risk management to accounting and ethics.

Holt, an orientation supervisor at GEICO’s Buffalo, New York, regional office, prides herself on being disciplined, and it’s a trait that served her well as she prepared for the exams. She read the course book twice, completed every practice quiz and did not let a testing window pass without taking one of the exams. Becoming a CPCU opens career doors and is a gateway to many professional opportunities, but Holt had other motivations as well.

“It had been nearly 20 years since I completed my business degree. I am nearing my 40th milestone birthday, and I wanted to achieve something for myself and prove I could achieve a goal,” she said.

Holt also wanted to inspire her own kids and the new associates she helps to acclimate into the GEICO family.

“I want to lead by example,” she said. “I want them to realize that if they put their minds to do something and they put in the effort, then anything is achievable.”

Holt is among more than 30 GEICO associates who have earned the CPCU designation in the past year. GEICO Assistant Vice President of Underwriting and Product Management Jaci Pasley, a CPCU herself, said GEICO associates continue to demonstrate why they are among the best trained in the industry.

“We are proud of Rachel and all of our associates for their tremendous accomplishments,” Pasley said. “The eagerness of our associates to constantly improve their insurance knowledge is a great asset to GEICO and our customers.”

GEICO associates across the country who earned the CPCU along with Holt are: Steven Bradford, Andrew Brown, Becky Brunner, Christopher Calk, Kelsey Coriell, Claire Dormer, Matthew Gardner, Kara Graves, Madeline Heller, Matthew Hover, Chelsea Ibarra, Jaimee Jones, Aja Legros, Melanie Loo, Desiree Mitchell, Melissa Narzissenfeld, Benjamin Pardue, Elizabeth Person, Jennifer Richards, Jonathan Richey, Christopher Schwork, Andrew Strohm, Donald Surrency, Kathryn Walsh, Jason Wang, Charles Walker, Kaitlin Whiteside and Derek Zappala.

As a way to encourage associates to continue to better their skills, GEICO provides tuition reimbursement, and in some cases bonuses, for the successful completion of CPCU courses and other classes.

The CPCU conferment ceremony took place recently in San Diego, California.

About GEICO

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 27 million vehicles.

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