Happy New Year! I can't believe that January is almost over! I'm excited to kick off this year with some incredible stories from accomplished women in our industry that are sure to inspire you as they have me. I'm looking forward to sharing some amazing stories with you this year and happy to kick off the year by introducing you to my friends Jessica, Kathleen and Susan.
Jessica Choi, The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company
"I strongly believe that we need to attract a new generation of talent into this great profession and that it is equally important to continue to develop, 
engage and retain them. I'm excited that I've been able to be a part of the Penn Mutual Pathways Internship SM program. This 10-week integrated internship program is intended for students going into their junior and senior year of college and creates a runway for them to launch their career in financial services. I recently wrote a blog post and was able to share intern experiences directly from their perspectives. I'm thrilled to say that 100 percent of the inaugural Penn Mutual Pathways SM interns thought the work they did was meaningful. More than 50 percent of these interns are now serving as Campus Ambassadors, promoting the program on campus and continuing to engage with Penn Mutual leaders. Over 32 percent have received offers or have already begun working with us in a full time or part time capacity. I am excited to work on this initiative for Penn Mutual and get to focus on mentoring and building a positive future for our industry."
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Kathleen R. Benjamin, Brotman Financial Group, Inc.
"This past year was one of transition for myself and my clients as I moved from Cincinnati to Maryland and merged my single-planner financial services practice with Brotman Financial Group. While completing the merger was a significant accomplishment in itself, I am most proud to have joined forces with a talented team who allows me to provide my clients with an enhanced level of service."
Susan Rider, Gregory & Appel Insurance
"I received the John J. Appel Founder's Award in January, recognizing me as the Top Sales person for our agency. In addition to that, I was recognized as one of 25 top women in advising.
What made this even more special to me is it was only my second year in a sales position. My goal in my career is to inspire others to find their passion. I encourage women to continually find educational opportunities that help them grow in their career. Throughout my career, I have had several women mentors. While serving as the young agent chairwoman for NAHU, a national mentoring program was created for members that were new to the industry."
I hope you are all off to a grand start for 2017! I know that the landscape of our industry is currently uncertain (again!) and it's wonderful to see so many great women doing phenomenal things in our industry. As always, if you know of great women in the industry who are working hard to make this this industry great, do an email introduction for me at [email protected] I'd love to connect!
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