January 2026 Chaptergram 
President's Report
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Sally Ann Krauss, CPCU, CLU, ARM, ASLI
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
It’s hard to believe we are over half-way through January. In a few weeks, let’s hope Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow!
Looking back at 2025, The Allegheny Chapter CPCU had a successful yearwith Rick Gercak as our President. Rick was an outstanding leader, and the Chapter is very fortunate to have Rick remain in a leadership role.
Both our Spring and Fall Socials were well-received. We recognized our New Designees at All Industry Day, welcoming them into our chapter. Our annual Golf outing is always a success! And we returned to The Grand Concourse for our Christmas Lunch/Swearing in of new officers.
Looking forward to 2026, first and foremost, did you know this is the 75thAnniversary of the Allegheny Chapter? We have had an enduring legacy, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the leaders who came before me in making what the Allegheny Chapter is today. Our Chapter Historian – George Krauss, has provided a chapter history that is outlinedonourwebsite (https://alleghenycpcu.starchapter.com). There is also a pdf included in this newsletter.
While we will continue to hold all of the previously-mentioned events, I ampleased that we have additional offerings to membership, including Pennsylvania Continuing Education virtual webinars! An outline of the recently-scheduled courses and instructions on how to register is included in this newsletter.
The officers are currently planning chapter events for the year, and we will be providing firm dates for those events in the very near future.
I look forward to a successful 2026 and wish everyone my best!
Dues
Have you paid your 2026 dues? If not, they can be paid online at http://www.cpcusociety.org or you can email member resources for assistance: [email protected] or call them at (800) 932-2728.
Remember: CPCU does NOT require continuing education but highly recommends it! Benefits to being a member include reduced registration prices at the Allegheny Chapter meetings and events, and from the Society: Unlimited, monthly webinars, exclusive discounts and savings, quarterly journal publications, volunteer and leadership opportunities, a global network of over 15,000 professionals, and special interest groups!
Meet the Officers
The Allegheny chapter membership voted on and installed the following officers at our annual Holiday lunch at the Grand Concourse, on December 5, 2025:
President: Sally Ann Krauss, EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants
Vice President: Rick Gercak, First National Insurance Agency
Treasurer: Andy Marks, Pennsylvania National Insurance Company
Secretary: Rachel Dubois, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Webmaster: Marilyn Wood
Continuing Education
We are pleased to announce that the Allegheny Chapter will be offering Pennsylvania continuing education courses beginningin 2026. The CE programs will be offered in a web-based format providing you with the opportunity to attend virtually and receive Pennsylvania continuing education credits to meet your insurance producer’s licensing requirements. The classes are also a great educational experience for individuals not needing producer CE credits, but may be interested in the general topic.
Our initial CE class will be on January 21 addressing Artificial Intelligence with subsequent CE classes on Contractual Liability (February 11), Ethics (March 25) and Flood Insurance (April 1). Note that the Ethics and Flood Insurance CE courses are the new mandatory CE courses required by the PennsylvaniaInsurance Department under Act 142 of 2024. Future CE classes will be posted to our website.
The registration fee for Allegheny Chapter CPCU members is $10 per CE class. Non Allegheny chapter members may attend at the standard registration fee. Listed below is a description of the CE class schedule with a link to register.
If you have any questions, please e-mail or call. George E. Krauss, D.Ed.,CPCU, CLU, ChFC, ARM
Allegheny Chapter, Educational Chairperson/CE Instructor
PS. CE credit is based upon attendance (no exam). Attendees will view the presentation, be able to ask questions but are not on camera. A PDF of the CE presentation will be forwarded to attendees several days prior to class.
The Magellan Group, Inc.
300 Weyman Plaza - Suite 280
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Tel 412-885-1210
Fax 412-885-1253
REGISTRATION: https://allegheny.cpcusocietychapter.org
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ALLEGHENY CHAPTER CE WEB CLASS SCHEDULE |
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Artificial Intelligence - Understanding the Exposure (138731 - 1 CE Credit) - (January 21- 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm) - This program will provide practitioners with a general overview ofartificial intelligence (AI), generative artificial intelligence (GAI), machine learning and theirimpact on insurance practitioners and society at large. Emphasis will be placed on illustratingAI’s effect on insurance job reorientation, AI insurance coverages applicable to the public andthe usage of policy endorsements and policy language to either provide and/or eliminate coverage related to the AI exposure. Allegheny Chapter CPCU Member Registration ($10) Non- Allegheny Chapter CPCU Registration ($29) Payment Link: https://square.link/u/vH0FlNKF |
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Contractual Liability (#135358 - 2 CE Credits) - (February 11 - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm) - Thisprogram will analyze Contractual Liability from a coverage perspective. Emphasis is placed onunderstanding the contractual policy language of the Commercial General Liability Policy andthe Business Auto Policy and their application in actual practice settings. The types of holdharmless/indemnity agreements and the difference between contractual liability and additionalinsured status will also be addressed. Allegheny Chapter CPCU Member Registration ($10) Non-Allegheny Chapter CPCU Registration ($29) 4 Payment Link: https://square.link/u/GUpSBRhk |
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Pennsylvania Insurance Ethics (#138124 - 3 CE Credits) - (March 25 - 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm) -This program is the mandatory continuing education ethics course requirement under Pennsylvania Act 142 of 2024. The application of ethical conduct related to statutes and regulations in everyday practice settings will be addressed. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the Pennsylvania statutes and regulations to promote compliance with state and federal regulations that support the Commonwealth’s goal of protecting its residents and promoting producer ethical conduct. Allegheny Chapter CPCU Member Registration ($10) Non-Allegheny Chapter CPCU Member Registration ($39) Payment Link: https://square.link/u/R6JpVtmg |
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Pennsylvania Flood Insurance (#138125 - 2 CE Credits) - (April 1 - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm) -This program is the mandatory continuing education flood insurance course requirementunder Pennsylvania Act 142 of 2024. The program will address the flood hazard, theapplicable flood exclusions in common standard property policies, and methods and means tomitigate property loss due to the flooding hazard. Emphasis will be placed on reviewing theNational Flood Insurance Program and its application with the goal of increasing theproducer’s awareness of the flood exposure. Options, including private flood insurance, will also be addressed. Allegheny Chapter CPCU Member Registration ($10) Non-Allegheny Chapter CPCU Member Registration ($29) Payment Link: https://square.link/u/5pK62xB8 |
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
George E. Krauss, D.Ed., CPCU, CLU, ChFC, ARM is the instructor. Dr. Krauss has authored numerous books on insurance including the Pennsylvania licensing texts Essentials of Property Casualty Insurance, Essentials of Life, Accident and Health Insurance and Essentials of Public Adjusting;annotated analyses of the Homeowners
Policy, the Personal Auto Policy and the Dwelling Policy publishedby the Rough Notes Company and the Businessowners Policy, the Commercial Property Policy, and
the Business Auto Policy published by the National Underwriter Company. He is a graduate of Robert MorrisUniversity completing his master’s and doctoral studies at ThePennsylvania State University. He has been retained in over300 legal cases involving various aspects of agent, broker, and insurance company practices.
Chapter History
CPCU Origin
The Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation had its origin in 1942 under the leadership of academics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. The CPCU designation was the first professional designation offered in the property and liability field. It soon became the primary pathway for insurance professionals to acquire the broad range of knowledge necessary to become successful in the property and liability field.
In 1944, the national CPCU Society was formed as a professional networking association of insurance professionals.The first CPCU conferment took place in New York City as the first six CPCU designees received their diplomas. Dr. Harry Loman, a Wharton professor and the Insurance Institute of America’s first executive officer, administered the CPCU oath.
Shortly thereafter, cities and regions across the country began organizing local chapters so newly minted CPCU designees could promote networking associations, build professional relationships, and foster continuing education. During this time, a small cohort of Pittsburgh area insurance professionals laid the foundation of what would become the Allegheny Chapter CPCU Society.
The Allegheny Chapter
The Allegheny CPCU Chapter was founded on January 1, 1951. It comprises a region encompassing southwestern Pennsylvania and the state of West Virginia. The Chapter’s first president was Charles Reid, owner of the Wallace M. Reid Agency. Other chapter officers and future chapter presidents from this initial cohort of insurance professionals included Crosby Smeltzer, Robert Reynolds, and Jay Gleason.
Crosby Smeltzer was a partner in the independent agency of Tucker, Johnson and Smeltzer. Robert Reynolds was the branch manager of Commercial Union Insurance Company and future partner of Charles Reid in the Wallace M. Reid Agency. Jay Gleason held various high-level positions at both insurers and agencies, eventually becoming national CPCU Vice President in 1969. Due to his extensive service commitment, the National Society developed the Jay Gleason Award in his honor.
Each were original pillars of the Allegheny Chapter laying the foundation and the groundwork for the future success and accomplishments of over 1,000 local CPCU designees over the ensuing 75 years. To these original pioneers and to the hundreds of CPCUs who have served unselfishly in both local and national roles, the Allegheny Chapter and the wider insurance community is greatly indebted.
To that, we are proud to provide a decade-by-decade summary of the history of the Allegheny Chapter CPCU Society, its important milestones, and some of the many chapter
members who provided tremendous contributions to our chapter, to the insurance industry, and to society as a whole.
1960’s
While the decade is widely known for activities other than insurance and risk management, the Allegheny Chapter saw continued growth in chapter membership with a heightened emphasis on educational involvement. The local All-Industry Day event, which was developed to parallel the annual national CPCU conferment, honored the new local CPCU designees was now in its second decade. Supported by a growing regional insurance carrier base (insurance carriers such as Chubb, AIG, Aetna, Travelers, Commercial Union, Zurich, Hartford, Firemen’s Fund, State Farm, and Nationwide to name a few),All-Industry Day commonly attracted several hundred attendees who would welcome the accomplishments of new designees. A tradition that continues to this day.
CPCU classes were commonly provided in-house at large insurance agencies and insurance companies. To support the growing interest in the CPCU designation, the University of Pittsburgh began offering the first formal CPCU classes in the Pittsburgh area as part of its insurance and risk management program. The first classes were taught by Jerry Zofer, who began teaching CPCU courses after completing the CPCU program. Jerry subsequently completed his doctoral studies becoming dean of University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate school of business. Many new CPCU designees and Pitt MBA students completed courses with Dr. Zofer.
1970’s
This decade introduced the insurance industry and the world to some new technologies that in today’s environment seems ancient, or better yet unbelievable. The early 1970’s began with the advent of overnight mail. Gone were the times when one would have to wait a week for a hard copy policy from an insurer. The technology didn’t stop there. By the end of the decade, facsimile transmissions were introduced, enabling insurance professionals to immediately transmit applications and related correspondence to insurers and clients via a land-based telephone line. But the biggest technological change came with the development of the minicomputer enabling independent insurance agencies to leverage technology that was previously only available to large insurance companies. At the forefront of this technological revolution was an employee at the Thompson-Gusic Agency on Ardmore Boulevard in Pittsburgh. That employee was Rob Thompson who after completing his studies at Carnegie Mellon University and his CPCU designation developed the world’s first insurance agency automation system. Rob’s company was Redshaw, and insurance world was changed forever.
1980’s
The 1980’s continued the theme of change – but now at an accelerated pace. World political upheaval meant are organization of eastern European countries and a little thing called the Internet emerged. During this time period, our chapter saw continued growth, individual accomplishments, and several firsts.
Robert Reynolds was named national President of the Independent Insurance Agents of America in 1980. A proud WWII veteran, including a Bronze Star for his involvement in the Battle of the Bulge, Bob’s commitment to insurance and professionalism was evident throughout his life. To honor Bob, the Allegheny Chapter has funded a college scholarship (Robert Reynolds Memorial Scholarship) for children of the local insurance industry.
Gaston Caperton, President of The McDonough Caperton Insurance Group, headquartered in Charleston with offices throughout the east coast, became one of the largest privately held insurance operations in the nation. Gaston’s business acumen and dedicated commitment to service led to subsequent careers in politics and education. First as Governor of West Virginia and later as President of the College Board.
In addition to Bob and Gaston’s accomplishments, Bob Frankel, vice chairman of Pittsburgh based Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton, was a driving force in expanding its operations nationwide. In addition to his insurance expertise, Bob was a major philanthropist for the Pittsburgh theater community. He was also the father of a future CPCU, Pennsylvania state representative, Dan Frankel.
Some notable firsts also happened in this decade. Tom Baily, after a stellar wresting career at the University of Pittsburgh and after working at several independent insurance agencies, started Professional Risk Management Consultants, the region’s first independent “fee based” risk management consulting firm. Another first around this time was the election of Susan King, the commercial excess lines manager at Zurich, as the chapter’s first female president. The chapter also had two members, Franklin Moore and Raymond Ort as managing directors at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s western region.
1990’s
The 1990’s saw the continued rise of the Internet and the explosion of the dot com boom.
E-mail communication and website presence became the norm for both insurance companies and insurance agencies. Locally, CPCU and related Institute education courses were growing. Robert Morris University was now offering a full range of CPCU, ARM, AIC and INS classes. Each semester, over 100 students took various courses taught by many notable local CPCUs including John Tarpey, Randy Butz, Ray Rosenberg, Larry Lehman, Jack Harmon, Tom Baily, Richard Mafuccio, Ray Fitzsimmons and George Krauss.
Local members also became involved in national CPCU Society service as Ray Fitzsimmons and George Krauss were elected as national CPCU governors. On the legislative side, Mark Mustio, partner of Hicks, Heim and Mustio, entered the political field by being elected as a Pennsylvania state representative, a position he held for over 20 years.
1995 culminated with the largest local class as 89 new designees received their CPCU diplomas. Total attendance at the Hyatt Hotel was a little over 300 hundred attendees as Dr. Norm Baglini, Chief Executive Officer of the Institutes, provided the keynote address and administered the CPCU oath to the new designees. 1995 was also the introduction of the chapter’s first golf outing under the direction of chapter president-elect Becky Duckworth. As always, this well-attended summer event continues to this day.
1999 also marked the chapter presidency of Sang Hong, a native of South Korea. Sang was a workers compensation claims consultant at Liberty Mutual and became the chapter’s first Asian-American president.
2000’s
As a new millennium began, we were faced with natural disasters, terrorist acts, and a global financial crisis, all of which had a direct impact on the insurance and risk management field. Jef Lewis, former Pittsburgh branch manager of Aetna, accepted the position as President of Prudential Property and Casualty.
All-Industry Day 2001 had another large turn as approximately250 attendees congratulated the 17 new CPCU designees at the Westin William Penn Hotel. Jack Gibson, President of the International Risk Management Institute in Dallas, provided a timely continuing education presentation on construction risk management in light of the recent natural and man-made disasters.
In 2004, our All-Industry event moved to the Duquesne Club as Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner, Diane Koken, provided an in-depth review of carrier solvency as 18 new designees were presented their diplomas by CPCU National President, Hugh McGowan.
In 2005, Don Hurzeler, a former branch manager of Zurich in Pittsburgh, assumed the role as National CPCU President.
Also in 2005, Sharon based Synergy Comp, a regional workers compensation provider, was formed under the direction of Lew Kachulis. Its focus was on creating safer work environments through the reduction of the frequency and severity of workplace accidents and by establishing supervisor accountability. Lew’s father Tom, a proud WWII veteran was a long-standing CPCU and a mainstay in the Sharon insurance community.
The following year, Fred Word, became the chapter’s first African-American president. Fred, a Chicago native with an engineering degree from the University of Illinois, was a senior loss control representative for Liberty Mutual and UPMC. Fred was also an avid golfer who was an ever-present force at the chapter’s annual summer golf outings.
Unfortunately, Fred passed away at way too young of an age in