2025 Speakers
| Matt Jones
Matt Jones is known as the “Eight Continent Marathon Man.” He went from being a three-time cancer conqueror to relearning how to walk, to going through a bone marrow transplant, to completing eight marathons on eight continents. This includes Antarctica and the newly discovered continent of Zealandia.
Matt was diagnosed with cancer on Sept. 11, 2002. After spreading to the fluid in his brain, doctors did not think he would live. After victoriously conquering cancer, he was told by his doctor that no one had gone through what he did and was alive one year later. Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett said, “Matt is a true champion and his story inspires others to be a true champion.” Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton said, “Matt Jones has done what anyone would consider impossible. Conqueror. Overcomer. Champion. Superhuman. None of those words do him justice."
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| Angela Kain, CPCU, AINS, CISR
Angela Kain is currently the manager of agency training at SECURA Insurance. She began her insurance career in 1997 working as a CSR for State Farm Insurance in Wabasha, Minnesota. In 2002, Angela moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, continuing her role with State Farm. She earned her Wisconsin P&C license and became an insurance producer in 2003. In 2006, Angela became a producer for Sentry Insurance, returning to State Farm in 2009.
Angela joined SECURA Insurance in 2014 after obtaining her undergraduate degree in human resources management from Concordia University of Wisconsin. She obtained her master’s in organizational leadership and administration in May 2017. Angela is also a CISR instructor for The Alliance.
Angela has maintained her property and casualty, accident and health, and life license since 2003. She has obtained her CPCU and AINS designations from The Institutes. She is also a CISR through The Alliance.
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| Scott Howell, CLCS
Originally from Hamilton, Alabama, Scott is a graduate of Birmingham Southern College where he earned a dual degree in both business management and marketing. Additionally, Scott served four years in the United States Marine Corps, both in security forces in London, England, and in the fleet with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion/5th Marines and was part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in 1998. While in London, Scott completed the British Royal Marines All Arms Commando Course. This distinction makes him one of only a handful of U.S. citizens to complete both U.S. Marine Corps training at Parris Island and the Royal Marine Commando training at the Commando Training Center in Lympstone, United Kingdom.
Scott began his insurance career in 2009, and in 2013, purchased the servicing rights to an existing book of business in Athens, Alabama. Over the course of the following seven years, Howell became one of the fastest-growing Nationwide exclusive agencies in the country. In 2020, iPROTECT Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. transitioned to a full-service independent insurance agency, which today has five agency locations in Alabama and a satellite office in Michigan and serves over 2,000 policyholders in 27 states.
Scott is also the co-creator and co-host of the most popular insurance podcast in the world, The Insurance Guys Podcast. The podcast is designed to provide “infotainment” to insurance professionals, and is dedicated to helping insurance agents develop and grow their agencies by interviewing successful agency owners and to also feature the latest in insurtech technologies and discuss the latest developments throughout the insurance industry.
| | JR Chaney
JR’s a non-traditional speaker (AKA, a bit of a geek.), having wowed crowds at conventions like PhreakNIC, ShmooCon and Defcon. He's even been featured in various newspapers for his pioneering work in wardriving during Wi-Fi's awkward teenage years.
JR has spent years at Midwest Data Center, training and learning, including becoming a Certified Network Defender, Certified Ethical Hacker, and CISSP. He’s held various certificates from Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, SonicWall and more. When he's not battling cyber villains for Midwest Data Center, JR's snapping stunning photos, bluffing at poker, flying his drones and trying to perfect his golf swing (or at least avoid hitting the ball into the nearest pond).
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| Kevin Amrhein, CIC, CBIA
Kevin started his insurance career as a marketing intern before pounding the pavement as a commercial lines agent in Orlando, Florida. He began teaching classes with the Florida Insurance School of Continuing Education (FISCE) in 2004 and has served as its president since 2013. In 2012, he founded the CE Partnership – a network of industry groups with a common interest in providing insurance professionals with virtual training opportunities.
Kevin serves as an education consultant for multiple industry organizations for whom he creates and teaches coverage courses and writes articles for publications. He is a National Faculty member for the Alliance's CIC and CISR designation programs. His first teaching gig was as a golf instructor where he was frequently kicked off driving ranges for giving free lessons. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his absurdly beautiful wife and daughter.
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| Brandi Anderson, CIC, CPIA, EIS
Brandi Anderson is an accomplished sales and business development leader with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. As the CEO of Tower Trio, Brandi plans to bring her extensive knowledge to training the next generation of insurance leaders. She has a vast history of the various sides of the property and casualty business. As director of business development at Nationwide, she oversaw a multi-state territory generating over $32 million in annual sales.
Her expertise spans sales strategy development, territory management, team leadership and client relationship management. She has a proven track record of building strong, long-term partnerships with agents and key stakeholders, leveraging excellent communication and negotiation skills.
After many years on the agency and company side, she has started her own teaching, training and consulting firm. She excels in utilizing data-driven insights to enhance agency performance. Her leadership has been instrumental in navigating the complexities of the commercial insurance landscape and fostering cross-departmental collaboration. Brandi is also a mentor and coach, guiding both agents and internal teams to success.
Brandi’s commitment to professional development is evidenced by her certifications as a Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). She is also a certified instructor for both designations, contributing to the advancement of insurance professionals in the field.
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