
We Believe In You.
The people youre about to meet are in a league all their own. Their knowledge of the industry is unmatched, their expertise and wisdom are exceptional, and they are some of the most highly-qualified and well-respected people in the business.
Were incredibly proud of our instructors for these reasons and many more. But theres one unique quality they each have that sets them apart.
They care deeply.
When you register for a class at IIAV, youre signing up for excellence. Youre setting yourself apart and deciding that learning, and growth are not destinations, but a journey well-worth taking.
As you make your way along this journey, you have our team with you the whole way. Theyre the best at what they do, and not to mention, some of the best people we know. We couldn't be prouder of them and we cant wait for you to get to know them.
Bill Bolling
Bill
Bolling was born and raised in the coalfields of southwest Virginia and southern
West Virginia. He was the first member
of his family to attend college, graduating in 1979 with a BA degree in
Political Science from the University of Charleston.
In 1981 Bill and his wife, Jean Ann, moved to Mechanicsville in Hanover County
to put down roots and start their family.
Bill spent his early years working on the carrier side of the insurance
business. He was employed by the Aetna
Casualty and Surety Company and the Reciprocal Group, where he specialized in
providing professional liability insurance to health care providers. In 2003 Bill moved to the brokerage side of
the insurance business, serving as a producer and Client Executive with
RCM&D.
Bill also has a distinguished career in public service in Virginia. He served as a member and Chairman of the
Board of Supervisors in Hanover County and then spent ten years in the Virginia
State Senate. In 2005 Mr. Bolling was
elected to serve as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He was reelected to that office in 2009. Mr. Bolling has the distinction of serving as
Lieutenant Governor with a Democratic Governor, Tim Kaine; and a Republican
Governor, Bob McDonnell.
Following his service as Lieutenant Governor Mr. Bolling returned to RCM&D
and served as Managing Director of the firm’s Virginia insurance operations for
five years. In the fall of 2018, he left
his career in the insurance industry behind and accepted a teaching Fellowship
at James Madison University, where he taught government, politics, public
policy and leadership. Mr. Bolling is
currently continuing his focus on teaching at George Mason University and
Virginia Commonwealth University, and he also teaches professional courses for
the IIAV.
Bill Bolling is married to his wife of 42 years, Jean Ann, and the Bolling’s
have two sons, Matt, who graduated form Virginia Tech in 2006; and Kevin, who
graduated from JMU in 2010. Bill and
Jean Ann live in Mechanicsville in Hanover County.
Robert N. Bradshaw, Jr.
MAM
Bob Bradshaw is the President & CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia and joined the Association in May of 2001.
As the IIAV President & CEO, Bob is responsible for the overall operations of the association including all member service and support programs. He also serves as the industry-agent lobbyist representing and supporting member interests at the General Assembly in Richmond, Virginia. As the IIAV Chief Executive Officer, he also serves on the boards of IIAV's for-profit subsidiary, the Virginia Financial Services Corporation which handles all of IIAV's member insurance programs and IIAV's educational foundation the Virginia Association of Insurance Agents.
Bob has over 30 years of experience in association and voluntary organization management. Prior to joining the staff at IIAV he worked with a number of business organizations in Washington, DC including the Associated Builders and Contractors, the National Society of Public Accountants and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He has completed advanced studies at George Washington University where he received a Masters Degree in Association Management through the School of Government and Public Administration. Bob is active in and past president of the Virginia Society of Association Executives and in 2012 received the VSAE CEO of the Year Award. Bob has also served for five years on the Legislative Evaluation Committee for Virginia FREE a non-profit organization that promotes a strong business environment in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Prior to his Masters, Bob received a BA degree in Political Science/History from Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia. A native of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, Bob and his wife Susan reside in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Dean E. Caldwell
CIC
Dean is a retired Sales Executive for Bankers Insurance LLC. He and his wife, Connie, live near Middlebrook, Va. They have two children, Matthew and Katherine. He received a BA degree from Alderson Broaddus College.
In 1986 he started his insurance career as an Adjuster for Virginia Mutual Insurance Company, also serving there as a Marketing Representative and Associate VP of Marketing. Later, he became Virginia Territory Manager for Personal Lines with Penn National Insurance.
In addition to his efforts as an instructor with IIAV, He has been an Instructor I for the Virginia Department of Fire Programs and served 31 years as a volunteer with the Augusta County Fire Department.
He is a member of the Middlebrook Ruritan Club, a volunteer Historic Interpreter at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. Old cars, camping, music, and his family are his hobbies.
David Dillon
Believing that everyone can raise their game with the right tools, systems and support, and leveraging a thirty-year career of delivering market leading solutions, David helps business leaders and executives achieve new levels of business success. He draws upon best practices in business performance, along with the resources of FocalPoint International - a network of more than 200 certified business coaches coalesced around the timeless business principles and insights of Brian Tracy - to provide the content, process and network necessary for sustainable results.
David began his career with Owens Corning in multiple domestic and international roles, ultimately being appointed general manager of their molding division in Brazil. From there he joined Lafarge Construction Materials where he ran marketing for one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of construction materials in the U.S.
Based on his success at Lafarge, David was recruited to launch the renters insurance division of CoreLogic/First American Registry. There he progressed through positions of increasing responsibility and influence as the company transitioned through multiple ownerships and brands. In these roles he led virtually all key executive and operational functions, growing the business by tens of millions of dollars through developing and commercializing products, pricing strategies, expanding the customer base, implementing technical advancements, building infrastructure, expanding strategic partnerships and enhancing brand recognition.
As a certified business coach and trainer, David helps business owners, corporate executives and other passionate professionals move past obstacles and accelerate their personal and professional growth. With his broad yet deep industry experience, problem solving abilities, analytical skills, technology expertise, customer focus and collaborative style David delivers results across multiple performance areas for a wide range of clients.
David is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent, Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT) and has a Pragmatic Marketing (Level VI) certification. He holds both a BA and MBA degree from Michigan State University.
Married to his high school sweetheart David has two adult children in the early stages of their professional careers with global companies.
Robin Federici
CPCU, AAI, ARM, AINS, AIS, CPIW
Robin Federici , CPCU, AAI, ARM, AINS, AIS, CPIW has been writing and presenting insurance education programs to the insurance industry for over 35 years. She formed Insurance Education & Training Associates (IETA) of Newport, Rhode Island in 2003, after serving the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island (IIARI) for sixteen years; first as Director of Education and subsequently as Assistant Executive Vice President.
This followed a lengthy career in both underwriting and sales with insurance agencies and companies. Even during her agency and company days, Robin created education courses to present to her peers as a volunteer instructor for IIARI.
Robin is a technical insurance and agency management expert with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America's Virtual University.
This role, coupled with her extensive background in both the agency and company ranks, and her love of teaching, adds a unique dimension and immediate and practical value to the programs she presents to insurance professionals countrywide.
Robin is also the author of Swiss-Re's current E&O program E&O Management Meeting the Challenge of Change".
Robin and her husband live in Newport, RI. They are passionate preservationists and are working on their 1877 Victorian home spending their spare time researching period details so they can bring their home back to its previous glory. They are members of the Newport Historical Society and the Newport Preservation Society.
Robin loves everything related to ocean activities including the cliff walks, which are right near their home. Robin also enjoys Sudoku puzzles and reading, but her favorite role is, Nonna, grandmother, to her two wonderful grandchildren, Caleb and Coraleigh. They are the loves of her and her husband's lives.
Carlton L. Gill, Jr.
CPCU, ARM, CLU, CRIS
Do you know all that you should about the insurance business? I don't. One of the reasons I have taught insurance classes (for IIAV since 1994) is that I learn; both from course material and from the students. I use examples extensively in my classes and this helps everyone to remember the material.
After graduating from Old Dominion University (and while taking MBA classes), I started self-studying CPCU classes. I realized the importance of knowledgeable instructors and upon completion; I started teaching CPCU classes in the Tidewater area. I have been teaching ever since then.
Professionally, I am a producer for Towne Insurance Agency (to whom we sold the Chapin Agency in 2011 ). I work in Newport News but have clients all over the country.
Outside the industry, I am married to a very tolerant woman. We have two grown children and two grandchildren. (Grandchildren are much more fun!)
Because I don't have enough stress in my life, I play golf. Since I am not verygood at it, I really enjoy boating and fishing.
Joe Hudgins
CPCU
Joe Hudgins graduated from the University of Richmond with a BA in History in 1968. After teaching 6th-grade world geography and 7th-grade history, English and literature for one year, he went to work in the P&C insurance industry in Virginia in February of 1970. During that time he worked primarily in the underwriting area for Virginia Mutual Insurance Company, Crum & Forster Insurance Corporation and Alfa Alliance Insurance Company, retiring in 2008. That same year he went to work for IIAV as a technical consultant, CE teacher, and state lobbyist. Although he "retired" from IIAV in 2012 he still teaches for them, is one of their state lobbyists and works 2 days a week as a technical consultant.
During his time in the insurance industry Joe earned the CPCU designation, obtained a Virginia P&C agent's license, was a member of the Virginia "I" Day Board, and was a member and chairman of the Virginia Property Insurance Association Underwriting Audit Committee and a member of the Virginia Property Insurance Association Board of Directors.
Currently, he is a member of the Virginia Insurance Continuing Education Board of Directors and serves as chairman of that board's education committee. He also volunteers one day a week at the Virginia War Memorial as an assistant to their curator.
Richard J. Krieger
CPCU, AIM
I have over 40 years in the P & C industry; started right out of college. Q: Why insurance? A: There were no jobs in broadcast journalism! Over that span of time, I worked for three carriers; Cincinnati, Harleysville Group and Central Companies. My insurance career took me through claims, underwriting, marketing, and management. As a recent retiree, I try to stay "in the industry" by teaching for IIAV and doing some property inspection work. Our industry is an honorable profession, highly competitive (unlike our cousins in the medical insurance area) and has never gotten the good press it deserves (think September 11, 2001 for instance)
I've been married for 38, years and Peggy & I have 2 sons, two daughters-in-laws, and 6 (soon to be 7) grandkids. The oldest is only 6 so it is always a party when they are around. The real blessing is that we are all in Richmond!
As a native of Pittsburgh, I still root for the Steelers even though I've now lived in Redskin country longer than I lived in Pittsburgh. But I'm also a 'Skins fan. Goochland feels like home!
In my spare time, I like to read, work out, do volunteer work, babysit the GKs and am starting to finally play some golf!
Douglas M. Palais
Doug is a seasoned trial lawyer and counselor with 35 years of experience. Doug concentrates his practice in Professional Liability; Errors & Omissions Defense of Insurance and Securities Professionals; Directors & Officers Liability Defense; Securities Litigation and Arbitration; Insurance Coverage and Defense; Legal Malpractice Defense and Financial Institutions and Securities. For decades, he has concentrated on defending a wide range of claims against professionals, including insurance licensees, attorneys and securities professionals. His practice includes the representation of insurance agents and agencies; law firms; securities broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and individual securities brokers. Doug is regularly listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Insurance, Securities Litigation, and Capital Markets. He has also been recognized as a Virginia "Super Lawyer" in the field of Insurance and Securities Litigation.
He has tried dozens of jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations in Virginia and in other jurisdictions. In addition to trying cases in courts and before arbitration panels, Doug has extensive appellate experience in Virginia and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. A long-time member of the Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar, Doug has also handled cases in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. He has also served as lead counsel for institutional and individual defendants in major multi-district cases involving insurer insolvencies and alleged securities fraud.
Doug's practice includes handling regulatory issues before federal and state regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Institution Regulatory Authority and a host of state securities and insurance regulators. He is a 1978 graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, where he was Notes & Comments Editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and an Instructor in Legal Writing.

Richard Spiers, Jr. "Dick"
CIC, CPCU
Richard M. Spiers Jr. graduated from the University of Florida with a BSBA IN 1959 and also an MBA from the University of Richmond class of 1981. He holds the professional designations of CPCU and CIC. Richard's career includes Royal Insurance and Utica National Insurance from 1959-2006 where he held various positions in underwriting, administration, marketing, and management. He served on the Virginia Continuing Education Board from 1997-2006 and was the President of the Greater Richmond CPCU Chapter from 1987-1988.
Dick's vast teaching experience includes VA Property and Casualty Pre-licensing from 1973 to Present, CPCU classes at the University of Richmond from 1975-1995, Adjunct Professor for FIRE 333 at VCU, and various classes at IIAV from 2006-Present. Dick also ran a call center for 2 years.
A major hobby is watching his grandchild play baseball for the Charlottesville Tom Sox. An unknown big secret is that he is a HUGE Bluegrass fan. Dick also loves to walk and has been enjoying this hobby for over 10 years.
Walter V. Sorgi, Jr. "Vince"
CIC, AAI, AIS
Vince Sorgi began his insurance career in 1981 and was President of The Sorgi Insurance Agency, Inc., a Durham, North Carolina-based Independent Insurance Agency. In 2004, Vince joined the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina where he served as Vice President of Education and Curriculum until his retirement in 2014. Vince continues to teach as a contract instructor for IIANC.
Vince has served as past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Durham and received the Agent of the Year Award from that organization in 1988.
During Vince's tenure with IIANC, the Association was the recipient of numerous national awards for its education program, including the IIABA Excellence in Insurance Education Diamond Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Vince has been a CISR faculty member since 2000 and teaches the basic CISR courses as well as the William T. Hold Seminars. In addition, Vince is an approved instructor for the Swiss/Re Westport E&O Risk Management course.
Annette Winston
Annette holds an Associate in Science, AS, Career Studies Certificate from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and has numerous sales and negotiation advance sales training seminars under her belt.
Annette is a Senior Flood Territory Manager and an IIAA National Flood Endorsement Coordinator. She has seventeen years' experience in the Flood Department of Selective Insurance Company as a Senior Territory Manager. Annette is skilled in all facets of flood underwriting, education, and marketing. She is your go-to resource for understanding the ever changing NFIP rules and regulations. She is a current instructor in VA, MD, DE,DC,WV,KY,NC,PA, AND NY.
She also has 14 years' experience in the Property & Casualty Industry including underwriting, marketing knowledge, program and product development, coverage training, and planning skills.
Annette has been married to Donald Winston for 38 years and they have two adult children. In her spare time, she likes to travel and collect "shot glasses" of her new adventures. Currently, she is 13 away from completing her 50 states collection.