Stonaha Receives Award for Outstanding Course Leadership
James Stonaha, CPCU, CIC, is the 1999 recipient of the Jack F. Derrickson Award for Outstanding Course Leadership given by the American Institute for CPCU/Insurance Institute of America (IIA). Stonaha is an account executive with Loomis Company in Wyomissing, PA. Dr. Kenneth Dauscher, CPCU, AIM, vice president of the Institutes, presented the award to Stonaha on November 12 at a National Honors Ceremony in Malvern, PA.
The annual Derrickson Award honors an insurance course teacher that meets certain criteria. Among them, the teacher's students must pass national CPCU and IIA exams at a rate higher than the national average. Also, the instructors must receive excellent evaluations from his or her program sponsor and students. The teacher needs to have a command of course content and the ability to convey knowledge to students. Finally, he or she must show a personal interest in students that fosters development of their self-esteem, encourages their interest in learning and professional development, and motivates them to complete their educational program.
The award is named for Jack F. Derrickson, CPCU, who graded CPCU and IIA exams for 38 years and taught insurance courses through the Insurance Society of Philadelphia (ISOP). For the last 20 years of his career, he was with General Accident Insurance in Philadelphia. Derrickson funded this award to recognize excellence in course leadership.
Stonaha began his insurance career as an underwriter with Aetna Life & Casualty in Bridgeport, CT, and was subsequently named a commercial lines underwriter with Aetna in Louisville, KY. He became a marketing representative with Aetna Insurance Company in 1976. He relocated to Reading, PA, in 1977 and assumed the position of supervising senior commercial lines underwriter. He joined the Loomis Company as an account executive in 1980.
A graduate of Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn., Stonaha earned a B.S. degree in business management. He earned the CPCU designation from the American Institute for CPCU in 1981 and the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from the CIC Society in 1992.
He has had extensive experience teaching courses from IIA's Program in General Insurance and Associate in Personal Insurance program for the National Association of Insurance Women of Reading. He has also taught CPCU courses for the Reading Chapter of the CPCU Society.
Stonaha was named Insurance Person of the Year by the National Association of Insurance Women of Reading, the Reading Chapter of the CPCU Society, and the Berks County Independent Agents Association. He was named to the Institutes' National Course Leader Registry in 1998.
He is past president of Exeter Township Optimist Club. He has served in numerous roles with the Exeter Township Little League, including coach, player agent, treasurer, and president and currently serves as safety director and umpire. He also serves as assistant district administrator for District 23 of Pennsylvania Little League, which comprises 15 leagues in Berks and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania.