Four Honored At IMUA 88th Annual Meeting

NEW YORK - June 15, 2018 - PRLog -- Peter Opinante, Vice President ICAT and a former Chairman of the IMUA (http://www.imua.org) Board of Directors, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Association's 88^thAnnual Meeting May 20-23.   Peter was one of three individuals recognized by the IMUA at this year's Annual Meeting.  The others included Robert Opitz, Senior Vice President – CHUBB – Excellence in Education; and Benjamin K. Skurek, Vice President – Gen Re – 2016 Outstanding Committee Person.

The Awards presentation took place at the IMUA's closing ceremonies during its 88^thAnnual Meeting held in Scottsdale, AZ last month.

Peter Opinante's leadership has had a profound impact on IMUA. He started becoming actively engaged in IMUA committees in 1994 and since that time he has played a key role shaping the direction of the association. He was selected to serve on the IMUA national Board of Directors in 1998 and in 2008 he was elected to the position of vice chair of the Board of Directors. He went on to serve as the IMUA chair from 2012 – 2014.

Commenting on his award, IMUA President & CEO, Kevin O'Brien, said, "Pete is a true industry leader and a pro-active IMUA member, encouraging all he has come in contact with to become involved in IMUA committee service and to take advantage of the many professional development opportunities available.

"One of the first things Pete did in his role as Board chair was to initiate a comprehensive strategic planning process. The IMUA Strategic Plan created a clear vision for the organization's primary objectives and the strategies and activities to achieve them. The focus was on delivering a high-quality education curriculum augmented by active technical and regional advisory committees. Today, Pete's vision has become a reality IMUA is financially secure, our geographical reach has greatly expanded and the organization delivers outstanding education and professional development opportunities."

As the winner of the Excellence in Education Award, Robert Opitz has been an influential force in advancing IMUA's education curriculum. He has chaired the IMUA Annual Meeting Education Committee since 2012 and has been a driving force in developing the agenda for the conferences. Says Kevin O'Brien, "In addition, he has done a superb job handling the MC responsibilities at the Annual Meeting. Under Bob's leadership, the conference has grown to record attendance and the educational content is outstanding each year."

Bob also serves on the IMUA Construction Committee and has been actively involved in carrying out the committee's mission for many years. He has been a featured presenter/instructor at numerous IMUA education events. "A true supporter of IMUA, he is always prepared to jump in and volunteer wherever needed. His contributions have been instrumental in shaping IMUA's education efforts," said O'Brien.

Benjamin Skurek, Outstanding Committee Person Award winner, is chair of the IMUA Great Lakes Regional Advisory Committee (PAC) a position he has held for several years. In addition to the annual seminar presented in Columbus, OH, this past year, Ben spearheaded efforts to expand the IMUA reach by presenting events in Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Ben was recently selected to serve on the IMUA national Board of Directors. "He has a keen understanding of the association's objectives and has demonstrated strong effort to support IMUA over the years," notes O'Brien.

Ben has made significant contributions to the success of IMUAinstructing numerous classes and participated in the organization's social media efforts.

Also recognized at this year's award's presentation was outgoing Chair William Rosa for Outstanding Leadership.  Bill served as the IMUA Chair for the from 2016-2018 and has been an active member of the association for a number of years, serving on numerous committees as well as the IMUA Board of Directors.

I (http://www.imua.org)