News
2026 CT Chapter Conferment Chair
Dear CT CPCU Society Chapter Board Members,
I am delighted to announce that Elita Lilly has joined our CT Chapter Board as Conferment Chair for 2026!
Please join me in giving Elita a warm welcome!
Elita is a Senior Audit Attorney with the Bill Review IQ division of Sedgwick Claims Management Services. Elita has over 25+ years of insurance industry experience as in-house counsel adjusting directors & officers, errors & omissions, employment practices liability and securities claims, as well as auditing attorney invoices for insurers. She has been a Board Member of the CT State Insurance and Risk Management Board (2008/2009). She earned her CPCU in 2012 and presented at the first Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) first Claims College on the issue of settlement agreements at mediation in 2015. Elita is also a member of the CPCU’s Claims Interest Group and enjoys participating in the CPCU’s Professional Growth book club. She is a new dog owner of a 3-year-old mini goldendoodle. Elita lives in Cheshire, CT with her husband and two daughters.
Welcome aboard, Elita! We're thrilled to have you!
2026 Events Calendar
The 2026 CT Chapter CPCU calendar offers a full year of learning, recognition, and community—most events are free to CT CPCU members. It blends formal education with hands‑on networking so insurance professionals at every stage can sharpen skills and expand connections.
The year kicks off in January with the Chapter Leadership Planning Meeting, setting priorities and initiatives. February’s Insurance Trivia Night at Parkville Market (Tue 2/10, 5–7 pm) brings members together in a relaxed setting to test knowledge and meet peers. In March, the Emerging Trends Ethics Webinar (Wed 3/18, 12–1 pm) features Rita Williams‑Bogar and focuses on ethical decision‑making—an essential capability for underwriters, claims professionals, brokers, and risk managers alike.
Spring deepens both learning and leadership. April includes In2Leadership in Nashville (4/29–30), the 2nd‑quarter Speaker Series (Wed 4/22), and a Good Works volunteer event (TBD). May’s I‑DAY at the Windsor Marriott (Tue 5/12, 8 am–3 pm) provides CE credit and a concentrated dose of market updates. June adds a Chapter Leaders Midyear Dinner (Wed 6/3) and participation in the West Hartford Pride Festival (Sat 6/27), reinforcing the chapter’s commitment to inclusion and community presence.
After a breather in July, August celebrates members with a Volunteer Appreciation and CPCU Social at GATHER55 (Wed 8/12, 5–7 pm). September is packed: a New Designee Happy Hour (Wed 9/9, 5–7 pm), the 3rd‑quarter Speaker Series (Wed 9/16), and the annual Golf Tournament at Wampanoag in West Hartford (Tue 9/22). October features In2RISK in Las Vegas (10/19–21) and the 4th‑quarter Speaker Series (TBD). The chapter then recognizes new CPCUs at the Conferment Ceremony at The Pond House Café, West Hartford (Thu 11/12, 5–8 pm), and closes the year with the Annual Meeting (Wed 12/2, 5–8 pm; location TBD).
Why these events matter:
- Continuous learning: Ethics, leadership, and market trend sessions translate into better decisions, improved client outcomes, and reduced organizational risk.
- Networking that works: Repeated touchpoints—speaker series, socials, golf, and conferences—build real relationships that lead to mentoring, collaboration, and career opportunities.
- Recognition and belonging: New designee and conferment events celebrate achievements, while volunteer appreciation and community activities strengthen chapter culture.
- Career momentum: I‑DAY’s CE credit and national conferences like In2RISK keep professionals current on regulation, technology, and emerging exposures.
How to get the most value:
- Attend at least one event each quarter to maintain a strong network and steady learning cadence.
- Bring a colleague or a new designee to expand perspectives.
- Volunteer at the Good Works event or help host a speaker session to build visibility and leadership skills.
- Follow up with people you meet—schedule a coffee, share an article, or explore a problem together.
With a thoughtful mix of education, service, and connection, the CT Chapter CPCU’s 2026 calendar is designed to help insurance professionals grow, contribute, and thrive. Mark the dates, watch for the TBD updates, and make this year a turning point for your learning and network.
2026 Sponsorship
🌟 A Heartfelt Thank You to THE HARTFORD
Celebrating Our 2026 Annual Sponsor
The Connecticut CPCU Chapter is incredibly grateful to extend our deepest appreciation to THE HARTFORD for their generous support as our Annual Sponsor for 2026.
💙 Your Partnership Makes the Difference
Thanks to The Hartford's commitment to professional excellence and community investment, our chapter can:
✨ Deliver exceptional educational programming throughout the year
✨ Provide FREE and discounted events to our members
✨ Foster meaningful connections among insurance professionals
✨ Advance the industry through knowledge sharing and development
🤝 More Than a Sponsor—A True Partner
The Hartford's dedication to supporting CPCU professionals demonstrates their unwavering commitment to:
Professional Development – Empowering careers and expertise
Industry Leadership – Setting the standard for excellence
Community Building – Strengthening Connecticut's insurance community
🎉 Thank You for Believing in Us!
Your sponsorship doesn't just support events—it invests in people, careers, and the future of our profession.
To The Hartford: We are honored to have you as our partner and look forward to an outstanding year together!
With sincere gratitude,
The Connecticut CPCU Chapter
💼 Interested in Sponsorship Opportunities?
Contact us to learn how your organization can support professional excellence in Connecticut's insurance community.
2025 CT CPCU Chaptergram Second Edition
2025 CT CPCU Chaptergram Second Edition Check out our latest Chaptergram now available!
2025 CT CPCU Chaptergram 2nd Edition
DEI and forms of bias
“WE ALL BEEN PLAYIN’ THOSE MIND GAMES FOREVER”—John Lennon
While I, Lawrence Farber, recently volunteered to be the Diversity Chair for our chapter, I am by no means an expert in DEI. In fact, my brother-in-law recently pointed out that I kept referring to it as DE “and” I. “There is no and, Larry,” he said with frustration in his voice. Despite my mispronunciation, I have always been interested in fairness and equity (my wife tells me this is because I’m a Libra), and I’ve thought about what it means in the business world.
Bias in the context of DEI is usually thought about in terms of prejudice—a kind of bias that, when targeted toward an individual or group, is hurtful, harmful, and potentially dangerous. Hopefully, we work hard to become aware of prejudices we may hold and work even harder to avoid acting on them. Becoming aware of and avoiding this kind of bias is critical.
There is another category of bias relevant to DEI efforts: Cognitive biases—or what we might call thinking errors. Cognitive biases can cloud judgments and influence decision-making in ways that are unintended.
Why do we make cognitive errors?
Our thought processes have evolved to help us simplify a complicated environment. Without mental shortcuts, it would be impossible to take-in all of the information we encounter every day. Whereas these shortcuts can be helpful, they also leave us vulnerable to errors.
Examples of cognitive biases
A simple example: You sit down to write an annual review for one of your employees and recall something impressive they did two weeks prior. Based on this you give them an Exceeding rating, despite that their work product prior to two weeks ago was not consistent with this rating. Weighing recent information more heavily than equally important data from an earlier time-period is called recency bias and it can unfairly influence our evaluations of employees.
The idea of cognitive bias was first talked about in the 1970s. I recently read that in the intervening time, psychologists and others have come up with over 200 categories of cognitive biases—over 200 ways in which we humans make thinking errors! Here are some categories:
Confirmation bias: We tend to favor information that supports our pre-existing beliefs and ignore information which challenges those beliefs. If this were the only way we took-in information, we would never change our minds! Clearly, this bias hinders diversity of thought.
Availability bias: We tend to make judgments and decisions based on how easily examples come to mind and therefore overlook a more comprehensive view of the situation.
Halo bias: We make general assumptions about a person based on a single trait (real or imagined). I am a very good-looking guy. People then assume that I am also a great manager. This may or may not be true, which is the point: We cannot accurately assess these other traits based on a first impression. (Although, in this case, the assessment would be accurate. I am both good looking and a great manager.)
We don’t need to study all 200 of these biases or know their names. We just need to know that they exist—doing so helps us to avoid them. Fortunately, there are other things we can do to avoid these errors and practice more equitable and sound evaluation and decision-making.
How to manage cognitive biases
Remember the recency bias example from above? As we sit down in a few months to determine who is Achieving, Developing, and Exceeding as part of our review process, we can remind ourselves to look back at an individual’s year-long work product and be careful not to overweigh those examples that are most recent. Likewise, in any evaluative situation, we can be careful not to overvalue those examples that are easiest to remember or those that confirm what we already believe to be true. Playing devil’s advocate with oneself or a colleague is one strategy for avoiding some of these cognitive errors. Some business structures help us to rely on objective data. Incorporating analytics and metrics into our decision-making forces us to use empirical evidence rather than gut feelings.
Call to Action
As we go about our days this week, consumed by the myriad of news stories and social-media posts (whether it’s the Middle East crisis, politics, who the best quarterback in the NFL is, etc.,) ask yourself could there be any cognitive bias at play? If so, commit to becoming aware of it and use the tools mentioned to better your decision making. And remember, no one is perfect, and this is a journey for all of us.
Also, look for some CT DEI CPCU calendar events coming soon. Currently, we’re working on a large, May 2025, event with several greater Hartford diverse insurance industry executives who lead their local insurance chapters, including but not limited to NAAIA (National African American Insurance Association) and APIW (Association of Professional Insurance Women). These panelists and insurance leaders will talk about their career journeys and the challenges they’ve faced along the way. It will be a great opportunity to ask your own career questions.
2023 Circle of Excellence
The Connecticut Chapter has earned the Circle of Excellence for 2023.
The Connecticut Chapter earned this award by providing relevant knowledge and empowering professionals to succeed in our organization. This is the highest award a chapter can receive. To those who served in 2023 -- thank you for your dedication, your time and your resolve.
2024 CT CPCU Chaptergram First Edition
Check out our latest Chaptergram now available!
2024 CT CPCU Chaptergram First Edition
2023 Connecticut Chapter Good Works
Justin Moulton appointed to the CPCU National Nominating Committee
Congratulations to Justin for progressing to a leadership role in the national CPCU Society. He was recently appointed as a member of the National Nominating Committee. Justin previously moved up the leadership ranks of the Connecticut CPCU chapter and currently serves as the Immediate Past President.
In his national role, Justin will serve with eight other CPCUs on the committee which is charged with nominating members to the Society’s Leadership Council, Leadership Council Officers, Chapter Governors, and Interest Group Governors. He will be involved with evaluating and assessing prospective Leadership Council members and officers to fill vacancies, ensuring the council has the right talent mix in terms of energy, skills, perspectives and diversity to address the needs of the organization. The committee also works with the Leadership Council, Society Staff, and other appropriate committees to develop strategies to strengthen relationships with prospective future leaders to help ensure a robust pipeline for the Nominating Committee to consider.
The Connecticut Chapter is extremely proud of Justin and wish him luck in his new role.
CT Chapter Featured In The Standard
By Deb Bartucca
We were happy to have Deborah Dukeshire, editor of The Standard as a guest at our April Chapter meeting.
Deborah featured the presentation "Third Party Data, Cloud Technology and Geospatial Technology, and How the Three Elements of Data Analytics Are Related", in the May 3rd issue of The Standard.
We encourage you to read the article (which starts on page 7), as well as the other New England insurance industry news.
