Why APIW President Dawnmarie Black Wants Professionals to Stop Saying They "Fell Into Insurance"

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews APIW President Dawnmarie Black about her role at Amwins and her journey to get there, starting with clerical work in her father's insurance agency. Dawnmarie speaks about the great training program she received early in her career, being mentored, joining an association board, and growing her career through being mentored, networking, connecting, building relationships, being mentored, and leadership. She emphasizes communication and transparency as the basis of relationships. Justin and Dawnmarie discuss upcoming trends in risk, recruiting talent, and retaining professionals with a culture of trust and development. Dawnmarie speaks of Amwins's innovative outreach to underrepresented children and HBCUs about the insurance industry. Finally, Dawnmarie focuses on her association work and the upcoming APIW 50th Anniversary Gala on November 3rd in NYC. Listen for themes of communication, connection, and relationship building.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined today by Dawnmarie Black of Amwins. She is also the President of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW). But first… [:42] RIMS-CRMP Workshop. We are delighted to announce that on August 27th and 28th, RIMS President Manny Padilla will be leading the two-day in-person workshop at St. John's University at 101 Astor Place in New York City. A link to the registration is in this episode's show notes. [1:02] RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops. RIMS will partner with PARIMA for the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep on September 1st and 2nd. Registration links are in this episode's show notes. [1:12] Also on the webinars page, you will see a two-part series hosted by the RIMS Membership Department. The "Classroom to Career" webinar series highlights how RIMS equips students with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to thrive in risk management careers. [1:28] Participants will gain insights into industry trends, career pathways, and practical tools that help them confidently step into the evolving world of risk management after graduation. These sessions will be hosted on September 1st and 9th. [1:41] These sessions are member exclusives and are complimentary for RIMS members, of course. So, if you are interested in becoming a member, this would be the time. Visit RIMS.org/membership. [1:51] RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:08] On with the Show! Our guest today is Dawnmarie Black. She is the Senior Vice President and Client Relationship Manager at Amwins, and she is the President of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW). [2:26] We'll talk a bit about her career journey, what she believes it takes to attract and retain talent in insurance and risk management, and the interconnected risks that are on her radar. Let's get to it! [2:39] Interview! Dawnmarie Black, Welcome to RIMScast! [2:48] Justin says, you know Dawnmarie Black from Amwins, and she is also the President of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW). Justin is wearing their pin. [3:21] Dawnmarie is a Client Relationship Manager at Amwins. She builds relationships with retail trading partners. It's a strategic national, corporate relationship across the U.S. [3:35] Dawnmarie works and collaborates with their market placement teams or carrier strategy teams and Amwins internal brokers. [3:44] There's a lot of collaboration to ensure that Amwins brokers are finding the opportunities and so the client and Amwins understand how Amwins fits into their strategic priorities, and to grow both businesses. [4:04] Dawnmarie says she and her team are there to support the retail brokers and also support Amwins's internal brokers in their growth initiatives. [4:13] Dawnmarie joined Amwins in September of 2025. [4:32] Dawnmarie's father owned an insurance agency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She worked at his agency from age 16. She went to Allegheny College in Meadville and worked at a local agency. She did a lot of mailroom, file room, cold calling, and CSR work. [4:59] Dawnmarie thought she would ultimately move up in her father's agency and someday be the succession plan. He sold it, and Dawnmarie went to work for Chubb in their training program. It was a phenomenal start into this industry. They had a great training program. [5:16] Dawnmarie says a lot of her group are still colleagues and friends today, which set the stage for her career. [5:21] Dawnmarie says she moved through underwriting and brokerage, she built and launched an IT system at Aon, and went back to underwriting for a while. Most recently, Dawnmarie was the head of market development for the Americas at Lloyd's of London. [5:54] Dawnmarie says it was an incredible role to understand what's happening in the global marketplace, at a 30,000-foot view, working with coders in the U.S. very closely. This is how she got to Amwins. She was promoting the Lloyd's market to the Amwins leadership team. [6:37] Justin finds it fascinating that Dawnmarie was not the successor to her father but made her own way in the insurance industry. She learned it from the ground up. She has touched every part of the industry except for claims. She has come full circle, working with retailers again. [7:04] Dawnmarie says it has been a very interesting and fulfilling journey. She feels like it has placed her well to be in a position like this, to be working with Amwins's retailers. [7:36] Dawnmarie says she establishes trust with people through communication and transparency. She tells it like it is. She also will go the extra mile, out of her way to make sure things get done. At Amwins, there is a service leadership culture. [8:01] Dawnmarie says she is there to help; to help direct, to help move things, or to help resolve things, at a very strategic, macro level. That fills her cup. She owns up to what she is promising.  [8:19] Dawnmarie says, if she tells you she is going to get something done, she will get it done, to the best of her ability, or there will be a very good reason why it hasn't been done. It's important to communicate that. [8:39] Dawnmarie says she thinks that the next generation of leaders exhibits these qualities. They are thoughtful and demanding and have high expectations. When Dawnmarie entered the industry, the culture required her to prove herself. There was a way to approach the business. [9:14] Dawnmarie says the Chubb training program was 12 weeks in their training center in Warren, New Jersey. You learned the policy forms, how to work with insureds, and understand needs. You understood risk. You learned underwriting and pricing. [9:36] The emphasis was understanding the business. Unfortunately for our young risk professionals, there are not as many programs like that available today. [9:49] Dawnmarie says you find companies that are putting training programs together. Amwins has an underwriter development program that is outstanding. A lot of the business produced in Amwins comes from those who have come through the UDP or a broker development program. [10:05] Dawnmarie says our industry has gotten away from the super-formalized training programs, probably to the detriment of our younger professionals, but we're all stepping in and finding ways to fill those gaps. [10:30] Justin concludes that Dawnmarie had an analog, hands-on, pen-and-paper training program. [11:06] Dawnmarie joined the APIW early in her career. She would go to two or three monthly luncheons a year. Then she left APIW for a few years. [11:26] About 10 years ago, while she was at Lloyd's, Dawnmarie was asked to join the board of APIW and get more involved. There, Dawnmarie held the roles of Co-head of Programming, then Treasurer, and ultimately, she was asked to step into the President position. [11:46] Dawnmarie says she has seen the incredible evolution of APIW, going from 500 members to 3,500 members in 11 chapters across the U.S. with 60 corporate sponsorships. APIW has grown since the first time Dawnmarie was involved. [12:20] Dawnmarie says that in her early 40s, she went to her first Women's Leadership Conference by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF). There weren't a lot of events like that then. Dawnmarie was struggling to figure out what she wanted in her career. [12:50] At this Women's Leadership Conference, a woman spoke on the importance of getting involved, joining boards, and growing your network. Dawnmarie had always done that organically, but she hadn't done it thoughtfully. It was client-driven. [13:08] Dawnmarie went back to management and said that IICF board positions go to sponsor companies. She asked if Lloyd's would sponsor IICF and could she be chosen as the board member? That's where she got her first board experience. [13:24] Dawnmarie moved up and ended up Co-chair of the Boston Chapter. She learned a lot, and it prepared her for APIW. [13:41] A Quick Break! Many fantastic RIMS events are coming up in 2026. This is a last call for registration for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, which will be held from August 10th through the 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. [13:58] Visit RIMS.org/Events for registration information. The hotel cutoff date was July 10th. Reservations may still be made after the hotel cutoff date, subject to availability; however, the negotiated group rate is no longer guaranteed, so reserve now. [14:14] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [14:25] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and registration is open. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [14:41] Save the dates: October 18th through the 21st. We will be in Quebec City to celebrate the 50th Live RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are open, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Advance registration is open now. [14:58] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [15:13] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. Registration is now open. [15:22] Through August 21st, you can nominate a program for the RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction. If you know of an ERM Program that is award-worthy, we want to hear about it. A link to the nomination form is in this episode's show notes. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2026. [15:41] We're already looking to RISKWORLD 2027, which will be held over four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 18th through the 21st! The call for session proposals is now live and will stay active through August 21st. [15:56] RIMS members can exclusively register by September 4th for the best rate. And get first access to the hotel block. Hotel reservations open on October 28th, ahead of public registration. Sitting this out is the real risk! The link to registration is in this episode's show notes. [16:16] Let's Return to Our Interview with APIW President Dawnmarie Black! [16:40] Dawnmarie says that the importance of building relationships with communication and transparency applies to risk managers as well. [16:49] Dawnmarie says that risk managers getting to know their brokers and underwriters, building relationships, telling their story, building trust, and understanding the insurance and why a specific carrier is being suggested goes a long way if there's a claim or wording issue. [17:47] Dawnmarie says with the relationships established, with the ability to pick up the phone and say, "We need to have a conversation," you've already set the stage. [18:11] Dawnmarie says emerging risks the insurance industry needs to pay attention to in the next three to five years include addressing AI. Will AI drive margins down? We need to leverage it to do our jobs better. We can't just decide that we're simply going to depend on it. [18:37] AI exists. It's there as a tool. We need to prepare our people to be able to assess it, analyze it, understand it, and program the prompts. The best prompt writers are getting the best results. [18:56] It doesn't mean it's a perfect result, so you need the ability to communicate, analyze, and explain why the output makes sense and how it applies. [19:20] Another emerging need is for more and more data and the ability to depend on that data, using AI to help understand it and being able to explain the data to the board why they can take a larger retention, or why we need more cover in this area. [19:54] Dawnmarie talks about weather-related events. Catastrophic events aren't going away; they're getting worse. Illinois has had more convective storms this year than any other state. It's unexpected and unprepared for. [20:16] The unexpected storm volume creates a shift for the underwriters, clients, and brokers, making sure they have the data to understand what's been exposed and what's been impacted.  [20:30] The models need to address these shifts. We need, as an industry, to be pushing for that: the stronger the models, the more differentiated the models we can have. [20:42] Maybe that's where AI plays a great role, helping us in the changing and adaptation. These are trends Dawnmarie watches. She is so impressed with the data that Amwins has to work with. [21:06] When you have that good data, the world opens up to capital and new strategies. It makes a big difference in where an organization will go strategically. That impacts everybody. [21:23] Sponsorships! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. RIMScast is proud of its longstanding relationships with AXA XL, Global Risk Consultants, Alliant, Zurich, and more. [21:44] Links to many of these episodes are in the show notes. RIMScast sponsorships can be bundled with whitepapers and webinar sponsorships. [21:52] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! [22:05] Reach out to Ted Donovan at  [email protected] or reach out to Sales at [email protected]. Let's find the best opportunity for you and your organization. [22:18] Let's Conclude Our Dialog with APIW President Dawnmarie Black! [22:54] To help make insurance careers more appealing to young professionals and career changers, Dawnmarie asks you to stop saying, "I just fell into insurance." We have a story to tell. [23:13] There is a reason someone came into this industry. It probably wasn't planned, but how they got started and why they stayed; we need to talk more about why people stay in insurance. Because they love it! It is a wonderful ecosystem for growth and travel. It's stable. [23:37] APIW just held Intern Days, one in New York, one in Chicago. This was their first year in Chicago, and about 20 people came. It was their second year in New York. About 50 came. [23:51] Dawnmarie says we do this out of our budget. There's no charge for it. We bring the interns together for four hours. They do a leadership panel, networking, and answering questions.  [24:04] Dawnmarie says a lot of other associations do this. She mentions RISE Professionals. They had a terrific Leadership Conference and Gala in Florida. [24:20] That's an opportunity for young professionals to come together with very good programming around leadership. Networking with their peers and colleagues. Dressing up and going to a gala and celebrating. Dawnmarie has heard only positive feedback about that. [24:38] APIW supports RISE. RISE supports the APIW Mentorship Program. You'll see a lot of interconnectivity among the insurance associations. They partner to share great programs rather than duplicating efforts. It helps both associations. [25:01] The market in Charlotte rallies around Community Matters. There was a week-long session two weeks ago bringing in young children from under-represented communities to learn and understand about insurance. [25:20] Dawnmarie says those kinds of programs where we're reaching out to talent, not only through traditional risk management schools, but looking at non-traditional avenues and non-traditional diversity avenues, and the HBCUs. The Black Sisterhood does incredible work. [26:05] Justin gives a shoutout to the Spencer Educational Foundation. Dawnmarie says they have done such an incredible job in rallying the industry. [26:22] At the Spencer dinner, when the young professionals get up to speak, they are inspirational in their careers and their appreciation for the opportunities to come into this industry. Justin doesn't know how they found time to sleep, doing all they did while in college. [26:57] Justin and Dawnmarie discuss some of the speakers. He says, you hear these young people and wonder if they partied at all in college or were they just working on their risk management career? Justin notes there is the monetary incentive of scholarships and grants. [27:41] Dawnmarie speaks of the incredible amount of work ethic she sees in the students who have come through the Spencer Educational Foundation program. Justin says they inspire him to work a little harder. [28:08] Justin asks how we can keep the newer professionals engaged and committed to a long career. Dawnmarie says what seems to be important to them is that sense of community. [28:24] We all come to work to work, but there's also the culture that you create, the culture of trust, and the idea that there are mentorship opportunities, and more senior people in the organization looking out for you, helping propel your career and answering your questions. [28:48] Dawnmarie says that is key when you've got the younger generation, and you've got an experienced generation. In our industry, we have four or five different generations rolling through, all who come at things slightly differently. [29:03] Dawnmarie says it's about understanding where people are coming from. She speaks of investing in talent development programs and professional programs, allowing talent the opportunity to become involved in outside associations, and encouraging networking. [29:40] Dawnmarie closes this thought with the Amwins program, RTTP. They have people on the retirement track, senior brokers with books of business, and they have young people who are coming through the Broker Development Program. [30:14] Two get matched up. There's a relationship formed. The client is taken care of because there's succession planning and consistency. The two are learning from each other. The books are passed off. [30:28] There's respect for the experience that the senior broker brings to the table, and there's respect for what that young person is learning. Dawnmarie hasn't seen a lot of that across the industry. One of the things that enticed her about Amwins is that approach to the generations. [30:54] Justin says kudos to Amwins. He has met some Amwins folks at Riskworld, and they're lovely. A Justin and Dawnmarie have in common is Liz King Kramer, a former APIW President. Liz gave Justin an APIW pin. [31:18] Dawnmarie says Liz is the best! She has been mentoring Dawnmarie for over four years. Liz was Treasurer before Dawnmarie, and President before Dawnmarie. Liz helped Dawnmarie learn in both roles. She's become a terrific friend and partner. [31:42] Munich Re just hosted a Golf Day for women. Dawnmarie was on a Panel with Liz King Kramer and Sabrina Hart, and then they did a golf clinic. Liz is an incredible leader for APIW. [31:59] Dawnmarie says an APIW President's term is two years. Dawnmarie is at two years; however, she is going to extend for one more year. Then Tracey Vasile, who is an Industry Liaison and First Vice President, is going to step in. They will transition together. [32:27] The APIW is having its 50th Anniversary Gala on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on 47th Street. Everyone's gearing up. They are working on a wonderful video. Dawnmarie says it's going to be a night to remember; everybody dress up and celebrate! [32:56] Dawnmarie says the women who are involved, chapter heads from the various cities, the 2026 Woman of the Year, 14 past Women of the Year, and Cecilia Norad, the Founder of APIW, are all coming for an incredible lineup of programming, a beautiful dinner, and a beautiful event [33:47] Dawnmarie says it's for making connections and strengthening those connections. [33:51] Dawnmarie has had the opportunity to sit as a founder on Women In Specialty and Excess (WISE), an amazing emerging organization, and it was simply too much for her between being President of APIW and being part of WISE, so she stepped back.   [34:07] Dawnmarie said what it made her realize is that the professionals in this industry, it could be any of the associations, step up, look outside of their sphere, and create these opportunities for other people to connect in these associations. [34:26] Dawnmarie says when she thinks about 50 years, she thinks about all the work that has gone into standing up WISE or what Amy Cooper did with RISE, and where she's taking it. Fifty years of doing it really says a lot. [34:40] Dawnmarie says it's a time to pause and think: where are we going for our next 50? Because we're going to be here and we're going to be delivering the program, the networking, the development, and the leadership. [34:52] Dawnmarie says that is what we're excited about. We're looking at the past, the current, the future, and bringing in the young professionals; the people who helped build it and the young professionals, bridging that divide. [35:36] Dawnmarie says she has a level of comfort on stage. During COVID, she learned that she struggles with virtual presentations. [35:47] Dawnmarie used to get nervous in front of people; now she gets excited because she feels the energy in the room, she's creating the conversation, and engaging people. It is such a different experience. In a way, she's grateful for the virtual experience. It's taken away the fear. [36:12] Justin says, Dawnmarie, it has been a pleasure to connect with you here on RIMScast. A quick reminder for everyone: The APIW's 50th Anniversary Gala will be on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom at 47th Street in Manhattan. [36:28] Justin says, Dawnmarie will be there. If you attend, please let her know that you heard this RIMScast interview, and that's what piqued your interest to get there. I look forward to seeing you at RIMS events and Spencer events, too. [36:41] Dawnmarie thanks Justin and RIMS and says, 350 of us at the Gala, maybe more. We look forward to seeing you there. [36:54] Special thanks again to Dawnmarie Black of Amwins and APIW for joining us here on RIMScast. APIW's 50th Anniversary Gala will be on November 3, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. Visit APIW.org. [37:10] The countdown ticker for the Gala is on the page. Check it out and let them know you heard Dawnmarie on RIMSCast! [27:18] Plug Time! Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email [email protected] for more information. [37:35] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [37:51] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [38:05] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at [email protected]. [38:17] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 | Aug. 10‒12 in San Antonio | Last call for registration! RIMS Certification Week: Sept. 21‒24 | Complimentary For All Spencer Educational Foundation's 2026 Funding Their Future Gala | Sept. 17, 2026 RISKWORLD 2027 Registration | RIMS members can lock in 2026 rates now through Sept. 4 | Education Content Submission Through Aug. 21. 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RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute | Q2 2026 Issue Now Available Sponsor RIMScast — [email protected] www.APIW.org — 50th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 3 in NYC Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Workshop — Live In NY — Aug 27‒28! RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | Sept 1‒2 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops Upcoming RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars "RIMS Student Series: Classroom to Career Part 1" | Sept 1 "RIMS Student Series: Classroom to Career Part 2" | Sept 9 RIMS Certification Week: Sept. 22‒24 | Complimentary For All   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Taking on Global Leadership in Insurance with Sierra Signorelli, Spencer Funding Their Future Honoree" "Marya Propis: From Industry Leader to Talent Champion" "Giving Back with APIW President Liz Kramer" (2024)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "48 Hours From a Storm: What to Do Before A Hurricane Strikes" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company (New!) 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RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: [email protected].   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Dawnmarie Black, Senior Vice President and Client Relationship Manager at Amwins President of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW)   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.