NABIP-NN May 2026 Newsletter 
Chapter Updates
Grand Success for Chapter’s Annual Expo!
The Northern Nevada chapter’s annual “Benefits and Medicare Expo” luncheon was held in front of its largest number of attendees ever on April 29th at the Atlantis Resort and Casino.
Over 150 guests were in attendance along with numerous vendors who displayed their benefit plans, services, and broker support systems.
Chapter President, Aliana Rushing, kicked off the festivities with welcoming comments that thanked the many Expo sponsors who supported the event with their generous donations.
Rushing then introduced the first speaker of the day, the newly sworn in Nevada state insurance commissioner, Ned Gaines.
Gaines' report on the state of affairs at the department was well received.
The second presentation of the day had Mary Lou Urrutia, VP of Legislative Affairs, moderate a panel of four brokers on the topic “Finding Your Specialty: A Multi-Market Discussion”.
The four panelists included Gina Espinal Aquerre of Nevada Silver Life & Health, Nick Connell of LP Insurance, Tim Holland of LP Insurance Services and Robbie Rushing of Senior Insurance Agency (Pictured from left to right).
The last presentation in the morning session featured HIPAA privacy expert David Smith, Senior VP of Risk Strategies for Eben Concepts, who reviewed in-depth, “Privacy in Practice: HIPAA Privacy and Security Insurance Rules for Agents and Brokers”.
Annual Membership Meeting and Officer Election
During the luncheon period, President Rushing called to order the annual Membership Meeting in order to hold the election for the 2026-27 Board of Directors composed of the Executive Officers and Vice Presidents as called for in the organization’s by-laws.
On hand for the election were nominees Mary Lou Urrutia for Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Ross Pendergraft for Vice President of Awards, Don Goldmann for Vice President of Media & Communications, Julie Ann Evans for Vice President of Professional Development, Joy Gardner for Vice President of Finance and Georgana Cepeda for President (Pictured from left to right).
Not pictured were Chanté Padilla for Secretary and Aliana Rushing, who will assume the position of Immediate Past President per the chapter’s Bylaws.
Don Goldmann, Secretary for the Nevada State Chapter, orchestrated the election of the state officers for the board year of July 2026 through June 2027. All the state nominees were uncontested and elected by voice acclamation.
Annual Charitable Gifts Distributed
Per the chapter’s tradition of honoring two local charities at the Annual Expo each year, two checks of $2,030 were handed out during the luncheon to the two 2025 selected organizations.
The two charities presented checks this year were Kids Kottage, represented by Tiffany Bowen (pictured on the left) and the Nevada Youth Empowerment Project, represented by Monica DuPea (pictured on the right).
The chapter raises the funds for charities through the selling of raffle tickets for donated prizes at each monthly luncheon throughout the year. One hundred percent of all the money raised through the raffles is split evenly between the two charities and distributed during the Expo.
The 2026 charities are Safe Embrace and Spread the Word.
Comic Insight and Breakouts Highlighted Afternoon Session
Comic motivational speaker, T. Marni Vos, provided a keynote address that had the afternoon Expo attendees in delighted gales of laughter during an hour of attitude adjustment that she hoped would translate into improved work results, personal rejuvenation in the workplace and the replacement of stress with a refreshed way of looking at problems and finding solutions.
Following Vos, two separate continuing education classes were held in separate breakout sessions.
Marteen Otway, Regional Sales Director at TASC, gave an in-depth analysis on the subject of “ICHRA: Compliance, Strategy and Employer Applications”.
The other half of the breakout was a CE program presented by Calvin Bagley, founder of Nuvo Health. His topic was “Inside Medicare Policy: Regulation, Advocacy and the Role of Brokers in the Medicare System”.
Presentations for the afternoon finished with an update from Kaiser about their joint venture with Hometown Health.
Western Dress Theme a Big Hit
The 2026 Expo theme was built around the phrase “Saddlin’ Up For Success”. As part of the atmosphere displayed at the event, the audience was asked to participate by donning their finest cowboy and cowgirl duds.
Prizes were available for those who wore the best western outfit. Members of the Expo committee selected the nominees for best western dress, but the final selection was by a voice vote of the attendees at the end of the luncheon program.
The two winners were Rod Cortez of Hometown Health and Nanette Chalupa of A&H Insurance
Even the entire family could get into the act.
Not to be outdone, the Expo Committee did their best to show off their participation. Thanks to the entire team for a great event!
Pictures for this newsletter were provided by Mateo Elvira of Elvira Media.
For a short film of more of the event, go to LinkedIn by using the following link - NN 2026 Expo Video
NABIP Happenings
New Member Orientation
One of the best ways to maximize the value of a NABIP membership is to learn about all the benefits at any monthly New Member Orientation!
Monthly orientations are held by Zoom at 9 AM on every 4th Thursday of the month.
The Zoom meeting ID is 826 3420 3381 and the passcode is “Membership”.
The program can also be accessed here: http://welcometonabip.org
Member Resources
Online Learning Institute
Earning the Registered Employee Benefits Consultant® (REBC®) designation elevates your credibility as a professional. The field of employee benefits continues to evolve rapidly. A year does not go by without new government regulations, new or modified coverages, and new techniques for controlling benefit costs. To best serve their clients, professionals need to have a current understanding of the provisions, advantages, and limitations associated with each type of benefit or program as a method for meeting economic security.
Affordable courses are available by visiting the NABIP site here.
Did You Know
There are many resources available to every member. Below are active links to a world of benefits that come from being a member of NABIP.
This collection of logos contains active weblinks to make it very easy for you to click and be led directly to the appropriate section of the national NABIP website.
Apply today for one of NABIP's highest honors - Leading Producers Round Table (LPRT). Click here for more information.
NABIP's Leadership Academy assists chapter leaders and members to become better leaders in life and NABIP. This 12-module program provides a wide variety of topics touching on many areas to provide students with a well-rounded experience. Programming can be done through attending pre-recorded programming, by attending monthly webinars or as a mix of the two formats.
NABIP created the President's Triple Crown Program to recognize those members whose individual contributions help advance the association's mission.
NABIP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).
Vision & Core Values, DEIB Training & DEIB Resources. Click Here to learn more.
Leadership Mentorship Program
Provides senior leadership support to new and current members professionally and in their leadership roles. Click Here for more information
