The Dr. William T. Hold Scholarship Program was created in 2012 following a generous donation from Dr. William T. Hold and The National Risk & Insurance Education Alliance. The program provides financial support to College of Business students pursuing a Master of Science in Risk Management and Insurance (MS-RMI). The recipients of these scholarships, known as Hold Scholars, include industry professionals with varied experiences and backgrounds. Past Hold Scholars continue to engage with the program and serve as guest speakers and presenters, as well as assist in the placement of current undergraduate and graduate students.
Meet the 2022 Hold Scholars
Andrew Germain
Tyler Hayes
Sarah McCollum
Olivia Stoltenberg
Sean Waddell
Meet the 2021 Hold Scholars
The information below is based on current information at the time of being a Hold Scholar.
Zachary Allen
Account Executive, Cecil W. Powell & Co.
Jacksonville, Florida
Orlando Camargo
Regional Recruiter, Auto-Owners Insurance
Charlotte, NC
Brooke Lionetti
Risk Analyst, Chubb Insurance
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Maggie Mullins
Claims Representative, Great American Insurance Group
Cincinnati, Ohio
Greg Thomas
Director of Insurance Agent & Agency Services and Consumer Services, Florida Department of Financial Services
Tallahassee, Florida
Meet the 2020 Hold Scholars
The information below is based on current information at the time of being a Hold Scholar.
Jennifer Baker
Associate Dean, Florida Southwestern State College School of Business & Technology
Fort Myers, Florida
Gabriel F. Carrillo
Consultant, Self-Employed
Bloomington, Illinois
Sarah Dugan
Bureau Chief, Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulations
Tallahassee, Florida
Rachel Hindin
Risk Associate, The First National Bank of Long Island, Glen Head New York
Oceanside, New York
Alexander Orfandes
Senior Office Claims Representative, Florida Farm Bureau Insurance
Tallahassee, Florida
Keith Pic
Assistant Director of Claims, North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund
Bismarck, North Dakota
Jay Spillet
Director of Risk Management, Savage Service, NEIL Services
Salt Lake City, Utah
Daniel Robinson
Senior Loss Prevention Engineer, NEIL Services
Wilmington, Delaware
Patrick Stephens
Associate Underwriter, Sigma Underwriting Managers
Hollywood, Florida
Meet the 2019 Hold Scholars
The information below is based on current information at the time of being a Hold Scholar.
Sharon Brown
Vice President, Assurant, Inc.
Kyle Drawdy
Enterprise Risk Manager, Florida College System Risk Management Consortium
Gainesville, Florida
Jody Evans
Agent & Owner, State Farm Insurance
Las Vegas, Nevada
Danielle Greschuk
Senior Claims Adjuster, ASI
Tampa, Florida
Richard Lauria
Senior Vice President of Global Risk Modeling & Insurance Purchasing, Assurant, Inc.
New York, New York
Jodi-Ann Livingstone
Chief Counsel – Financial Institutions, Florida Office of Financial Regulation
Tallahassee, Florida
Olessya Moretti
Analyst, Canadian Federal Government
Ottawa, Canada
Dana Telljohann
Commercial Lines Underwriting Assistant, Cincinnati Insurance Companies
Cincinnati, Ohio
Ron Veccera
Senior Manager of Risk Management & Administrative Services, Chugach Electric Association, Inc.
Anchorage, Alaska
Derek Wojciak
Counsel, Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance
Iowa City, Iowa
Meet the 2018 Hold Scholars
The information below is based on current information at the time of being a Hold Scholar.
Sharon Brown
Vice President, Assurant, Inc.
Kyle Drawdy
Enterprise Risk Manager, Florida College System Risk Management Consortium
Gainesville, Florida
Jody Evans
Agent & Owner, State Farm Insurance
Las Vegas, Nevada
Anthony Figueroa
Producer, LINQ Risk Management
Coral Gables, Florida
Matthew Kelly
Vice President International Casualty Facultative, Everest Re
Miami, Florida
Stephanie McFadden
Operations Finance Manager, United Way of Big Bend
Tallahassee, Florida
Kevin Moran
Account Service Manager, Starr Companies
Chicago, Illinois
Brittany Pitcher
Financial Advisory Associate, Deloitte Caribbean and Bermuda
Hamilton, Bermuda
Tristan John Rainone
Senior Claims Examiner, Liberty Mutual
Boston, Massachusetts
Dana Telljohann
Commercial Lines Underwriting Assistant, Cincinnati Insurance Companies
Cincinnati, Ohio
Meet the 2017 Hold Scholars
The information below is based on current information at the time of being a Hold Scholar.
Sean J. Baier
Senior Software Engineer, Capgemini
Columbia, South Carolina
Leldon Bulkley
Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management, Safety and Benefits, Sun Holdings
Farmers Branch, Texas
Garrett Chandler
Team Lead in Commercial Claims, Allstate Insurance
Irving, Texas
Alivia Cooper
Marketing Underwriter, Amerisure Insurance Company
Tampa, Florida
Matthew Kelly
Vice President International Casualty Facultative, Everest Re
Miami, Florida
Matthew Loranger
Assistant Vice President - Program Manager, Chubb
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Raul Loys
Sales Manager, Aetna
Miami, Florida
Tristan John Rainone
Senior Claims Examiner, Liberty Mutual
Boston, Massachusetts
Juan Ramos
Senior Account Manager, Bolton & Company
Pasadena, California
Ann Marie Rybka
Assistant Vice President, Global Aerospace
Bernardsville, New Jersey
Meet the 2016 Hold Scholars
The information below is based on current information at the time of being a Hold Scholar.
Alberico (Al) J. Bryant
CFO, Lipscomb & Pitts
Memphis, Tennessee
Garrett Chandler
Team Lead in Commercial Claims, Allstate Insurance
Irving, Texas
Alivia Cooper
Marketing Underwriter, Amerisure Insurance Company
Tampa, Florida
Ryan Daniele
Client Executive in the Risk Management Department, MJ Insurance
Indianapolis, Indiana
Melodee S. Dixon
Senior Vice President – Underwriting & Operations, MedMal Direct Insurance Company
Jacksonville, Florida
Robin S. Joines
Vice President, Risk Management, Sedgwick
Memphis, Tennessee
Christopher Iannelli
Divisional Assistant Vice President, Great American Insurance Group
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dominique Reed
Underwriting Specialist, Auto-Owners Insurance Company
Carlos Rodriguez
Property and Engineering Underwriter, XL Catlin
Miami, Florida
Jamie Moser Smith
Insurance Agent, Ewing, Blackwelder & Duce Insurance Inc.
Bartow, Florida
Criteria and Program Requirements
Hold Scholars are selected each year based on a variety of factors, including professional experience, academic performance, financial need and industry engagement including participation in The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research programs such as the CIC, CRM and CSR designations. Both existing and incoming MS-RMI students are considered. Existing students must be in good academic standing.
SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS
- Scholarship awards are for the academic year and are distributed through Financial Aid in two equal installments, one at the beginning of the fall semester and one at the beginning of the spring semester.
- Students must be enrolled for the full suggested course load (two courses in both the fall and spring semesters) to receive the full award. Students taking a reduced load will receive a pro-rated portion of the scholarship.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
- New students must be accepted to the MS-RMI graduate program and indicate intent to enroll before the scholarship deadline to be considered.
- Scholarship applications from current and prospective master’s students are due by April 1 each year.
For additional information on this and other scholarship opportunities for graduate students, visit business.fsu.edu/students/scholarships/graduate.
Contact
Cassandra Cole
Robert L. Atkins Professor in Risk Management & Insurance and MS-RMI Program Director
(850) 644-9283
ccole@business.fsu.edu
Dr. William T. Hold/The National Alliance Program in Risk Management & Insurance
Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate & Legal Studies
College of Business
Florida State University
821 Academic Way, Suite 313
P.O. Box 3061110
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1110
About Dr. William T. Hold
Dr. William T. Hold is the co-founder, executive chairman and retired president of The National Risk & Insurance Education Alliance. He was named to the prestigious Insurance Newscast’s annual list of the “100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry” six years in a row, and in 2011, he received the Dr. Henry C. Martin Award of Industry Achievement. Prior to co-founding The National Risk & Insurance Education Alliance, Dr. Hold held faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Texas. He has authored several books on industry-related topics and his articles have been published in insurance-related academic and trade journals. Dr. Hold earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin.