Making Your Voice Heard: Insights and Perspectives on Advocacy
On Wednesday, during the 2026 Big “I” Legislative Conference Emerging Leaders Luncheon, Angela Ripley, Big “I” chair and president of VW Insurance Services in Columbia, Maryland, introduced the “Make Your Voice Heard” advocacy panel, entitled “Perspectives on Advocacy: Capitol Hill, Industry & Community,” which featured a dynamic group of emerging and established industry and Big “I” female leaders.
“When I envisioned this panel, I wanted to highlight strong women leaders whose perspectives, resilience and leadership continue to move our industry forward,” Ripley said. “But I also wanted to be intentional about including men in this conversation because true progress happens when everyone is at the table listening, learning and advocating together.”
A new event added to the Emerging Leaders Luncheon, emphasizing women insurance leaders, the panel discussed how to build confidence, lead with purpose and how to be an effective advocate.
The panel was moderated by Michelle O’Connor, co-president and treasurer of O’Connor Insurance Associates in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Big “I” National Board Director for North Carolina.
“You’re all here because you’re leaders in the insurance industry,” she told the audience. “And this session is about one of the most important skills any leader can ever learn: making your voice heard in our industry, in lobbying firms and legislative offices, [where] women have been vastly outnumbered—but that’s changing,” O’Connor said.
Panel members consisted of Matt Arenholz, vice president, client development, business insurance at High Street Insurance & Financial Services; Jessica Hanson Hanna, senior vice president, public affairs, American Property & Casualty Insurance Association; Patience Noah-Fuller, founder and CEO of Patience Noah Insurance; and Karen Valanzano, vice president and co-head, global government affairs at Chubb.
Opening the discussion, O’Connor noted that 41% of agencies today have a female principal or senior manager, according to the 2024 Big “I” Agency Universe Study, to demonstrate the progress women have made in the insurance industry.
“It hasn’t necessarily been a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) push, it’s been more women just getting more involved,” Valanzano said. “Women are really great advocates—they know how to tell a story, and so we’ve really gained a lot of confidence and expertise over the years.”
As attendees prepared to visit legislators on Capitol Hill, Hanson shared tips for how agents can make their voice heard during their meetings this week.
“Typically, you would win an advocacy debate by being the smartest person in the room, but right now, you have to also be the most persuasive person in the room,” Hanson said. “And that’s what’s so great about independent agents: You are the smartest and you are the most persuasive people going into any advocacy battle.”
2026 Big ‘I’ Legislative Conference
Yet, women often report struggling to advocate for themselves within their businesses and communities. Sharing her story of building an agency from scratch, Noah-Fuller discussed the challenges she faced and shared tips on how she advocated for herself.
“I had to gain the confidence to not focus on the exterior of my story but start to articulate the fact that I do have the background, I do have what it takes,” she said. “I needed to put my value proposition together so that it’s not about, okay, now you are doing me a favor by giving me an appointment, but this is a mutual, beneficial relationship that we’re getting into.”
Valanzano offered additional techniques for people who are worried that they’re not adept at making their voice heard.
“You just have to take a step back,” she said. “You tell a story, make a connection with people, and try to make sure that you listen to them…being heard is a good part of it. As women, we have some different perspectives, so bring those to the table.”
Arenholz, who has been involved in insurance advocacy for several years, also offered some advice.
“We want to make sure that we’re not partisan and making sure that we are understanding our topics, but also we want to make sure we’re not just reading off the talking points,” he said. “Nathan and the Big ‘I’ team did a great job on that stuff, but again, personalizing that story so that it resonates with the legislators and their staff is very important.”
“We are all here to advocate for our industry and for independent insurance agents, but ultimately we are here to be strong advocates for our communities, our clients, our families and the people that we serve.”
Olivia Overman is IA content editor.
