Full-day immersive summit brings together leaders, innovators, and changemakers from across the insurance industry
The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) brought together 160 insurance professionals for its inaugural Women’s Summit on May 7, 2026, at the DoubleTree Boston Milford, marking a sold-out event focused on leadership development, networking, and advancing women in the insurance industry.
Industry Professionals Gather for Inaugural Event
The full-day summit attracted agency professionals, carrier representatives, vendors, industry partners, and allies from across the insurance sector. Attendees ranged from emerging professionals to senior executives.
The program featured keynote presentations, panel discussions, fireside chats, an interactive skills workshop, a technology-focused session, and facilitated roundtable discussions addressing challenges facing women in the insurance industry.
Keynote Speakers and Leadership Development
One of the featured keynote speakers was Brooke Liu, Senior Vice President at MarshBerry, who presented “Building Your Personal Brand: Standing Out in a Competitive Industry.”
“This year’s event was a powerful reminder of just how strong our community is when we come together with purpose,” said Heather Kramer, MAIA’s Vice President and COO. “The energy in that room—160 women from across the industry, sharing honestly, learning from each other, and lifting one another up—was exactly what we envisioned when we set out to create this summit. We are incredibly grateful to our speakers, facilitators, sponsors, and every attendee who helped make this inaugural event so meaningful. This is only the beginning.”
The summit featured speakers from agencies, carriers, associations, and insurance service organizations, including:
- Belma Medeiros, Founder and CEO, BellTrust Insurance
- Brooke Liu, Senior Vice President, MarshBerry
- Erin Schaaf, Agency Performance Consultant, MAIA
- Heather Smith, President, Salem Five Insurance Services
- Jocelyn Oliveira, First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, BayCoast Insurance
- Karin Martin, Assistant Vice President and Head of Operations, Arbella Insurance Group
- Kasey Connors, Executive Director of the Agents Council for Technology, IIABA
- Laura Henderson, VP of Insurance Portfolio Management, SIAA, Inc.
- Laura Poulin, Director of Curriculum & Technical Affairs, MAIA
- Luke Bills, President of Independent Agent Distribution US Retail Markets, Liberty Mutual Insurance
- Mabelyn Lopez, Agency Owner, 4 Insurance, LLC
- Mary Golden, Agency Manager, Number One Insurance Agency
- Maureen Hassett, Senior HR Generalist, Mapfre Insurance
- Mika De Young, New England Area Executive Vice President, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services
- Rhonda Prokos, Esq., Deputy General Counsel, Arbella Insurance Group
- Shelley Zicolella, Director of Massachusetts Operations, SmithBrothers
- Susan Cook, Senior Manager of General Liability Product Development, Verisk
- Tania Blanco, Agency Owner, Blanco Insurance
- Tricia Sabulis, Vice President, A.P. Michaud Insurance Agency
- Wesley Hyatt, Global Chief Client Officer of Global Risk Solutions, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Broad Support from Industry Sponsors
Sponsors supporting the event included Number One Insurance Agency, Mapfre Insurance, N&D Union Mutual Insurance Group, Safety Insurance, The Andover Companies, Concord Group Insurance, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Acrisure, Arbella Insurance, Atlantic Charter Insurance Company, AutoGlassNow, Burns & Wilcox, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group, and Patriot Insurance Company.
MAIA described the event as a gathering of leaders, innovators, and industry professionals focused on building connections and developing leadership skills across the insurance community. Going forward, the Association plans to continue the Women’s Summit as an annual tradition.
