Insurance Library Announces 2026 Honoree
Boston, Massachusetts (June 24, 2026)—The Insurance Library is pleased to announce that Ryan Towle will receive the Library’s 2026 Insurance Professional of the Year Award at a luncheon gala on Friday, September 25, at the InterContinental Boston.
Leadership at Davis & Towle Insurance Group
Towle is President of Davis & Towle Insurance Group, a leading insurance agency based in Concord, New Hampshire. The agency was founded in 1954 by Ryan’s grandfather Wendell Towle and has grown under both his father Jeffrey Towle’s leadership and now Ryan’s. Over the last ten years, Ryan has been active in mergers and acquisitions and today there are fourteen Davis & Towle affiliated agencies located across New Hampshire serving property and casualty insurance through twelve separately branded agencies rooted in their communities.
Founding Partner of Northern United Agency Alliance
In 2011, under Ryan’s leadership, Davis & Towle became a founding partner along with three other peer agencies in New Hampshire of Northern United Agency Alliance, which provides aggregation, products, and agency support to numerous independent agencies across New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts. Ryan has served as managing partner of the alliance since its inception.
Service to the Independent Agency System
Ryan, who holds the Certified Insurance Counselor designation, has been active in the Big I of New Hampshire, serving as Young Agents Committee Chair, Legislative Committee member, Chairman of the Board, and Chair of the Executive Search Committee.
Davis & Towle CEO Praises Ryan Towle
“We are thrilled to see Ryan recognized with this honor,” said Davis & Towle CEO Christopher Nicolopoulos. “Under his leadership, Davis & Towle and our affiliated agencies continue to thrive. Ryan is a strategic, thoughtful leader and an even better person. This recognition is well deserved, and all of us at Davis & Towle are proud to celebrate this achievement alongside him.”
Community Service and Personal Background
A native of New Hampshire, Ryan still resides in his hometown of Henniker with his wife Beth and their three children. He is a graduate of New England College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has also served as a member of its President’s Advisory Committee. Ryan has been active in many local youth sport leagues and town committees, and served as Treasurer of White Birch Center, a local nonprofit providing programming for both youth and seniors.
History of the Insurance Professional of the Year Award
The Insurance Professional of the Year Award was first made possible by the establishment in 2001 of the Richard B. Simches Fund. Mr. Simches, who founded Safety Insurance Company, believed that it was important to recognize outstanding individuals in the insurance industry. The award was created by the Library’s Board of Trustees in the tradition of an award bestowed annually from the 1950s through 1996 by the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters.
Executive Director Explains the Award’s Significance
Michael A. Pezza Jr., the Library’s Executive Director, explained, “Since 2002, when the Library first presented this award, members of a broad cross section of the insurance, financial security, risk management, and legal communities have gathered to recognize an individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership and exemplifies qualities that foster commitment to, understanding of, and respect for the insurance industry. This year’s award gala will be an opportunity to celebrate Ryan Towle and all he has done for the insurance industry and his community, as well as an opportunity for those attending to connect with colleagues from across New England and beyond.”
September 25 Gala Details
The September 25 gala will include an extended social and networking hour, a silent auction to benefit the Library’s programs and operations, and a luncheon followed by an award ceremony. Details about purchasing sponsorships or tickets, or donating items for the silent auction, will be available in mid-July in the invitation to be mailed by the Library and on the Library’s website, at which time the purchase of sponsorships or tickets online or by email will begin. As with the last three galas, sponsors in the top four sponsorship levels will be acknowledged as supporting a NextGen table that will allow the Library to offer complimentary tickets for up to ten young insurance professionals nominated by insurance-related organizations.
Additional Information
Those seeking additional information, or wishing to donate items for the silent auction, may contact Sarah Hart, the Library’s Event Coordinator, at events@insurancelibrary.org.
About The Insurance Library Association of Boston
The Insurance Library Association of Boston was founded in 1887. It is the country’s first and only remaining independent library dedicated solely to the subject of insurance. The Library’s mission is to provide members of the insurance, financial security, risk management, and legal communities, and the public, with high-quality educational programming, opportunities for engagement and networking, and unique insurance research resources and services. The Library’s vision is to be recognized as the preeminent nonprofit provider of such educational programs and other services, build upon its unique position as a hub for networking and engagement, and continue to expand its reach nationally.
