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LOMA
to Honor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North
Carolina President for Leadership in
Insurance Education
(from Resource magazine, September
1998)
LOMA
will recognize Kenneth Otis II, President
& CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
North Carolina, for his contributions to
ongoing employee education at the 1998 Annual
Conference & FLMI Conferment in late
September in Nashville.
Otis will
receive the prestigious FLMI Insurance
Education Award at the Monday morning
conference session. The annual award
recognizes individuals who make valuable
contributions to LOMA’s FLMI Program and to
insurance industry education as a whole.
According to
William H. Rabel, Ph.D., FLMI, CLU, Senior
Vice President of LOMA’s Education
Division, "Since the late 1970s, Ken has
been one of our most dedicated and supportive
volunteers. He truly is a person who has
changed LOMA as an institution. These changes
have had a broad impact on the industries we
serve — life and health insurance,
financial services, and healthcare
management. Through his wisdom and work in
several fields, Ken has made significant
contributions, most prominently in the
planning and visioning arenas."
Otis has
served both as a member and as chairman of
LOMA’s Education Council, as well as on the
LOMA Board of Directors. As council chairman
in 1984, he installed the planning process
that revolutionized the way the Education
Division operates.
Tom Donaldson,
FLMI, CLU, LOMA’s President and CEO,
praised Otis’ contribution to the LOMA
education program. "Many observers have
remarked that the process Ken put in place is
the most effective application of planning
they have ever seen in any nonprofit
organization — bar none. It resulted in our
Associate, Customer Service and other
cutting-edge programs and provided a
framework for enhanced marketing and
operations. The plan was far ahead of its
time."
Otis was
Executive Vice President of Colonial Penn
when he began his LOMA activities. Later he
joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
and then was named President and CEO of Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Based on his
experience with LOMA, Otis felt that the
health insurance industry in general, and the
54 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield
plans in particular, needed an FLMI-type
program. For almost ten years he pursued this
vision until it culminated in the March 1997
formation of the Academy for Healthcare
Management, a joint venture between LOMA, the
American Association of Health Plans, and the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
As a member of
the board of directors for both AAHP and the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Otis
was in a position to encourage the formation
of such an alliance. "Without Ken’s
efforts, it is unlikely that the Academy for
Healthcare Management (AHM) would exist in
its present form," Dr. Rabel said.
James Bradley,
executive director of AHM, added, "It’s
clear that Ken recognized the need to provide
cutting edge education and a recognized
credential for health care
professionals." The Academy is extremely
proud to be associated with such a visionary
industry leader."
The Academy
has already registered over 3,600 individuals
from 260 organizations in its introductory
designation program, Professional, Academy
for Healthcare Management, and anticipates
launching its advanced designation program,
Fellow, Academy for Healthcare Management,
this fall.
Otis is known
throughout the industry for his role in
fostering professionalism and education, and
is widely sought as a speaker and thought
leader. He has made presentations at two LOMA
conferences.
Click here
for a list of other FLMI Insurance Education
Award recipients.
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