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The future isn’t free, we must invest in it. The NAAIA Foundation is doing just that, providing philanthropic support through a range of programs that create successful pathways for African Americans in Insurance and Financial Services. The J.L. Tillman Endowed Scholarship Fund is but one such program. It highlights the NAAIA Foundation’s commitment to the future, and the young people who’ve benefited to date are the most powerful evidence of its effectiveness. The J.L. Tillman Endowed Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to help Black and African American students further their education in insurance, risk management, business, IT, actuarial science, finance or marketing. The fund was established by the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) in honor of its founder, Jerald L. Tillman, a successful independent agent in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since its inception in 2013, this scholarship has been awarded to nearly fifty students and we’d like to introduce you to two of them.

Nekayle Whitaker is a licensed insurance professional and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of iSolvRisk Inc., a risk management tech start-up that seeks to change the way the world views and practices decision-making. Nekayle sees a talent problem in the insurance industry and through his firm, he believes that he can provide solutions. To date, iSolvRisk has already partnered with several colleges and universities, including St. John’s University, Nekayle’s alma mater. He’s a native of Trenton, New Jersey, born into a blue collar family. His father was a truck driver and his mother worked for Verizon. They pushed him to excellence but they were transparent with him with respect to paying for college– it would be a challenge. Nekayle believed that football would be his ticket but it was not to be. However, he worked hard and thanks in part to the J.L. Tillman Endowed Scholarship Fund, he was able to move to the big city and pursue his dreams in the insurance industry.

Bri Allen is a casualty broker for a startup brokerage and serves on the NAAIA Chicago board. A native of Chicago’s South Side, Bri was the first in her family to go to college. Like Nekayle, Bri’s dad was also a truck driver and her mother, a secretary. She went to Illinois State University with the idea that she would be an investment banker but as her network began to expand in undergrad, she gradually shifted, adding a risk management major to her load. Bri was the only black student she saw very often, highlighting for her very early the need for diversity in the insurance industry. Thanks to the J.L. Tillman Endowed Scholarship Fund, however, Bri is an active part of the solution. The scholarship helped her to pay for basic expenses like rent but also, take advantage of the many extracurricular opportunities available to her towards becoming more marketable to employers. Bri is already a leader in the insurance industry, even at an early age. In addition to her board activities with NAAIA Chicago, she serves as the director of outreach for Young Risk Professionals’ Chicago chapter.

Nekayle and Bri found more than financial assistance through the J.L. Tillman Endowed Scholarship Fund. Before being awarded, frankly, neither knew very much about NAAIA or the NAAIA Foundation. The NAAIA Foundation has provided them with community, resources and the confidence to to grow as young professionals who happen to be black. They’ve both found mentorship and guidance and in turn, they are both investing back into the organization. The NAAIA Foundation is worth investing in. As a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization, the NAAIA Foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership Development, Community Redevelopment and Agency Ownership .Nekayle and Bri represent just two success stories, seeds planted towards a bright harvest in the future. Your generous contribution to the NAAIA Foundation helps to ensure thousands more.