President's Remarks - Fall 2026

It has been a busy couple of months since our Career Development Seminar (“CDS”) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have heard great things and again want to extend my thanks to all the people that did such amazing work to make it a success. Also, a big thank you to those that attended and hope to see you next year in Chicago, Illinois.

Since CDS, we have reorganized several committees and appointed new chairs. Brett Bache now serves as chair of the CDS Committee and is already coordinating CDS events in Chicago. Craig Leonard, chair of Meetings and Elections, is working to identify new CDS locations. Shelly Schuman, chair of MCM/AMCM, continues to develop outstanding courses, while Robert McManus leads the Education Committee. Tony Dorschner, chair of Accreditation & Ethics, is becoming familiar with the committee’s responsibilities, and Mary Nugent continues to strengthen Membership & Benefits. We are grateful to Chris Heisler, our budget chair, whose support makes this work possible.

It is going to be a busy year for sure.

As I mentioned in my video remarks at CDS, there are so many benefits to IRES, and our organization has so many great things to offer. There are opportunities with seminars, training and overall engagement within our industry. Whether you are a regulator, consultant, examiner, insurer or former insurance professional, we all want what is right for consumers and people that need insurance. We all buy insurance personally and/or have families that need to utilize it on a daily basis. We all work hard in this industry and want it to be successful.

Looking ahead, my goals for the next ten months are to determine how to ensure IRES can provide meaningful opportunities for our industry. This will include budget reviews, training updates and overall processes we can streamline. Our past president did an amazing job in updating our bylaws, and now it is time to ensure those applicable updates are implemented. As with any organization, our membership is key to being successful, so finding ways to reignite member enthusiasm is so important. As I have stated, IRES has great value in our continuing education opportunities, but also in great networking and professional growth.

I thank you for this amazing opportunity as IRES president and look forward to the upcoming year. With the holiday season fast approaching, I would also like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season. 

Sincerely,

Chrystal Bartuska

President, IRES