Public Announcements

2026 President's Statement

A Message from Your 2025–2026 President

Abby Tamura, CPCU, AU-M

Fellow members,

I am honored, energized, and genuinely excited to serve as your President for the 2025–2026 chapter year. When I joined the Los Angeles CPCU Society, I was immediately struck by the talent, passion, and commitment in this group. Now, stepping into this role, I can tell you with full confidence: our best days are ahead of us.

This year, we are bigger than ever. I am thrilled to introduce our largest board in chapter history—a dynamic group of professionals who bring fresh perspectives, deep expertise, and serious enthusiasm for what we are building together. New faces, new energy, and a shared commitment to making this chapter an indispensable part of your professional life. I'm also happy to announce the installation of our first Student Board Member & Pathways Board Member, two positions that reflect our commitment to growth and outreach.

And we are not slowing down. This year’s calendar is packed with events designed to challenge you, connect you, and celebrate you. Expect thought-provoking educational sessions that tackle the issues reshaping our industry—from the California homeowners crisis to emerging risks and evolving coverages. Expect social events that remind you why this community is worth showing up for. And expect professional development opportunities that will sharpen your edge and advance your career.

One of my priorities this year is strengthening the connections that make our chapter more than just a local organization. We will be deepening relationships with our sister CPCU chapters across the region, collaborating with other leading professional organizations in the insurance and risk management space, and building meaningful bridges with the next generation of talent through our partnership with the USC Arkley Institute for Risk Management. The future of this profession is sitting in those classrooms—and we have a responsibility to meet them where they are.

The CPCU designation represents a standard of excellence. This chapter exists to uphold that standard—and to make sure that every member feels the value of belonging to something bigger than themselves. Whether you have been a member for twenty years, just earned your designation or are on your way, there is a place for you here, and we want you involved.

This is going to be a great year. Let’s build it together.

With gratitude and excitement,

Abby Tamura, CPCU, AU-M

2025–2026 President, Los Angeles CPCU Society Chapter

2023 President's Message

Good Afternoon Los Angeles CPCU Chapter members and supporters,

I am Brittany Hale Sokolow and I have the pleasure of serving as chapter president with a fantastic board of directors. 

I started my career in insurance, like most of us... by NOT planning to be in insurance. But insurance has always been in my life. I grew up watching my dad, help local businesses to protect their companies and saw the altruistic aspect of the job. I am currently a retail broker for PCF dba Hale & Associates, which primarily based out of Alaska. 

I have been on the LA CPCU Board since 2019 and have enjoyed getting to know the wonderful people in our industry. I am excited to share my experiences and bring forth new ideas for our board and help guide us into this next year with all that the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Society has to offer our group. 

Thank you! 

Brittany Hale Sokolow, CPCU, AINS
President, Los Angeles CPCU Chapter

2021 President's Message

I am pleased to serve as the 2021 Los Angeles Chapter President! Even through these tough times, it's wonderful to see the continued support of our members. 2020 has posed many challenges that we had to overcome in our personal and professional lives as we experienced changes to our work environments, collectives and practices to accommodate changes in the world. I am proud of our board of directors and every member of our organization for accepting and embracing those changes.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with highly skilled professionals, including our talented and highly approachable board of directors. This year we strive for flexibility as we structure the future of our organization. We will continue to cater to the needs our members through virtual meetings and hope that we will soon return to in-person events. The board is prepared to adapt to the changes, and I see 2021 to be a very exciting and successful year!

Mid-Year 2020 President's Message

Hello Los Angeles CPCU Chapter members and supporters,

It has been an interesting and challenging year. As the LA CPCU Chapter Board of Directors continues to meet remotely and plan for the future, our theme for the remainder of the year is flexibility. Given the high volume of virtual meetings that our members already have scheduled, we have scaled back on the frequency of general meetings. We have had three successful events from January-March and if we are able to return to in-person events in the future, we will be thoughtful in our approach and will follow local, state, and CDC health guidelines. The CPCU Society is currently offering the unique opportunity to take CPCU exams from home (please see Recommended Link below for details). Now is the time to invest in your personal and professional growth!

In terms of our charitable giving and social impact I am proud to announce the following:

• The current COVID-19 health crisis has made us all focus on what is most important; health, family, and service to others. We recognize that many are less fortunate and this crisis will have a lasting negative economic impact. In May, the LA Chapter joined CPCU Society’s Charity Challenge by donating $500 to the Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles to help care for our neighbors. The Midnight Mission serves our local community and provides food, shelter, and services to combat homelessness.

• Recent events, including the tragic murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, among many others, and the subsequent protests have impacted me and our CPCU Society membership directly.  In June, we have donated

   $500 to The Equal Justice Initiative. In addition, I am making a personal contribution to The Equal Justice Initiative and I encourage all of you to donate. Let me be very direct and candid here: we are an organization that supports and promotes diversity and inclusion, and the majority of our board of directors are people of color. We will continue to be actively anti-racist and support organizations that aim to dismantle systemic racism.

As we plan for the future, we will remain flexible during these uncertain times as an organization. If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to reach out to me or the board.

Thank you for your time,

Clark Sheffield, CPCU
President, Los Angeles CPCU Chapter

Recommended Links

Exam Updates - Virtual Exams Extended to December 2020

See link for more detail. 

Let us know if you will or have taken a virtual exam. We'd love to hear your feedback below.

Recommended Links

2020 Combined Claims Conference

32nd Annual Combined Claims Conference
March 3-4, 2020
Hyatt Regency Orange County

The Combined Claims Conference (CCC) is a two-day program offering continuing education for CPCU, RPA, MCLE, CIPI, CALI, and the California and Texas Departments of Insurance for independent adjusters, attorneys, investigators and brokers. 

The conference includes four separate educational tracks: Property, Liability, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and a bonus Emerging Issues track. Our quality speakers address the most pressing topics during the sessions. Included in your registration fee is admittance to all conference functions and includes two continental breakfasts, two luncheons and the Casino Night!

Please click on https://www.combinedclaims.com/ for more details, registration and scholarship information.

**This event is not hosted by the LA CPCU Chapter**

2020 President’s Message

It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as President of the Los Angeles CPCU Society Chapter for the 2020 term. I have the pleasure of serving in this role with a fantastic and experienced board of directors that will help guide our organization going forward.  I’m proud that our organization reflects the diversity we have within the insurance industry. This is evident by the composition of our board of directors, our keynote speakers, and meeting attendees.

One of our major achievements in 2019 was that leadership within our Chapter joined the USC Risk Management Program Advisory Council and will work with the next generation of insurance professionals as they transition from undergraduates to the insurance industry. We awarded our inaugural scholarship to a senior in the Risk Management Program at our All Industry Day event and will continue to partner in 2020.

This is an exciting time in the insurance marketplace with many changes rapidly approaching. We will support the development of insurance professionals by providing relevant and impactful lunch and learns, meaningful networking opportunities, and will have some fun along the way. We look to build on our momentum of strong attendance at our events in 2019 and ultimately, our mission will be to provide value to insurance professionals in the LA area and expand our member base.  Since education is our primary mission, I will leave you with a relevant quote as we enter 2020:  “Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant” Anthony D’Angelo