Roundup of the NASBP Wiliam J. Angell Winter Surety School

Level II Winter Session students listening to a presentation.

The winter offering of the William J. Angell Surety School was held the last week of January in Houston, Texas. The school brings together students from around the country and around the world for an intensive educational experience. This session was no exception with students from 29 states, as well as Canada, China, Guam, and Great Britain.

The curriculum consists of classroom lectures, peer discussions, case studies, and the always popular surety school games – Surety Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Surety Professional.

Students Recognize Fellow Students

At the conclusion of the session, students vote to select one member of their class who they feel contributed the most to their learning experience. The peer award is known by Surety School students as the “MOP”, which stands for “Most Outstanding Pupil”. The MOP receives a football to acknowledge their contribution to the overall class team. We would like to congratulate this session’s recipients:

Level I Red Team – Austin D. Gaffney, Wright & Percy Insurance in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

From left, NASBP Third Vice President and Faculty Member Tom Padilla, MOP Recipient Austin Gaffney, Faculty Members Dedi Belis and Tom Durkin.

Level I Yellow Team – Sarah Myers, Alliant Insurance Services in San Diego, California

NASBP Second Vice President and Faculty Member Larry McMahon, left, and MOP Recipient Sarah Myers, right, in the Alliant Insurance offices in San Diego, California

Level II Blue Team – Martin Moss, The Hanover Insurance Company in Worcester, Massachusetts

Faculty Members (from left) Tom Durkin and Dedi Belis, MOP Recipient Martin Moss, Faculty Member Florence McClellan, NASBP President John Rindt and NASBP Immediate Past President Spence Miller, and (seated) NASBP CEO Mark McCallum.

Level II Green Team – Alisha Varde, The Hanover Insurance Company, Worcester, Massachusetts

Faculty Members (from left) Tom Durkin, Dedi Belis, Paul Amstutz, and Florence McClellan, MOP Recipient Alisha Vardi, NASBP Third Vice President Tom Padilla, NASBP Second Vice President Larry McMahon, and (seated) NASBP CEO Mark McCallum.

Level II MOPs from the Same Office of the Same Company!

The Level II MOP Recipients Martin Moss and Alisha Vardi who are both with The Hanover in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Faculty Honored
The school boasts a diverse and highly expert faculty that collectively has been teaching at the school for 168 years. Several faculty members were recognized during this Winter session with the personalized crystal apple-shaped award recognizing their many years of service.

Five Years
Paul Amstutz, The Gray Casualty & Surety Company

Ten Years
Erle Benton, Cretcher Heatland, Inc.
David Castillo, The Gray Casualty & Surety Company
Larry McMahon, Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.

Twenty Years
Jim Lareau, Travelers Bond
Ralph Pulver, Travelers Bond

We extend our congratulations to all of our service award recipients and thank them for their outstanding commitment to the mission of our school.

NASBP Past President and Faculty Member Matt Cashion preparing to teach a class.

NASBP President John Rindt addressing graduates at the Level II Graduation Dinner.