Lynne W. Cook: Leading the Celebration of NASBP’s 75th Year

Published in the summer 2016 issue of NASBP Surety Bond Quarterly.

The 2016–2017 NASBP President, Lynne Cook, talks about honoring the past and defining the future.

When Lynne Cook agreed to become NASBP president for 2016–2017, she didn’t realize that it would be the association’s 75th anniversary year. But after getting over her initial surprise when it came up in a conversation three years ago, she began thinking about how NASBP should observe this year.

“It says ‘celebration’ to me, so the first thing that came to mind was that we’re going to have a great party, because how many associations last 75 years and are still vibrant?” said Cook, Senior Vice President of Surety at Early, Cassidy and Schilling Inc. (EC&S) in Rockville, MD. “More recently, my Annual Meeting Program Committee came up with a theme: ‘Building the bonds of surety: Honoring our past. Defining our future.’”

Cook herself has a 36-year perspective on the surety industry. A native of Lancaster, PA, she earned a paralegal degree and then a degree in economics from Penn State University. She surprised college recruiters by telling them that she wanted to go into surety; both a college counselor and a friend had recommended the field to her.

Cook unveiled NASBP’s special 75th anniversary logo at the NASBP Annual Meeting in May.