NASBP Elects Pittsburgh, PA Executive as President For 2024-2025

Bethesda, MD—During the April 14-17, NASBP Annual Meeting & Expo, the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) elected Zach Mendelson, Principal of Bonds, Insurance, Construction at EPIC in Pittsburgh, PA, as the 2024-2025 NASBP President. NASBP is a national trade association headquartered in Bethesda, MD, serving a membership of firms employing licensed surety bond producers.

“Mendelson’s 35 years of experience in the surety industry and his many leadership roles in the Association have prepared him well for serving as NASBP President,” related Mark H. McCallum, NASBP Chief Executive Officer. “Being an impassioned champion of the NASBP public relations campaign, Be Guaranteed To Succeed, and co-developer of the Association’s strategic plan, NASBP Vision 2028, Mendelson understands the challenges and opportunities that NASBP bond agency members and the Association face.”

Mendelson’s theme for his presidential year, “Backing Our Future,” ties in with NASBP Vision 2028. His presidential theme embraces the collaboration and innovation the Association is undertaking to address advocacy, technology, membership, and education.

Regarding the education pillar of Vision 2028, Mendelson said the Association is focusing on attracting the next generation of talent to the surety industry and on providing experiences and resources to surety professionals seeking career advancement. With that aim, the Association is pursuing several initiatives, including re-launching the NASBP Career Center, now called SuretyJobs.org. Also, through its charitable foundation, the Surety Industry Research Foundation, NASBP will explore the creation of an online program for college students interested in learning more about surety bonding and surety internship opportunities.

Mendelson stated the Association will continue to focus on strengthening its membership community. “Ultimately, everything we do is for our community. For the past 13 years, membership numbers have increased annually. This is attributed to the added initiatives, communications, and increased recruitment efforts being undertaken by the Association,” he added.

On the technology side, he said the Association will continue its support of efforts to increase surety bond process efficiency through vendor adoption of the XBRL data standard and support for digital bonding initiatives. “The continued adoption and acceptance of XBRL with vendors is critical to growing efficiencies in our processes, he said, adding that, “E-bond or digital bond initiatives, such as those being undertaken in partnership with the RiskStream Collaborative, are essential to securing our product’s future.”

During his term, he plans to encourage members to become proactive advocates with federal and state legislators about the importance of surety bonds to the economy and in protecting taxpayers, businesses, and suppliers. Mendelson said, “Educating decision-makers about the importance of surety bonds and taking part in the Association’s annual legislative fly-in are paramount to protecting the integrity and relevance of the surety product.”

NASBP also elected other NASBP officers at the meeting. Robert Coon was elected as NASBP First Vice President. Coon is Vice President–Surety at Scott Insurance in Greensboro, NC. Monica Donatelli was elected NASBP Second Vice President. Donatelli is Vice President, Surety Department Manager at IMA, Inc. in Overland Park, KS. Christian B. Downey was elected NASBP Third Vice President. Downey is President of Downey and Company in Albuquerque, NM. In addition, Patrick Pribyl will serve as NASBP Immediate Past President. Pribyl is National Surety Team Leader of Lockton Companies, LLC in Kansas City, MO. The NASBP Executive Committee is comprised of the officers listed above.

Founded in 1942, the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), www.nasbp.org, is the association of and resource for surety bond producers and allied professionals. NASBP members specialize in providing surety bonds for construction contracts and other purposes to companies and individuals needing the assurance offered by surety bonds.

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