Study after study has found and proven that companies with a more diverse workforce have a higher return on investment. In fact, a study from Harvard Business Review found that diverse companies had a 19% higher innovation revenue. This isn’t surprising. A company’s success is dependent on its ability to be innovative. To do this, you need a creative team with various experiences and skillsets which diversity provides.
In honor of Black History Month, we are proud to highlight the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) as our Charity of the Month.
What is NAAIA?
NAAIA was organized to create a network among people of color and others employed in or affiliated with the insurance industry. The association currently has 21 chapters throughout the nation and its members represent every sector of the industry. Pooling this wealth of talent contributes significantly to the association and its members through the sharing of professional knowledge, information and experiences.
NAAIA is dedicated to empowering African American insurance professionals currently in the industry as well as celebrating their accomplishments. NAAIA is also committed to attracting talented individuals to the insurance industry. Through their work and affiliation with other organizations, they are dedicated to increasing the awareness of opportunities and the attractiveness of careers in the insurance industry.
Advancing Education
NAAIA aligns with multiple pillars of the MJ Foundation. In addition to their mission of fostering diversity, NAIAA also advances education and helps overcome poverty to those pursuing a career in the insurance industry. The NAAIA JL Tillman Endowed Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to help African American students further their education in insurance, risk management, business, IT, actuarial science, finance or marketing.
“NAAIA was created to encourage people of color to consider the many different career opportunities in the insurance industry. Our scholarship provides the industry another avenue to encourage our nation’s best and brightest to enter our great industry.”- Jerald L Tillman, founder of NAAIA
Since its inception in 2013, this scholarship has 7 award recipients from Howard University, Missouri State University, Georgia State University, University of Tulsa and Butler University. We admire NAAIA’s commitment to advancing education. Our Purpose drives us to inspire the success and fulfillment of each person we serve, and the scholarships provided by NAAIA allow others in the industry to find success and fulfillment in their professional lives.
Recently, the MJ Foundation established its own scholarship, the MJ Risk Management & Insurance Scholarship, supporting multicultural students with financial need in the Andre B. Lacy School of Business at Butler University. We are honored to play our part in supporting NAIAA’s mission of increasing the awareness of opportunities and attractiveness of careers in the insurance industry.
For more information about NAAIA and how its work helps to diversify the industry while celebrating the accomplishments of those already in the industry, visit https://www.naaia.org/. NAAIA also hosts several webinars and events throughout each month. We encourage you to view their event calendar and attend here.
