NFIP Training News
Judy Marvel, FEMA
2009 is a year of transformation for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Faces and ways of doing business are changing as new contractors and vendors join the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) team.
In the past, the NFIP Regional Offices were home to contractor employees who were successful multi-taskers. They did everything from providing agent, lender, and special request workshops to answering questions about flood insurance and even doing outreach and disaster duty.
Today, NFIP Regional Office personnel continue to work closely with FEMA Regional staff and perform NFIP outreach activities and disaster duties. However, they no longer provide agent and lender training. That is the job of the newest member of the NFIP training team: GeoLearning, Inc.
GeoLearning, Inc. is an award-winning corporation known world-wide for its learning management services. According to GeoLearning, Inc., they bring to the NFIP a "Blend of the Best" including a learning management system which allows students to register for instructor-led and online training through the GeoLearning, Inc. website. As an added benefit, students can track online training by accessing their own personal training management page.
The "Blend of the Best" also includes H2O Partners, a business made up of experienced NFIP trainers and subject-matter experts. H2O Partners manages and provides instructor-led workshops nationwide. It is their job to update curriculum and to schedule and present adjuster, agent, and lender workshops. A schedule of available training is available at the NFIP Bureau website and agent online training can be accessed through the NFIP Insurance Professionals Page.
Having sold NFIP flood insurance for many years, I know the importance of product knowledge and training. I soon discovered that as my knowledge grew, so did my sales. I encourage you to attend NFIP workshops and to take the online training. Grow in confidence and grow your business!
Judy Marvel is a Marketing Insurance Specialist in the Risk Insurance Division of the FEMA Mitigation Directorate. Ms. Marvel worked as an insurance agent in Delaware for 22 years before joining the NFIP Bureau and Statistical Agent as a Senior Training Specialist in 1997. In 2005, Ms. Marvel moved to FEMA where she is now the Contracting Officer?s Technical Representative for the NFIP training contract.
