IIABO Education Instructor Bios
Debra Brown, CPCU, AU, ARP, AIM, CPIW, has been in the insurance industry for 35+ years. She began her career as a commercial rater at Oregon Mutual Insurance. For the next 20+ years, Debbie has performed a variety of duties including rating and underwriting at Home Insurance in Seattle, teaching employees and agents and coordinating education at Oregon Mutual, teaching CPCU classes and serving as underwriting and marketing trainer at SAIF Corporation. Debbie has been working with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Oregonsince 1990, teaching pre-licensing and continuing education classes.
David F. DeHart, AAI, AAM, has over thirty-four years of experience in the insurance industry; as an insurance agent, an insurance company manager, and as a professional trainer specializing in agents’ errors and omissions (E&O). He has a thorough background in property and casualty insurance lines, including management liability and insurance automation systems. His primary focus has been on reducing errors and omissions exposures. In 1995, DeHart was presented a national award by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) for developing and conducting the year’s Most Outstanding Insurance Education Program in the United States.
John Connell, AAI - After completing his formal education with a BS from the University of San Franciscoand an MBA from City University of Seattle, John began his insurance career as an underwriter for Safeco Insurance. John became an Insurance Trainer for Safeco and later for AAA of Oregon. As a producer for Portland Insurance Agency, and later an owner of Olson, Dye, Connell and Marsters, John became an expert in agency operations and sales. John’s teaching experience includes pre-licensing training and continuing education classes for the IIABO, the PIA of Oregon, Portland Community Collegeand the Portland Insurance Women. John has his AAI (Accredited Advisor of Insurance) and brings a wealth of practical information to the classroom.
John Poe, ALCU, CDS, has been in the insurance industry for over 35 years. John has extensive experience in the areas of loss control and risk management. He was an executive loss control manager with Fireman’s Fund for 28 years and vice president of loss control and risk management for Raleigh, Schwarz and Powell Insurance Agency for 8 years. His expertise includes EPL exposures, white collar crime, EQ mitigation and replacement cost analysis.
John is a member of the National Fire Protection Association, the American Society of Safety Engineers and the NW Chapter Disaster Recovery Planners
Cheryl Maher, CPCU, IIAA has 35 years experience in insurance sales, management and training. Her teaching experience includes instructing for the Missouri CPCU, training new employees, and teaching the use of agency management systems. Cheryl spent a total of ten years on the senior management team of Ollis and Company, Springfield, MO. and four years with J. D. Fulwiler in support and sales management. She began teaching for the IIABO in the fall of 2012.
Jill Marie Perucca, A.I.C., C.I.C. is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State Universitywith a Bachelors of Science in Business and Industrial Communications. She began her business career working in a public relations capacity in Portlandfor the non-profit insurance trade organization, Western Insurance Information Institute (W.I.I.S.). Her duties included press releases, media relations and coordination of the volunteer consumer-information speaker’s bureau.
Jill left W.I.I.S. in 1993 to join North Pacific/Oregon Auto Insurance Company. Throughout her ten year career with North Pacific (now Liberty Northwest) Jill had the opportunity to work in Bend, Salem and Portland and managed field claim offices throughout the state of Oregon. She is currently employed by “Best Practices” Portlandagent, Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker Inc. managing claims and marketing.
Jill is very active in her own professional development, having earned her Associate of Claims (AIC) designation in 1995 and her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation the following year. She also has worked with volunteer and non-profit groups such as “Junior Achievement of Portland”, “Rape Crisis Assistance” and “Mt. Hood Council of Camp Fire”.
