Stanley O. Smith, the award's namesake, was an IIAA past president and Georgia agent "who was instrumental in focusing the association and its members on legislative advocacy," IIAA said.

Ronald Smith is president of Smith, Sawyer & Smith, Inc., a Rochester, Ind.-based independent agency.

"Ron has expertly led IIAA's state government affairs efforts during an era of unprecedented marketplace changes and regulatory reforms in the states," said IIAA Government Affairs Committee Chairman Robert E. Fulwider.

"This flurry of activity has come in the face of an incredible amount of pressure from federal lawmakers. Yet through it all, Ron has provided steady leadership and unwavering commitment to work toward accomplishments that serve the interest of his colleagues, the industry and consumers," Mr. Fulwider said.

During Mr. Smith's stewardship, IIAA spearheaded the development of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Producer Licensing Model Act.

IIAA characterized him as a "pivotal player in the negotiations with the state regulator group and the development of the proposed model bill," which the IIAA said "subsequently spawned enactment of licensing reform in 40 states, a streamlining of the licensing process that has made it easier for agents and brokers to secure licenses in multiple states."

In his role as State Government Affairs Committee chairman, Mr. Smith serves as the IIAA's liaison to the NAIC, the National Council of Insurance Legislators, and several other state policymaking organizations.

Mr. Smith has testified before the U.S. Congress numerous times on industry concerns, including agent licensing, insurance product speed-to-market reform, and the future of insurance regulation. He also heads IIAA's Future One's State Government Affairs Task Force and Agent Advocacy Fund.

He is charman for IIAA's Communications/Branding Task Force, helping direct introduction the association's new consumer marketing brand?"Trusted Choice."

Also during the meeting, the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia was presented with the Maurice G. Herndon National Legislative Award in recognition of its "outstanding government affairs achievements in 2001," noted IIAA.

Awarded annually by the IIAA and the Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois, the Herndon Award is bestowed upon "the state association whose legislative achievements the previous year on behalf of IIAA and its members have been deemed most outstanding," the groups noted. The award is named after the former head of IIAA's government affairs operation.

The Georgia association was honored for its "effectiveness in representing its members' interests before the state's legislature and department of insurance, and the active role it takes in IIAA's overall government affairs program and InsurPac--the association's political action committee," IIAA noted.

A "key success" in 2001 for the Georgia association and its members, according to IIAA, was the adoption of the Producer Model Licensing Act, which establishes licensing reciprocity for nonresident agents and brings the state into compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's agent licensing reform provision.

In addition to their state-level successes, the Georgia association was lauded for its "highly active and effective grassroots members, who have built strong relationships with their congressional representatives and uses those ties to lobby their lawmakers on important agent issues throughout the year and during the National Legislative Conference."