About Our Presenters

Todd Jackson

With over 30 years of experience in insurance, Todd has been a prominent volunteer leader with the Big “I” at the state and national level. He served on the Big I Indiana Board of Directors, eventually becoming state president in 2013. He also represented Indiana on the national Big “I” Board of Directors for four years, served on the Trusted Choice® board and the Finance Committee, and was elected to the national Executive Committee in 2018. Todd’s focus as National Chair includes prioritizing programs that deliver value to members while ensuring that Big “I” supports member agencies’ evolving needs, as well as fostering a strong relationship between the national Big “I” and state associations.

Jared Burkhart, CAE 

Jared Burkhart is the CEO of Big I Michigan, the largest association for independent insurance agents in the state of Michigan. In this position, Jared works to foster the sharing of issues, ideas, resources and best practices among independent insurance agents in the state. Jared’s professional motivation is to help others become the best in their chosen fields.

Mathew Brauer, Director of Strategic Accounts

Mathew Brauer joined HawkSoft in 2013 as the Northeastern Regional Territory Manager, focusing on creating brand awareness, expanding agency presence, and obtaining regional agency feedback to incorporate into future HawkSoft enhancements. Matt's insurance career has focused entirely on agency-related business services and solutions, including his tenure as a New Jersey P&C and Life insurance agent. He entered the industry over 20 years ago, managing Agency Service and User Acceptance Testing for a leading comparative rating vendor. From there, his roles progressed to Director of National Accounts where he spent time building integration partnerships and business solutions between insurance carriers and agency-focused companies like HawkSoft. Matt lives in Boston, Massachusetts where he enjoys gathering with friends and traveling.

Bryant Caudill, CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+, MCP, CMNA

Bryant Caudill joined SMART Services in 2000 as a beginner IT technician and has worked his way up to VP of operations, running the company on a day-to-day basis. He became a partner at Smart I.T. Services in 2018. Bryant’s responsibilities and area of expertise range from R&D for a wide range of technology areas such as cloud computing and AI, designing solutions for and managing IT projects, mentoring and training local college students in IT, as well as training and speaking on a wide range of technical topics

Randy Dean

Randy Dean, the “Email Sanity Expert”® is an author, professional speaker and expert on time and email management, effective organization, and the related use of technology. Dean’s highly informative and entertaining program will leave attendees with immediately usable tools, strategies, and skills on how to better manage their time, technology, and information overload.

Ron Devers, CIC, CAWC, CPIA

Ron is director of agency operations at PSI Insurance Agency. Ron specializes in personal and business property and casualty products, life insurance, annuities, disability income and professional liability.

Nolan Duda

Nolan Duda is a dynamic leader and partner at IdealTraits Inc., where he serves as the client experience manager. With over five years of expertise in sales, marketing, and client success, Nolan has become a trusted authority in staffing and recruitment solutions for the insurance industry. His innovative approach and proven strategies have helped insurance agencies across the country streamline their hiring processes and build high-performing teams.

Joe Elliott, CAWC

Joe Elliott began his career at AF Group in late 2016. He has many years of professional experience in property and casualty underwriting and training, and curriculum development. Before joining the AF Group Agency Education team, he was a licensed P&C (and Accident Fund-appointed) agent.

Jerry Fetty, AIT, CDIA+, A+, Network+, I-Net+, MCP, CCNA 

Jerry Fetty founded SMART Services in 1991, an information technology service company helping independent agencies boost productivity and profitability through advanced technology. He is also the creator of myAgencyCloud, a system that simplifies and streamlines technology operations for agencies. Jerry holds numerous technology related certifications, and is a practicing expert in the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and Pinnacle System. 

Matt Gillett

Matt Gillett is the owner of Saddleback BBQ, Lansing’s premier craft BBQ destination, and a passionate advocate for great food and community. With over half his life spent in the food industry, Matt honed his culinary expertise in Michigan’s top establishments before transforming his love of BBQ from a hobby into a thriving business.

Under Matt’s leadership, Saddleback BBQ has expanded to include two BBQ locations, two Slice by Saddleback wood-fired pizza spots, and a full-service catering arm specializing in unforgettable dining experiences. His dedication to craft and hospitality has made Saddleback a cornerstone of the Greater Lansing area.

Kyle Hoeft, CVA

Kyle joined MarshBerry full time in 2011 and as a shareholder of the firm he serves as a director in MarshBerry’s Financial Advisory Division. Kyle has built an extensive expertise in the insurance distribution space over his 13-year career and primarily focuses on merger and acquisition advisory, organic growth consulting, financial management, strategic planning, perpetuation, and valuation services.

Alex Houseman

Alex Houseman is the director of government relations for Big I Michigan. Alex works to build and maintain key relationships with elected officials to ensure members have quality representation within the Michigan Legislature. You will find Alex in downtown Lansing lobbying lawmakers on legislative policy that supports Big I Michigan’s goals and priorities. Prior to joining Big I Michigan, Alex was a legislative staffer as well as a lobbyist for the Michigan Realtors®. 

Carla Jarombek

Carla Jarombek is a Field Solution Consultant and has supported Vertafore Agency Customers & their solutions for over 13 years.  She could talk AMS360 all day, PL Rating is another favorite, but is happy to chat about any situation an agency finds themselves in. She has lived in Minneapolis for 8 years, has a blended family that includes a 25-year-old son, a 23-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, two pups and a wonderful husband. Her happy place is a tropical, sunshiny, and warm perch by

Erin Mattord, MBA, CAWC  

Erin E. Mattord, manager of Training Delivery and Education, began her career with AF Group in 2018, bringing with her nearly eight years of experience in the insurance industry — including practical training and education knowledge. Erin has a passion for teaching and does so with an engaging style, tapping into her unique combination of insurance and education experience. 

Jen E Miller

Jen E Miller is a seasoned sales strategist, coach, and speaker with over 25 years of experience driving growth and developing talent across multiple industries, including a decade working with thousands of insurance producers and leaders.  

Renowned for her ability to identify and cultivate high-performing sales mindsets, Jen specializes in sales talent assessment, strategy development, sales culture creation, and coaching that transforms individuals and organizations alike.

Rick Pitts 

Rick Pitts is vice president and general counsel for Arlington/Roe, a leading Midwest managing general agent and wholesale insurance broker. Pitts also serves as general counsel to the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc., and speaks annually at the association’s New Laws seminars - teaching various seminars on insurance and employment related matters. Pitts has also presented continuing education seminars to insurance professionals nationally.

Sarah Reed

Sarah has spent the last 7 years at Vertafore working with independent agencies. She spent the first part of her career training and implementing agencies on many of our solutions, like QQCatalyst & PL Rating. Now as a Solution Consultant, Sarah helps agencies find the right technology for their agency. Outside of Vertafore, you can find Sarah with her lovely dog, Pepper, and husband, Ryan, exploring Colorado. 

Lori Rummelt, CIC, CPIA, CIE 

Lori Rummelt has over thirty years of experience in the insurance industry, including 17at a large independent agency. Since joining LaPorte Consulting in 2018, Lori has provided valuable operations consulting and education. She is a certified instructor for the CIC, CISR and CPIA programs and teaches continuing education classes on agency management and E&O loss control.

Mike Salisbury

Mike Salisbury is the President of the Reno Agency, a century-old insurance agency, located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. With 26 years at Reno, including 21 as owner, Mike handles everything from sales and operations to HR and carrier relations. He has navigated through market changes, acquired a local agency, and seeks smaller agency owners for non-private equity perpetuation plans.

After leaving Vertafore in 2020, Mike evaluated several AMS options but had an expensive learning experience when he chose another AMS for three years.  By the spring of 2023, knowing he was going to make a change in 2024, he asked to attend the Hawksoft User Group convention in Texas for one final vetting of the software. But it was the Hawksoft culture that ultimately sold the system. In 2024, Reno Agency started the year on the outgoing CMS version and upgraded in July to the (current) Hawksoft Version 6. In that that time Reno integrated it with InsuredMine CRM, RingCentral, and the Insurance Agent app. Reno Agency has been a Microsoft 365 agency, operating server-free for over 10 years.

Tommy Salvati, CIC

Thomas (Tommy) Salvati is the president and founder of The Salvati Insurance Group. His practice is mainly focused on serving the needs of contractors, manufacturers, transportation firms, non-profits, and the hospitality industry with their property and casualty insurance, group benefits, surety bonding, and worker’s compensation. Tommy is active in Big I Michigan (currently serving as an at-large board member) and The Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

Diane Smith, CLCS

Diane L. Smith is a sales and marketing manager at Arlington/Roe. As a dedicated member of the Francis Roe Center for Professional Growth, Diane actively contributes by designing and leading engaging webinar sessions, aiming to foster participation and facilitate ongoing learning for associates and independent agents. She has over 30 years of experience in the industry. Former employers include Liberty Mutual, The Hanover Insurance Group, and Nationwide Insurance.

Pieter Winne

Certified EOS Implementer Pieter D. Winne is a US Army Ranger veteran who served with the 75th Ranger Regiment. After serving, he began his professional career in corporate America where he found his passion for coaching, teaching and facilitating leadership growth in others. He discovered EOS from one of the business owners he had previously coached and has made it the core of his career.

David Walker, AAI, CIC, CAWC, LIC, CRM

Tom Wetzel

Tom Wetzel, a respected insurance industry veteran and champion for independent agents, has helped hundreds of agencies navigate the digital marketplace. His latest centers of attention are artificial intelligence and cybercrime, and the steps agencies must take to protect both themselves and their clients. He created a cyber risk assessment tailored specifically for independent insurance agents, has written a number of CE-approved courses about cybercrime and artificial intelligence, and has spoken at Big I conventions across the country.