Lou DiCerbo, CLU, ChFC to be Enshrined in The American College’s Hall of Fame
Financial services industry icon Louis P. DiCerbo II, CLU®, ChFC® will become the first ever inductee into The American College’s Hall of Fame. An award ceremony will take place on the campus of The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on January 23, 2006.
The Hall of Fame is designed to recognize graduates of The College’s designation or degree programs who have made extraordinary contributions in time, effort and energy to this remarkable institution of higher learning.
Bryn Mawr, PA. (PRWEB) January 23, 2006 -- Financial services industry icon Louis P. DiCerbo II, CLU®, ChFC® will become the first ever inductee into The American College’s Hall of Fame. An award ceremony will take place on the campus of The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on January 23, 2006.
The Hall of Fame is designed to recognize graduates of The College’s designation or degree programs who have made extraordinary contributions in time, effort and energy to this remarkable institution of higher learning. Individuals must be long-term volunteers of The College and active participants in The College’s community and learning environment.
“The College and Alumni Association were very judicious about picking the very best person to represent this institution and be our founding Hall of Fame inductee,” said Larry Barton, PhD., President and Chief Executive Officer of The American College. “There were many nominees – far more than we expected. The nominees read like a who’s who of the financial industry. It was hard to narrow the choices down because the tendency was to vote for everyone, but whenever we mentioned Lou’s name, everyone would say “excellent choice.” He was the Babe Ruth of the selection process. Lou is The American College!”
DiCerbo personifies the spirit of the educational institution. He has spoken passionately about the vision of Dr. Solomon Huebner and has championed the financial services industry as a noble profession. DiCerbo has consistently extolled the virtues of the trusted advisor in a noble profession and Dr. Huebner’s concept of human life value as the ultimate means of creating financial security.
“I have always believed strongly in The American College and Dr. Huebner’s teachings and vision,” said DiCerbo. “Today, The American College has become the citadel of learning for financial professionals and the fountain of world-class insurance and financial services education.”
DiCerbo always excelled in the industry and supported charitable giving initiatives. He became a Life and Qualifying Member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) and co-chaired the Charles E. Drimal Estate Planning Professorship and supported the John P. Grimes reception foyer. DiCerbo also served on the Board of Trustees of The American College for 6 years and has been a member of all of The College’s committees. He chaired the Golden Key Society at The College, raising almost $5 million for the organization. DiCerbo’s New York agency had, at one time, more Golden Key contributors than any other agency in the United States.
“Lou volunteered at The American College for over 25 consecutive years,” said Russ Figueira, Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations, “Lou is everywhere in the institution in a very positive sense.”
DiCerbo’s leadership style can be best be described as “Leadership by Example” When Penn Mutual purchased Janney Montgomery Scott, the company tapped DiCerbo to manage the first merged branch of the organization. His organization led Penn Mutual in insurance and investment sales for 20 of 21 years. He won the first “Blue Chip” award at Horner Townsend and Kent for investments and in 2004 personally led the Penn Mutual career force in Gross Dealer Concession (GDC).
He also excelled as an insurance professional. When DiCerbo was named the manager of the New York agency of Penn Mutual in 1967, it ranked 76th out of 100 agencies in the Penn Mutual organization, generating only one-third of the income needed to meet expenses and break-even. Thanks to DiCerbo’s commitment to professionalism, ethics and continuing education, he recruited and encouraged over 64 of his colleagues to pursue and complete their designation studies through The American College.
Within 10 years, under DiCerbo’s guidance, the New York agency became the Number 1 agency for Penn Mutual and stayed there for more than 19 consecutive years. DiCerbo’s years of investment and insurance success prompted Penn Mutual to establish the Financial Consultant of the Year award in his honor.
DiCerbo became President of the New York City Life Underwriters Association and a member of the GAMA Board of Directors. In 1984, DiCerbo was the featured speaker at LAMP’s annual meeting. He received the prestigious GAMA International Management Hall of Fame award on March 27, 1995. He has since been the National Director of GAMA International for the past 6 years as well as the past chairman of the New York chapter of NAIFA and the Society Financial Services Professionals.
DiCerbo also donates his time generously to charitable endeavors. He is Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Hypertension Association and sponsors world-class medical lectures in pediatric critical care for doctors at Schneider Children’s Hospital. In 1998, the Boy Scouts of America inducted him into the Rough Riders. In addition, DiCerbo has received numerous awards including the Julian S. Myrick Award and the Torch of Liberty Award from New York City’s Anti-Defamation League. He has received the
distinguished alumnus award from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
After receiving 42 nominations from financial service professionals, a series of three panels determined this year’s Hall of Fame winner. The first panel was made up of college professors and degree and designation holders. They were able to narrow the field to the top 7 applicants. The second panel, comprised of Huebner Gold Medal Winners and Trustees of The American College, narrowed the field to three. Dr. Barton, president and CEO of The American College, and his immediate staff made the final selection.
The initial award ceremony was to take place at The College’s graduation in Cancun. This was cancelled due to the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma. The announcement of DiCerbo’s induction into the Hall of Fame was made at the Round Table of New York’s annual black tie conference at the Union League Club on December 5, 2005.
Lou DiCerbo has been married for 41 years to E. Patricia DiCerbo. They reside in Manhasset, New York and have three children and three grandchildren.
The American College is the nation’s leading non-profit educator of professionals in the insurance and financial services industry. Located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, The College is a public charity that serves over 35,000 students annually, predominantly on a distance education basis. The American College offers an array of specialized designation programs, Master of Science degrees in several disciplines and customized continuing education programs for those pursuing a career in financial services. For more information, visit www.TheAmericanCollege.edu
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