Robert Woudstra, Chief Executive Officer of Farmers Group, Inc., and a member of the Group Management Board of parent group Zurich Financial Services, Ltd., has been elected to the national Board of Trustees of the March of Dimes Foundation.
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March of Dimes trustees, who serve as volunteers, represent the public in governing the organization and advancing its mission, and serve five-year terms.
"We are pleased to welcome Mr. Woudstra to the March of Dimes Board of Trustees," stated Dr. Jennifer Howse, president and CEO of the March of Dimes. "His expertise and genuine caring enthusiasm for healthy babies is invaluable to us, and we are looking forward to his leadership on our Board."
Mr. Woudstra was Chief Operating Officer of Foremost Insurance Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan, when it was acquired by Farmers in 2000. Since then, he has served as Chief Operating Officer of Farmers Specialty, Senior Vice President of Farmers Group, Inc., President of Farmers Specialty and Executive Vice President of Farmers Property and Casualty Operations, and President and Chief Operating Officer of Farmers before being named to his current position in January 2009.
"Farmers Group employees, agents and district managers have been raising money and awareness for the March of Dimes for over 20 years and have raised over $25 million to date," noted Mr. Woudstra. "Farmers became a March of Dimes corporate sponsor in 2004."
Mr. Woudstra holds a bachelor's degree from Ferris State University and is also a certified public accountant. He is a member of the Michigan Association of CPAs and the Michigan Financial Executives Institute.
Mr. Woudstra lives in Los Angeles with his wife Sue. They have two children, Shelly and Mark, and five grandchildren.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies(R), the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
Farmers Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Farmers(R) is the nation's third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Property and casualty products are underwritten and issued by the Farmers Exchanges and their subsidiaries, which Farmers Group, Inc. manages but does not own. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Farmers insurers provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and Financial Services to more than 10 million households. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com.
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SOURCE: Farmers Insurance
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