Howard Siegel became President and CEO of Irwin Siegel Agency (ISA) in June of 2000. Mr. Siegel joined ISA in 1979 as a Personal Lines underwriter after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College and his Property and Casualty License. By 1984 Mr. Siegel had advanced to Commercial Lines underwriting and was instrumental in introducing the first comprehensive insurance package for providers of services to people with developmental disabilities. In 1994 Mr. Siegel was named Executive Vice President and COO.

Mr. Siegel is a strong supporter both personally and professionally with local, state and national organizations that enhance human service programs. In 1994, Howard developed the Award for Improvement in the Quality of Life for People with Disabilities to honor direct support staff. Howard has also sponsored several other awards, including the American Association on Mental Retardation’s Robert Guthrie Award for Advances in Biochemical and Molecular Genetics, United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association’s Irv Rutman Award and the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation- John F. Kennedy, Jr. Award for Excellence as a Direct Support Professional.

Mr. Siegel was recently appointed as a board member for a newly formed federally qualified health center (FQHC) operating in the Bronx. Mr. Siegel served as an Advisory Board member of Reaching Up, Inc., a non-profit organization that cultivates future leaders within the field of developmental disabilities. Reaching Up, Inc. has become a part of the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Institute for Worker Education within the City University of NY (CUNY). Howard’s support of the field has assisted in the creation of a newly formed division within the American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR) called the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP).

ISA’s Developmental Disabilities Program continues to be the cornerstone of the agency’s Human Service programs today. Through Mr. Siegel’s direction, ISA is positioned as a leading provider of insurance and risk management services to the Human Service field. Mr. Siegel has guided ISA’s transition to becoming a program administrator in the program division of Chartis and with ACE Medical Risk.

Mr. Siegel has served his local and professional communities as a member of the Town of Thompson Planning Board, the Partnership for Economic Development, and the Holiday Mountain Ski Commission He is a member and past president of the Monticello Rotary Club and has also served as President for the Rock Hill Business and Community Association, Inc. He continues to serve as an affiliate member of the National Council of Executives, a corporate member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS), a corporate member of the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers and a past trustee of NYSARC Trusts. Additional memberships include: Brain Injury Association of NY, Alliance for Nonprofit Governance, the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce which in 2010 awarded him with their Business Person of the Year Award and the National Safety Council which in 1998 awarded him their Distinguished Services to Safety Award recognizing him as a leader of “Best Practices” in safety for those with disabilities.

As CEO of a company that embodies his vision, Mr. Siegel is ideally placed to address critical issues within the human service field and carry on ISA’s mission of “supporting those who support others.”