2023 Mitchell Stallings Memorial Award Winner: Barbara B. Hall, CIC, CPIW

Each year at Convention, FAIA grants its most prestigious honor, the Mitchell Stallings Memorial Award, to an individual who has dedicated a lifetime to this industry, the association, and their community.   

 

This year's winner was Barbara Hall, known to most as Bobbie. Previous award winners are synonymous with the characteristics that all candidates must possess—character, integrity, intelligence, class, and consistency that establish a legacy of leadership. Bobbie was recognized at the 2023 Convention for exemplifying all of those qualities like no other.  

 

A native Floridian, Bobbie attended business school in Jacksonville and studied at the Santa Fe Community College and the University of Florida. She joined the Howard Hall Agency in 1963 as a bookkeeper and received her agent's license in 1965. After briefly working in claims, Bobbie wrote property insurance and managed the office. In the late 1980s, she became the president and chief operating officer of the Howard Hall Agency and, after selling the agency to American Phoenix, Bobbie remained the president for three more years.   

 

Committed to helping the association and the insurance industry move forward, she served on FAIA's Board of Directors from 1992–1995, returning as vice chair in 1995 and becoming chair from 1998–1999. She was on the committee that hired Jeff Grady and served as the first chair during his tenure as president & CEO. 

 

“I can’t tell you how much she means to FAIA. Without Bobbie, a lot of what’s going on at FAIA would not be possible–that's the truth,” said Jeff Grady. “I can’t thank her enough. I wouldn’t be here without her.” 

 

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Bobbie to talk about her career and some fond memories from her time serving the association.