An internship Pionne Young Corbin ’94 landed as a student at the University of Mary Washington has taken her more than 400 miles – from Stafford County, Va., to Buffalo, N.Y. – and launched her even further in her career. Corbin, who has worked for GEICO for two decades, was promoted this summer to assistant vice president of underwriting for the company’s Buffalo regional operation. The country’s largest direct marketer of car insurance, GEICO insures more than 18 million vehicles and is, according to A.M. Best’s 2011 market share report, New York’s top auto insurer. Corbin’s journey with the company began in 1993, when she signed on as a college intern. She graduated cum laude as an economics major the next year and completed a management internship in 1996. She moved on to hold the titles of claims service representative supervisor, sales supervisor, and service manager. By 2004, Corbin was managing the company’s new business underwriting and reunderwriting divisions; by … [Read more...]
Microlending Hero Honors Econ Students
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, whom the The Washington Post called “the founding father of microlending,” met with Professor of Economics Shawn Humphrey and past and present students to honor the UMW team for their work in microfinance. They are shown here at the international conference of RESULTS, an organization dedicated to ending poverty. The UMW professor and his students have mobilized a microfinance movement through their Month of Microfinance initiative and established La Ceiba, a student-run microfinance institution, in Honduras. Yunus, a native of Bangladesh, has been recognized for his work on microlending with more than 100 international awards, including the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2006, the Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized Yunus’ “efforts to create economic and social development from below.” … [Read more...]