Jeff Benson
Vice President and Program Manager, Victor Insurance

Jeff Benson is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. Currently serving as the Builders Risk and Contractors' Equipment Program Manager at Victor Insurance Managers LLC, Benson plays a pivotal role in overseeing and managing these programs. With his extensive expertise and deep understanding of the industry, Benson is dedicated to driving continual profitable growth and ensuring the success of these programs. He serves as a subject matter expert in the builders risk/contractors equipment inland marine lines.

Shamim Rashid-Sumar
Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

Shamim Rashid-Sumar, P.E., FSFPE, is Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. Based in New York, she works with National Model Building Codes and Standards organizations to advocate for resilience and sustainability through non-combustible construction and provides technical support regarding codes, standards, regulations and legislation at the national, state, and local level.

Rashid-Sumar holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park and is a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, where she currently serves as member of the Board of Directors. Rashid-Sumar is a principal member of several Technical Committees in the National Fire Protection Association, American Concrete Institute, ASTM, and International Code Council. She currently serves as President of the Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards and is a registered professional engineer in Delaware.

Dr. Anne Cope
Chief Engineer, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

Dr. Anne Cope, PhD, P.E. is Chief Engineer with the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, where she leads the development of research programs to improve the performance of structures in hurricanes, wildfires, severe thunderstorms, and hailstorms as well as the team of engineers, scientists, and skilled craftsman who conduct research on full-scale homes and commercial buildings. She is responsible for the team’s implementation of research findings into building codes and standards.

Dr. Cope’s research encompasses topics ranging from the full-scale simulation of wind effects on buildings to detailed studies of the vulnerabilities of buildings to natural hazards and the development of damage prediction models. She is also a proud veteran of the United States Army. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Clemson University, and her doctorate from the University of Florida. She is a registered professional engineer in Florida and South Carolina.