MANSA NICOME
In June of 2018, Brenda Skinner sponsored her fellow State Farm Insurance Agent Mansa Nicome to join The Rotary Club of Asbury Park. They became friends when they both became agents 10 years ago. Mansa was born in Trinidad and came to America at the age of 5, living in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he continues to reside today.
Mansa was graduated from the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School followed by receiving his degree in Economics at Stony Brook University and then his MBA in Corporate Finance from Dowling College. He holds insurance licenses for Life, Health, Property & Casualty as well as Series 6 & 63 in New York and New Jersey. Mansa was motivated to higher education while watching his father work hard to support his family while attending pharmacy school.
Mansa started his career with State Farm Insurance Companies in 2001 and held various positions in claims, human resources and agency management. In 2008 he was selected to become an agent, something very difficult to attain. He opened his office in Neptune City and continues to commute each day from Brooklyn to his office.
Mansa is a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He has chartered two Toastmasters International public speaking clubs. His professional designations include an Associates in Claims (AIC), Associates in Service (AIS), Competent Toastmaster (CTM) and the advanced financial planning, Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), all very high recognitions. Besides Rotary, Mansa is involved in Asbury Park/Neptune Township’s National Night Out, Central New Jersey Chapter of NOBLE and Neptune’s Black History Month. Mansa enjoys golf, traveling and spending time with his family which includes his wife of 16 years Abigail, daughter Madison and sons Mason and Jordan.
Our club welcomes this new member with great appreciation knowing he will become a great Rotarian in the years to come. Mansa comments about our club and Rotary.
“I didn’t know what to expect when Brenda and Howard Orr invited me as a guest so many moons ago. At first I came for the food…lol. However everyone truly embraced me and made me feel right at home. It’s an honor to be surrounded by so many smart, successful and selfless individuals. I’m looking forward to many years of serving the community and making lifelong friends”.
It is always a pleasure to hear about programs that offer young people an alternative for their future; opportunities different from what they may face when growing up in Asbury Park. The Beat Bus does just that. Ryan Garmond, Program Manager at Lakehouse Mobile Recording Studios, shared with us that through music children of all ages are given a way to express their creativity. This year the Asbury Park Music Foundation launched a state-of-the-art Mobile Recording Studio with the mission to bring music education to under-served youth across New Jersey. The newly renovated school bus is outfitted with industry standard recording gear including 10 modular workstations and a sound booth equipped to record vocals, pianos, guitars and drums. This versatile program offers During School Program, After School Program, or an Explorer Program. They can also do a During and/or After School Program. When exceptionally talented students are discovered, they are able to work one-on-one with them to help them develop their full musical potential. But no matter the ability, exposure to this program gives students a way to create and collaborate. To learn more see their website: asburyparkmusiclives.org
Our members gathered on Wednesday Oct 24th to bring awareness to and celebrate Rotary World Polio Day 2018 at Anchor's Bend on the Asbury Park boardwalk. We had a great turnout, good fellowship and as always lots of fun.
Our speaker on October 17, was our former president, Traudy Grande, who, along with her husband, owns a financial investment company. She shared with us the two main reasons that families invest which are retirement and for the education of their children. When thinking through an investment for your retirement, it would be wise to remember that Social Security will most likely only cover 35% of your monthly costs, and that it was created when life-expectancy was 74/75 years. Now, investment planners advise their clients to count on living to 95 for women, or 92 for men. If you are saving for your children’s education, it is good to remember that education costs are going up an average of 6% per year. As daunting as this may seem, Traudy shared realistic avenues for getting the most out of your savings, and offered advice on investment plans that for your family no matter your age. Want more information? Traudy is available to answer any questions or to work with you on your investment strategy.
