COLLEYVILLE, Texas — The Association of Independent General Agents announced its president, John Braganini, earned an MBA from Northwood University’s Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management, with honors. As a result of his exemplary scholarship, he was welcomed into Delta Mu Delta, an international honors society that recognizes academic excellence in business administration.

“I needed to acquire and develop some additional business acumen, as well as strengthen my existing skill set,” Braganini said. “The DeVos MBA program facilitated both.” Braganini has been the principal of Great Lakes Companies, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., since 1986, and serves as president of its subsidiary corporations — Great Lakes Insurance Agency, Customer Service Center, Great Lakes Funding, Great Lakes Chemical Services and Orion Service Corporation. He’s also a partner in Mountain Road Vineyard, LLC, in Coloma, Michigan.

Braganini served on AiGA’s Board of Directors before being named president in 2011. The professional association supports independent general agents and serves as an advocate for the industry in the face of legal, legislative, consumer and media issues that impact the agent corps and the automobile industry in general. AiGA is an affiliate of, and is administered by, the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals (AFIP).

David Robertson, AiGA executive director, stated, “The leadership mindset John applied to his graduate degree — ‘Not only will I commit to this challenge, but I’ll do what it takes to optimize the opportunity’ — will manifest itself again as he transforms AiGA from an ad hoc GA advocate to a full service professional association.”