What's your current position?
Director of External Relations for State Auto Insurance
What interested you about an insurance career?
While working for Coca-Cola, a friend told me that I could do exactly what I was doing – and more – in the insurance industry. I interviewed with a terrific H-R manager who said: ‘I’m not sure of the exact title that you’ll end up with, but I know that we can make great use of your talents, so I want to hire you.’ We both took a leap of faith that day and here I am 20 years later!
What’s the best part of your job?
The opportunity to work with the public and use corporate resources to make a meaningful difference in the communities in which we live and work.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
How to use limited resources to make the best impact possible and the struggle to attract talent to our industry and change perceptions in a time when the unemployment rate is at an all-time low in the U.S.
What kind of volunteer work do you do and what’s the feedback you get from your students?
I serve as a guest speaker for Career Awareness programs or partner with local industry leaders to introduce Invest to school administrative teams. The feedback from students is always the same; they are amazed at the diversity of career opportunities in this industry.
What’s your advice for graduates on pursuing a career in insurance?
Don’t allow what you’ve heard or thought about this industry to prevent you from pursuing an incredible opportunity. Most of us would like to say that we chose a career that is not only lucrative, but personally rewarding or fulfilling. Insurance is that industry! No matter what your interest or passion might be, insurance has a career that neatly aligns with that interest.