What do you do and what is it about your job that gets you out of bed in the morning?
I’m part of the strategy and innovation team for the life insurance market at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. One of the most exciting and rewarding parts of my job is that my team and I are helping create solutions that allow more consumers to get access to the financial protection that life insurance provides. For the longest time, getting life insurance has been a very unpleasant experience, taking weeks from application to policy issue, and subjecting proposed insureds to invasive medical procedures and pages of application questions.
LexisNexis is leveraging data to speed up the application process, improve accuracy in underwriting, mitigate fraud and misrepresentation, and we’re delivering predictive models that help more consumers have access to life insurance. We also help life insurers comply with regulatory requirements and help them identify deceased insureds so that they can pay beneficiaries quickly. The importance of this offering really hit me last year when I was personally impacted. After my father’s death, I was contacted by one of our life carrier customers notifying me that my father had a life insurance policy. We didn’t know dad had the policy and it meant a lot to me to know that something I had been working on for quite some time touched my family and made possible one last caring act from my dad.
The life insurance industry is a noble one - and it’s all about keeping promises. I love that LexisNexis helps enable those promises by protecting against fraud and misrepresentation and helping consumers access financial protection and pass it on to future generations.
How did you get to where you are today?
I can honestly say that most of the pivotal roles I’ve held in my career came about because I had someone who believed in me and helped open doors for me. I’ve been fortunate to have many good managers and mentors throughout my career - some formal, some informal - but I’m so grateful for those special men and women who opened doors for me. And my goal is to continue to pay that forward.
What is the most important lesson you have learned along the way?
I wish I could narrow it down to one lesson - there are so many. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be curious. Remember that it’s not about you. Always put things in perspective. I suppose the one lesson I’m working on the most right now is to live in the present. I read recently (and I will paraphrase) that letting go of your focus on the future (or the past) is the key to begin living fully in the present.
What's your pitch to CEOs in the identity space? What do you suggest they START / STOP / CONTINUE doing and why?
My pitch would be to always put consumers first as we fight against fraud. The motivation behind a successful identity access management solution should be our desire to protect consumers with the least amount of friction and the most sophisticated approaches to help stay ahead of the fraudsters. It sometimes seems that fraudsters target the most vulnerable people in our society. And, in particular, I have a tender spot in my heart for teenagers who are often so naïve and trusting of individuals who may take advantage of them. We should START finding ways to better protect children and teens, STOP those who would use digital devices and especially social media to threaten or blackmail them, and CONTINUE to invest in new technologies that will help detect deep fakes, blackmail schemes, identity theft and scenarios that haven’t even been invented yet.
In one sentence, why does diversity matter to you?
I approach diversity from a faith perspective because I believe all humans are loved equally by God, so I want to mirror that love to others.
What book/film/piece of art would you recommend to your fellow members?
I’m a non-fiction gal. One of my favorite reads is a book by Gordon Livingston called Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart. There’s a lot of practical, no-nonsense advice that has helped me at various stages in my life. I go back to read it often just for reminders. Also, on a totally different spectrum and for some light-hearted joy, I’m rewatching Ted Lasso on AppleTV again right now and it’s even better than the first watch. 10 out of 10!
What advice would you give to the teenage 'you'?
Stretch your goals, enjoy the ride, don’t take a single day for granted, and know that it will all work out okay. Oh, and hug your mom and dad more.
Where can we find you on social media / the Web?
You can find me on LinkedIn.