What do you do at Selective, and how is that different here than at other companies?

I'm the Senior Vice President, Regional Manager of the Southwest Region. My job is to manage the region, grow it profitably, and attract & retain our key talent. I would say that what makes it different here than at other companies is that the Regional Managers at Selective are so involved with their teams and focused on their development. I've worked at large, national insurance companies where I didn't even know the Regional Manager's name, let alone communicate with them. If I had an idea or a suggestion, I would have to filter it upstream, through a number of channels, and by then, it was lost in the shuffle. At Selective, we encourage diversity of thought and idea generation, and we support open communication with any member of the team.

Tell us about your path at Selective so far.

I started at Selective in July, 2007. I was hired as a Business Management Analyst (an Underwriter) in the Mid-Atlantic Region. I had the opportunity to handle a number of different territories in PA, DE and OH. It was here where I really learned Selective's culture & appetite - and I developed long-lasting relationships with the agents that I worked with.

In 2010, I was promoted to an Underwriting Manager. Then in 2016, when Selective announced plans to expand out West, I raised my hand high to be a part of the new region. I was hired as the Southwest Region's first territory manager - and was primarily responsible for new business production for the state of AZ. The 10 years prior I had only worked on the inside team, handling renewals - I had no experience with being in the field. It was this time during my career where I worked my hardest, and I learned the most. Having new business and renewal perspective taught me so many things about effective agency management, and it gave me insight into other operating areas of the organization.

In 2018, when the region's renewals started rolling on, I took on the management of the renewals and was promoted to the Underwriting VP for the region in early 2019. And then in late 2019, I was promoted to SVP, Regional Manager for the Southwest Region. It's certainly been a wonderful ride, and I've been blessed with many opportunities at Selective.

What are you excited about in the coming months and/or years?

We have a number of things to be excited about in the Southwest Region. The four states that were launched over the last three years are all in full swing, operating at a productive clip, and we've built an amazing team. We have a number of opportunities for advancement and growth as we were just a start-up operation three years ago. We've already seen a number of promotions in the region, and I'm looking forward to watching this team develop even further. In addition, we have more geographic expansion opportunities that will come our way. It's been very exciting to be a part of our company's expansion strategy.

How does Selective support you?

I'm a mom of two kids, and my family comes first. I had both children while working at Selective, and during both experiences, I felt nothing but support. Right now during COVID-19, I find myself teaching my kids during the day around meetings and conference calls, and I feel nothing but support from the company as we navigate through this together. My manager and my team know that I'll be available as much as I can, that I work hard, and sometimes that means I work early in the morning or late at night. This flexibility is so important for me, as well as our employees.

Why is the work you do important?

Val: We help people in so many ways. For our clients - we help put their lives back together after a loss, provide great service and great products for their insurance needs. We help our clients with risk management strategies to make their business, home, etc. safer. We help our agents find solutions for their clients. And we help develop our people. We truly believe in organic growth of our organization.