Alicia Calhoun
Alicia Calhoun is Senior Vice President and Senior Broker at CRC Group, where she leads her own casualty-focused team and brings 27 years of experience in the insurance industry. Her career spans 10 years on the retail side and 17 years in wholesale brokerage, with deep specialization in complex, technical casualty risks. She focuses on highly niche and challenging sectors including energy, oil and gas, environmental exposures, and both onshore and offshore construction. Known for her ability to navigate sophisticated risk structures, she is relied upon by experienced buyers who value her technical depth and strategic problem-solving in hard-to-place accounts.
What distinguishes Alicia’s career is the balance she brings between technical expertise and relationship-driven business development. She is recognized as a highly engaged networker, consistently building connections across clients, carriers, and industry peers, and ranks among the top tier of LinkedIn social engagement within her professional network. She is often sought out for her insight even on accounts she is not directly involved in reflecting her reputation as a trusted industry resource. From attending her long-standing annual crawfish boil in Louisiana, where she connects with clients, underwriters, and colleagues, to being described by leadership as a “marketing ambassador” for her influence and visibility, Alicia is deeply embedded in the relationship side of the business. She also maintains a passion for writing and thought leadership, sharing insights and perspectives that strengthen her presence across the industry.
Beyond her professional role, Alicia is a mother of four boys, ages 25 to 14, and a committed mentor to many emerging professionals she considers her extended “sons and daughters” in the industry. She is a strong advocate for betting on oneself, a principle that guided her through bold career moves, including her transition to CRC Group. She is known for stepping outside her comfort zone in pursuit of growth, embracing the unpredictable nature of insurance as a space for creativity, strategy, and continuous learning. Resourceful and solutions-oriented, she is often called upon to help solve complex “dumpster fire” situations, carrying a risk management mindset everywhere from client meetings to everyday life. Grounded in passion for the industry and a belief in sleeping well through sound risk decisions, Alicia brings energy, authenticity, and resilience to every aspect of her work and life.
• P&C License
• CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor)
• MLIS
• CRIS
• CRM
• Broker of the Year (First Year at Houston Brokerage)
• Featured on Cover of Most Influential Women in Insurance 2024
• Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation (Pearl Sponsor and Legacy Sponsor)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to several key things. First, I had a mentor named Jim Watson who gave me my first opportunity in insurance. He wasn't the most polished guy, just a good old boy, but he gave me a chance when I had no experience. He taught me so much about relationships, sales, and how to show up. If it wasn't for him staying back a little bit to have that interview with me instead of going to New Jersey to race horses, I don't know where I would be. I've reciprocated that same opportunity to others throughout my career because he taught me to always give back. Beyond that, my success comes from my background as an immigrant and the work ethic my parents instilled in me. I was born in Mexico City, and my parents brought me and my older brother to the United States when I was young. My parents both worked multiple jobs, and all I knew was work. I also had to overcome dyslexia. I got held back in second grade because I couldn't read, but there was a program through the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation that taught me how to read, and I'm so grateful for that. Throughout my 27 years in the industry, I've been a continuous learner. After getting my P&C license, I kept asking what's next and got my CIC, MLIS, CRIS, and CRM. I read a lot of industry content, pick up the phone to talk to underwriters about what's happening in the market, and stay hungry for knowledge. I have a passion for risk management and insurance, and I'm always looking for hazards and solutions. I also believe in betting on yourself and getting out of your comfort zone, because that's where the growth is. I show up for myself and I'm my own biggest cheerleader. Insurance is one of those industries where you can't be complacent. You have to stay current because it's affected by so many things, and if you don't reinvent yourself regularly, you're behind.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I have received is to be intentional about how you position yourself, not just how hard you work.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her, go for it. I promise that you will later say, I wish I had done it sooner. Don't be scared. It can be a very intimidating industry, and there's so many facets of it personal lines, property, casualty, retail, wholesale, the carrier side, the adjuster side, claims. It can be very intimidating for somebody that just doesn't know, they just know of insurance, but they don't really know what it is. But once you're in it and you get your feet a little bit under you, you start to identify either I am an underwriter, or I'm not. I am a wholesale broker, or I'm not. I think I want to do this, but I'm really better over here. And it takes all types. I've mentored people who grew from receptionist all the way to account manager, and some want to be pushed into marketing and production roles, while others are comfortable and great at being account managers. There's a path for everyone. Some people want to know how fast they can go from receptionist to account manager to account executive to inside broker to production, and there's a path for that too. My advice is, go for it. Just go for it. Be fearless, because nobody, including myself, woke up one day and said, I'm gonna be in insurance, and that's gonna be my career. We don't. It's not normal. But once you're in it, you'll find your place.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are showing up for yourself, being your own biggest cheerleader, and betting on yourself. I preach this all the time to the younger generation - nobody's gonna show up for you, you have to show up for yourself, and then from that, you'll get momentum. You have to bet on yourself, and that's what I've done my entire career. It's been scary at times, like when I reinvented the wheel this past year with CRC. Sometimes it was one foot in front of the other and I was scared, but I get out of my comfort zone because that's where the growth is. I also believe strongly in giving back and protecting your name. I say to my kids all the time, protect your name and always give back, because you never know when you're gonna be on the other side where you're gonna need something. I've extended opportunities to others the same way my mentor Jim Watson gave me my first chance. Another core value is protecting my peace at all costs. What people think about me will not interrupt my peace. I tell people all the time, don't worry about what people think. Worry about how you feel about yourself. Don't let one person's opinion, or what you think they may think, interfere with your thought process or your peace. I also value being present for family while building my career. During COVID, when my brother was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 42, I was able to be present and take him to his treatments while still helping build relationships for the office I was working for. Even though I couldn't do a whole lot for myself because we were grounded and couldn't travel, I was able to connect them with a large group of 172 retail agents and help develop business for the company. My brother survived 9 months from diagnosis to burial, and although I didn't put a lot of dollars on the books during that time, it's the imprint, the footprint that I left that matters.