Graciela Almada

Graciela Almada is the Claims Advocate Lead at Alliant Insurance Services, where she advocates on behalf of clients regarding claim settlements and property and casualty claims. She began her career in the insurance industry in 2006 and has been with Alliant for about four years, working from her base in Irvine, California. Her expertise encompasses insurance, P&C, coverage policy, customer service, leadership, and being a team player. Almada earned a bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in law from California State University Long Beach. She later obtained a master's degree in teaching English and international education from USC in 2012 and completed an extension program for creative writing at UCLA. She attributes her success to hard work, tenacity, balance, learning to be a team player, building relationships in all directions, clear communication, and carrying oneself with dignity and respect. Almada values authenticity, kindness, recognizing the contributions of others, respecting differences, disagreeing without being disagreeable, and safeguarding body, mind, and soul. She advises young women entering the industry to work hard without shortcuts, embrace challenging paths to become well-rounded, and know when to walk away from unworkable situations but not too soon. In her view, current challenges include difficulties with face-to-face connections due to remote work and potential outsourcing, while opportunities lie in serving global clients and using AI effectively as a tool.