Her Story
About Kristen
Kristen Weber is a Vice President and Head of Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) at American Global, based in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. With more than 20 years of experience across construction, risk management, and insurance, she has built a career centered on understanding and managing financial and operational risk in large-scale construction projects. In her current role, she leads SDI strategy and helps bridge perspectives across the insured, insurer, and broker sides of the industry.
Kristen began her career in accounting and project finance before joining Balfour Beatty Construction in 2006, where she transitioned into subcontractor underwriting and later advanced into corporate risk management leadership. Over more than a decade with the company, she progressed through multiple roles, eventually serving as Director of Risk Management. She later held similar leadership positions with other general contractors, gaining broad, hands-on experience in construction risk operations and subcontractor qualification processes.
In 2021, Kristen joined Liberty Mutual as an Underwriting Officer for Subcontractor Default Insurance, further deepening her expertise from the carrier side. She later moved into her current leadership role at American Global, where she now integrates her experience across all sides of the industry to build stronger risk strategies. Passionate about construction and its impact on communities, she is also a strong advocate for mentorship, collaboration, and creating opportunities for others to grow within the industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to positive influences and perseverance. It might be hard, but don't give up. I wouldn't have gotten here without people pouring into me and believing in me. My biggest responsibility now is continuing to contribute to my team members and those that I meet, so that they have a pathway and opportunity, because others did that for me. I think it's about educating those that are in the organization and those that I can bring to the organization, so that this continues to be successful and creates opportunity for them as well.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received was from my father, who encouraged me to study accounting, a decision that ultimately helped shape the foundation of my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One, never underestimate yourself. I think as women, we tend to be very hard on ourselves, and we'll look at a job posting and go, oh my gosh, well, I only meet 95% of the criteria, not 100%, and we use that as reasons to not apply. Generally, our male counterparts will look at it and they'll go, hey, I meet 50% of this, I got this. For me, it's never underestimate yourself, that you deserve that seat at the table. The second component of that is never be afraid to reach out and ask for mentorship. Be completely open, realize that that responsibility is yours when you ask somebody else. They're not going to show up and say, alright, this is our agenda, this is what we're going to learn today. It's up to you to be the sponge and be an advocate, but asking for that support to help you grow, I think is absolutely key.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being intentional about my time and creating space for myself so that I'm not burnt out is critical, so that I show up better in my own life as well as in my professional life. There are just things that are non-negotiable, like Sunday is my day. That's not a day to answer email or anything else. That's what fills me personally, spiritually, all of those things. Creating some firm boundaries of taking care of yourself is essential, because when you don't do that, you can't show up for those that you're supposed to be leading and encouraging. The gym is also non-negotiable on Wednesday and Thursday when I'm in town. That is my time, and it clears my head so that I can show up and be ready to tackle the challenges of the day. Family is obviously very important. I moved home to be closer to my nephews.
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