Her Story
About Virginia 'Ginny'
I've been in the insurance industry for 36 years now. When I started, I began in the underwriting area, and then I wanted to learn more about the industry, so I went over to the claims side since underwriting and claims work hand-in-hand. I progressed up the ranks to handling lawsuits and did litigation for quite a few years. It was very interesting for me because nothing is ever the same. I went from an entry-level position up to handling claims that involve negotiation, mediations, and arbitrations, including injury claims. Then I progressed to handling claims that involve lawsuits. Now I'm back on the underwriting side, and I find it very interesting. In insurance, you're always going to find that something may sound similar, but there are always aspects of it that make it different, and you're always learning. That's one thing I love about it - nothing remains the same, everything is always evolving and growing. Today, as an underwriter, I work with auto underwriting, umbrella, and homeowner property underwriting areas. I also serve in leadership roles as the Regional Membership Director for the International Association of Insurance Professionals, which keeps me quite busy, and I work on our Georgia state level with our Georgia Council of Insurance Professionals as their Public Relations Chair. I serve on the Member Engagement Task Force where we're always looking to come up with fresh ideas of what our members may need and welcoming new members from all over the United States, including Puerto Rico. I'm also working on getting my credentials through the American Agricultural Foundation because the more you know, the more you can offer to your customer. At Georgia Farm Bureau, I work with agents every day all over the state of Georgia, reviewing accounts to see what we can do to retain business and fulfill the customer's needs in personal lines of automobile insurance as well as business lines. We have a lot of farm accounts in the agriculture industry. I look at it this way - insurance is a service industry . Customers pay a premium and they expect us to deliver and provide a service for when there's a time of need, and we have to be prepared for that and make sure we live up to their expectations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Virginia 'Ginny'
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to preparing myself education-wise and being willing to learn. You must be willing to
work to learn what is going to be needed for you to reach where you desire to be. You also have to have a passion and a vision for where you want to go, for the next thing that you are looking to achieve. You have to have that vision for it, so it will manifest. Going back to the biblical principle, write the vision and make it plain. You have to have that vision if you want to see it manifest in your career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to always do your best and always reach back to mentor and help others. If you do that, everything will fall in place for you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that there is a lot of opportunity for you in this industry. When I was entering the industry and we went to college, we did not get a degree in risk management - we got degrees in other areas of business and chose to be in this industry that involves risk management. But now, that is an option at a lot of colleges where you can major in risk management and get degrees in insurance and related fields. My advice to younger people who are in the industry now is to always make sure that you are preparing yourself for where you desire to be, so that when that door opens, you can readily walk through that door because you're ready.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There are so many challenges in the industry. I would say it's a very competitive market, so you have to remain on the cutting edge. There are a lot of changes, for example with AI, which has also affected the insurance industry. What I would say is to learn about AI and how you can utilize it as a tool to make things better for what we do in the industry. It's not going away, so I would say embrace what it has to offer that's positive. There are some positive things about AI as well, so embrace what it offers in a positive aspect and make it work for you.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say it first starts with integrity. Integrity and your values - having core values that represent you in your work ethic but also in your daily life. I can always remember my daddy always saying to let your word count. Whatever you say and you do, people can rely on it. So let your word count for you. That's just something that has stayed with me.
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