This article is part of an ongoing series to highlight our people by showcasing their path to Travelers, as well as their skills, interests and experiences.

When a talent recruiter from Travelers contacted Allison K. about a role on the Strategy, Planning & Programs team in Digital Enablement (DE), she was a marketing manager at a financial services company and not quite sure about making the leap.

“Given my background in marketing, I felt like I was a long-shot for this role, but during the interview process it was clear that Travelers values the different skillsets and experience people bring to the table, so I was very intrigued,” Allison said.

Allison accepted the position as a Strategic Initiatives Manager in January 2022, where she leads a variety of strategic initiatives focused on portfolio management, operational excellence and organizational engagement.

“Something’s that really stood out to me is how positive the culture is here and how we’re given flexibility when it comes to different ways of working. I love the hybrid model in that I’m able to interact with colleagues virtually or in person and build strong relationships across the team.”

“I’m making the most of the different learning opportunities afforded to me. I’ve enjoyed contributing to multiple ongoing projects while meeting new people along the way. It’s been an adventure!”

Allison is a great example of how your unique skill set can lead you to a career that’s more than you imagined.

Outside of work, Allison loves to cook, play golf and listen to music with her family. Growing up, one of her passions was diving.

Thanks for sharing your hiring story with us, Allison!

In the first six months of 2022, Travelers Europe planted over 2,000 trees thanks to employees volunteering hours through a partnership with onHand.

onHand is a volunteering platform designed to connect its users with local volunteer opportunities called “missions.” Employee participants earn one tree for their first mission and for every ten missions completed, with the opportunity to earn extra trees by participating in competitions.

Common missions in the app include calling an isolated individual to say hello, running errands for those in need, and making sustainable swaps like choosing reusable coffee cups or opting to air-dry clothes. Each activity completed via the app contributes to trees in the ever-expanding “Travelers Europe forests” – located in regions around the world severely impacted by deforestation including Mozambique, Nicaragua, and Madagascar, as well as reforestation projects in Scotland.

During the past year, Travelers Europe has also purchased additional saplings to boost environmental sustainability efforts, including offsetting carbon produced by several internal events and planting trees on behalf of customers and brokers in gratitude for their continued partnership.

“Working with onHand forms a key part of our sustainability activity,” says Matthew Wilson, CEO of Travelers Europe. “Planting 2,000 trees is a gratifying milestone, and I’m thankful to all of the employees who helped us reach it”.

Over the next six months and beyond, through the continued generosity of our Europe employees, we look forward to larger forests and smaller carbon footprints.

Erin, an Auto Liability Unit Manager in our Corporate Claim department, leads her team with the goal of achieving excellent customer service. Through their management of auto accident injury claims, Erin says they strive to handle all claimant communications with compassion, respect and empathy.

It’s the same culture of compassion, respect and empathy that Erin also finds herself in as an employee at Travelers.

Erin is quietly affected by mental illness, something she only recently realized is considered a hidden disability.

“I suffer from general anxiety, panic attacks, and have faced depression in the past,” Erin said.

She became aware of her anxiety nearly 20 years ago while experiencing her first panic attack in college.  At the time, family struggles, schoolwork, multiple jobs, and the general pressure of being a student were all piling on.

“I was spreading myself too thin. Exaggerated worries, doubt, and negativity consumed my every thought,” Erin said.

Since then, her journey into understanding and living with her mental health has been one of self-discovery. Through counseling, the support of her family, making self-care a priority and working in a caring environment, Erin has found life and career success.

“Even with struggles, you can achieve your goals and become successful if you learn healthy ways to overcome them,” Erin said.

Today at Travelers, she faces challenges using learned coping tools and the support from her mentors, leaders, and friends at work. She says they offer encouragement through public speaking responsibilities, interviews, and taking career risks – all areas where she may have otherwise struggled.

“The collaborative culture at Travelers helps you get to know your peers. Building those interpersonal relationships makes me feel trust, and with that trust, I am more willing to put myself out there,” she said.

Erin’s involvement in Travelers’ Diversity Networks (DN), including the Disability & Allies, Women & Allies and the Black and African American & Allies DNs, has also helped her connect with peers who share the same goals of promoting empowerment, inclusion and allyship.

“The Travelers DNs are a great way to meet professionals you may not have met otherwise,” she said, “It offers a great way to connect with a group of individuals who care about a common mission.”

Benefits and wellness offerings at Travelers have also helped Erin access support when needed. Travelers provides wellness resources, referral services, and confidential counseling services to all employees and their dependents.

“Travelers does a great job offering a safe place to seek support,” Erin said, “There are so many resources available for employees.”

Erin says her whole team may not be aware of the depth of her challenges. Still, she does share openly when she feels anxious and, in her experience, feels her honesty encourages others to feel more comfortable being open at work.

“I want to show how far we have come with the mental health stigma. A lot more people struggle with mental health than we probably realize and I am here to say that I can relate firsthand to those struggles.”

After losing a family member to mental illness and hearing more mental health-related stories shared by colleagues and leaders at Travelers, Erin felt compelled to share her story.

“I wanted to share to help someone, anyone,” she said, “Anxiety is part of my story, but it is not the whole story. If I help one person, then I am grateful.”

Resources

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call 988 or Chat with Lifeline
• Crisis Text Line Text TALK to 741741
• CDC Suicide Prevention

In 2008, Travelers created Diversity Networks — voluntary organizations led by employees dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. Open to all employees, the networks help foster the retention, development and success of our employees through networking, mentorship and community volunteer opportunities.

We recently sat down with members of our Disability & Allies Diversity Network to learn more about the impact of their involvement.

Tara DiBilio

Claim Account Executive Tara DiBilio pours drive and passion into the Disability & Allies Diversity Network (D&A DN) at Travelers. Residing in Dallas, Texas, Tara has left an everlasting mark on the program.

The D&A DN originally caught her attention because of her degree in education and her interest in the neurodiverse community. She is now the Learning and Development Co-Lead for the D&A DN and currently spearheading an American Sign Language program for all eight Travelers Diversity Networks. She also attended the Disability:IN conference where she and two other employees accepted the DEI 100 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion honor for the fifth year in a row on behalf of Travelers. She says the conference has expanded her knowledge and understanding to an even greater degree. Shortly after joining the D&A DN, Tara was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Her personal experience led her to create the MS group within the DN which serves as a support system for herself and other members that have or know loved ones with the condition. She says, “It created the desire in me to become much more involved.”

Since her enrollment, Tara says her involvement has completely changed her perspective on disabilities and everyday life. It’s become important to her to make sure that even newer members within the DN feel included enough to share the same sentiment. She assures, “I have a deeper understanding of the need to spread acceptance, empathy, and a safe place for everyone.”

Saphire Hathorne

State Product Director Saphire Hathorne, from Ricardson, Texas, connects her personal life to her participation in two Diversity Networks at Travelers.

As a black woman, she found a supportive community within the Black & African American & Allies Diversity Network that gave her a platform to discuss and overcome challenges in the workplace. Her firm commitment to our Disability & Allies Diversity Network originated from her desire to learn how to best prepare her son with Williams Syndrome for the corporate and social world post-high school. She says, “After he got out of high school it was very difficult for him to find a job, even though I knew the skillset he had.”

She is constantly inspired by working with others who face similar challenges to her son and do not let their disabilities hold them back from achieving their goals. She says, “I hope to one day see more employers realize that a person’s abilities are far more important in the workplace than their disability.”

Since joining the D&A DN, Saphire has developed strong relationships in and out of the company. She’s had the opportunity to be mentored by senior executives and finds it immensely rewarding to volunteer. She also had the chance to attend the Disability:IN conference amongst her peers.

Saphire reminds us, “We’re all human beings. Everybody has something to contribute to this world. I’m glad I have the opportunity to work for a company that encompasses values of people with different walks of life.”

Alan Wirkman

Though he is a loyal member of all eight Diversity Networks, Alan Wirkman has developed a personal and profound connection with Travelers’ Disability & Allies Diversity Network. Appointed affinity coach of the D&A DN, he is constantly creating new strategies to make a difference.

As a parent with a child that has a neurodiverse disability, Alan was motivated to learn more about how to support his family at home and at work. He says, “You spend most of your days at work and the people that you work with become a part of your family. It’s important to understand the challenges they have and to learn about experiences that you may share.”

Alan’s leadership position within the DN has allowed him to grant and receive incredible opportunities. He recently attended the Disability:IN conference. At the conference, he was able to interview people with disabilities and prepared them for a successful job interview. Alan says, “We have to be understanding of accommodations. We need more people comfortable with sharing the accommodations they need. It’ll change our culture, and we will continue to have some really strong talent.”

Alan continues to grow his awareness within the disability community. As a parent, a colleague, a mentor, and a leader, he understands that his support and compassion towards others can foster change and create a safe place in the world and the workplace for people with disabilities to be unapologetically themselves.

Tara Kennedy, Claim Customer Services Vice President, has been at Travelers for almost three decades strong. Starting out as a Claim professional trainee, Tara learned about all lines of business and had the opportunity to network and learn skills that she would adapt to work with anyone. After serving in several different roles at Travelers, Tara now leads the Claim Customer Services organization.

According to Tara, the learning didn’t end with her first role. “Through hard work, curiosity and taking risks, I continue to learn through roles with increased complexity and responsibility,” she says.

When asked to give her top three reasons why somebody should join the Claim Customer Services organization at Travelers, Tara says:

1. You will be at the heart of our promise to secure, respect and care for our customers when they need us the most.
2. Your path forward is yours to create, and we’ll be there very step of the way. From extensive coaching to hands-on training, your career aspirations and development are a team priority.
3. You develop and practice skills that are transferrable in just about every position at Travelers.

“I lead a group of diverse, talented professionals,” Tara said, “We look for hard working, customer-passionate people who want to help our customers after they experienced a personal or professional loss.” Tara says.

One of those talented professionals is Kim Tallard, who currently serves as a Claim Operations Specialist after starting her career at Travelers as a Claim Customer Service Representative.

“The role gave me the opportunity to grow my career within Travelers,” Kim says, “Applying my prior knowledge as a Claim Customer Service representative helped greatly with my transition to the Operations Specialist role I’m currently in.”

Tara and Kim both turned their passion for others into a career, finding growth and opportunity along the way. Their stories are another example of the Travelers Promise – taking care of our customers, communities and each other.

Kourtney Mason, Auto Liability Claim Manager, recently accepted a position as Regional Director for Claim Account Executives at Travelers. As she transitioned into the role in March 2022, we sat down with Kourtney to discuss her thoughts on this significant moment, her passion for diversity, equity and inclusion as well as her dedication to one other area of passion and servitude – mental health.

How long have you been at Travelers and what led up to this moment?

“I have been with Travelers for over 10 years. I’ve been a manager in the Claim organization for a little over seven and a half years. I’ve always wanted to serve in a higher level of leadership, which would be a Director role. This Regional Director opportunity came up and I just went for it. I felt like I could add value.”

Tell us about that moment when you learned you were to become a Regional Director for Claim Account Executives at Travelers.

“To be honest, I’m still trying to process so many emotions and come up with a good way to say how I feel but I’m just still so overwhelmed. I’ve been explaining to people that when you come from a background like mine, a person of color and, more specifically, a Black woman, you have dreams and you go for things but there is still a part of you that isn’t sure if you totally believe in yourself. So, when the moment happened, it was so surreal.”

How does diversity, equity and inclusion roll up into your leadership style?

“To me, diversity, equity and inclusion is far beyond race and ethnicity. It’s gender identity, sexual orientation, age, neurodiversity, there are so many different lanes. So, I’ve always had the leadership style of including everybody, making sure everyone feels they are a part of the team, and adapting my leadership style to whoever I’m with. Having one static leadership style won’t relate to everyone; it needs to be dynamic and adaptive. It’s about being authentic, being genuine, listening, and having empathy. I lead with this at work but it’s not very different from who I am at home, at church, at the grocery store or anywhere else. It’s who I am at my core.”

You’ve noted that mental health is something else you are very passionate about. Can you tell us more?

“Personally, I am very open about having anxiety. It took me several years to understand that I had it, but once I did and I began to unlearn the conditioning and pressure from my upbringing, it opened up a whole world for me. I thought, if I feel this way, I can’t imagine the percentage of the population I’m leading that also feels this way.

I co-lead a Diversity and Inclusion/Community Action group within Claim and for several years I wanted to have a platform to discuss mental health. My leaders supported me and gave me that platform and now we host panels and conversations where people can share their stressors, what they’re doing to cope and understand that they are not alone in their mental health journey.

If we understand what those around us are going through, we can create empathy and lead each other through it. If we ignore that people are dealing with life outside of work, we aren’t reaching them. Mental health shouldn’t be a taboo topic and I think if we keep fostering an open and safe environment, we’ll find that we’re all uniquely made, and we all deserve the resources and support.”

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

“I am just so grateful and blessed. I never thought I’d be where I am today, working in insurance, but here I am. Travelers is a place for everyone, and I mean that. Whether you are an attorney, an actuary, a nurse, you love math, you love science, you simply care for people, whatever it may be, there is a whole world within this company that will support who you are and what you do. The resources and the support are here. There is a place for you at Travelers.”

Let’s Get Moving

The power of supporting parents and caregivers isn’t just a movement – it will get you moving. For many of us, self-care continues to be a top priority. Travelers’ Working Parent & Caregiver Resource Group introduced its latest event with excitement, focusing on employee balance through mental and physical health for everyday living.  Employee Joelle Rees walked our parents and caregivers through a 20-minute ‘Balance of Opposite Forces’ class that included strengthening, stretching and meditation right from the comfort of our home office!

Say Hello to Joelle Rees, your ‘Balance of Opposite Forces’ instructor

Joelle Rees is one of our talented employees in our Claim Operations organization out of the Ontario, CN office. Joelle was on the Canadian National Gymnastics Team and competed internationally for Team Canada. In 2000, she competed as a Junior in the Pan American Games in Brazil and in 2001, she went to the World Championships in Ghent, Belgium. After her gymnastics career, Joelle worked for Imagination Entertainment and was an Acrobat in Cirque De La Mer at Sea World in San Diego.

Joelle’s passion for the arts led her to continue her journey in teaching and coaching. She has taught both competitive and recreational dance as well as coached gymnastics and sports aerobics to children for many years. Joelle is a certified personal trainer, working with adults and designing sport-specific programming for children. In addition to instructing the ‘Balance of Opposite Forces’ class, Joelle has hosted virtual dance parties for the children of the Working Parent & Caregiver Resource Group.

The Power of Travelers is Us

It is because of passionate people like Joelle that this voluntary organization can provide a supportive environment for parents and caregivers. At Travelers, we are all committed to helping our employees be healthy and productive in every aspect of life. The Working Parent & Caregiver Resource Group is just one of the many resources available to all employees and temporary employees at Travelers. Some of the additional resources include:

• Comprehensive benefits package on day one of employment
• Life Balance program available to you and your household family members
• And More!

If interested, learn more about our exciting career opportunities here.

Yafit Cohn is Travelers’ first Chief Sustainability Officer, responsible for leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts across the company. Under her leadership and through extensive research and comprehensive conversations with investors and senior individuals across the company – we identified 16 drivers of sustained value, which are discussed on our sustainability website. Each driver contributes to our long-term value, and each is essential to our ability to remain competitive and deliver on the Travelers Promise.

What does sustainability mean to Travelers?

Travelers takes a holistic view of sustainability; we believe that a company’s long-term value creation depends not only on its financial strategy but also on the way it manages various economic, environmental, and social factors.

We recognize that our long-term success requires that we do three things successfully:

• Perform today
• Transform tomorrow
• Make good on the Travelers Promise and fulfill our promise to our customers, communities, and employees – take care of each other

Why is it important for Travelers to put a greater focus on these efforts?

Customers, employees, and prospective hires have been showing greater interest in sustainability-related information. For us, it’s a no-brainer. Showcasing our drivers of sustained value is key to explaining our core belief that our long-term success depends not only on our business strategy and competitive advantages but also on keeping our promise. Only by faithfully keeping the Travelers Promise will we earn the support of key stakeholders essential to creating shareholder value. And only by successfully creating shareholder value will we earn the resources we need to keep the Travelers Promise. One is not possible without the other.

How will Travelers track and quantify the success of our sustainability efforts?

Our success will be apparent when our stakeholders appreciate Travelers’ deeply rooted recognition that long-term success depends on a commitment to all stakeholders. For us, sustainability is not a branding exercise — it’s how we conduct business and create shareholder value.

Kimberly H., Senior Sales Executive at Travelers, went in for a routine colonoscopy in January 2021 and left the appointment with the news that she had stage 4 colon cancer.

“I remember waking up and finding out,” Kimberly said, “I was shocked. These things always happen to someone else, never to you. I had been healthy my entire career.”

In 2019, Kimberly’s doctor had recommended she get the scan the following year as typical proactive health protocol. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full force in 2020, Kimberly pushed the appointment off. When her doctor found out, he urged her to go in 2021. “I called my doctor right after I found out the news and thanked him,” Kimberly explained, “If he hadn’t been so professionally demanding, I probably would’ve put it off for another year.”

Doctors quickly discovered that the cancer had already spread to Kimberly’s lungs. She underwent two surgeries to remove as much as possible and was assigned six months of chemotherapy post-op. “I was fortunate to only have to go through six months of chemo,” Kimberly said, “I saw stage 4 patients who were assigned 12 months ongoing. I had bought two wigs thinking I’d lose all my hair. I didn’t. I was lucky in many ways.”

Kimberly was on medical leave for nine months during treatment and is now in No Evidence of Disease (NED) status, also called remission. She is back at work, assisting Travelers’ agents and doing what she loves.

When asked how she stayed resilient during that time, Kimberly smiled. “My team and insurance industry partners were amazing,” she recalled, “They sent me cards, flowers, emails, prayers, meals – an overwhelming amount of support. Halfway through my chemo treatments my husband said we needed a bigger refrigerator to hold all the cards!”

It wasn’t just the emotional support that assisted Kimberly during this difficult time. It was the financial support as well. “Long-term disability is a benefit that you never think you will use,” Kimberly said, “I was so grateful that I had it. I didn’t have to worry about my job or my income while I was out. I could just focus on my health.”

Travelers’ comprehensive benefits program offers short- and long-term disability coverage, medical, dental and vision plans, paid time off, 401k Savings Program with company match and so much more. “The company has been great to work with,” Kim reflected, “During my leave, they reached out and helped me understand the LTD process, file paperwork, and even connected me with cancer support groups after treatment. I am one of the biggest advocates for our benefits package. I’m so thankful for my colleagues, my agents and for Travelers.”

In this Power of Travelers Is Us video, you will meet Jhavier L., a Software Engineer at Travelers.

While he understands and values the importance of sharing his authentic self at work, it has been a journey to grow his comfort level. He attributes his Travelers managers and mentors for guiding him along the way.

“Being earlier in my career, I don’t want to overstep or make anyone feel uncomfortable and I’m trying to kind of like find the space between which parts of myself should I leave at home,” Jhavier says in the video.  Throughout his career under the umbrella, his membership of the Travelers Pride and Allies Diversity Network facilitated mentor relationships that encouraged him to be more open with his team.

“[My mentor] is teaching me that you bring your entire self to work. So I think the true benefit of Travelers as a whole, even outside of the diversity networks, is that you still have spaces on your day-to-day job with your main team where you can feel comfortable and share who you are.”

Within an inclusive community and with the guidance Jhavier has received, he has found Travelers to be a company where he can grow his technology career and a workplace culture that invites all unique ideas, perspectives and people to the table.

“[My mentor] has helped me to understand the importance of being seen and visible so that people would have more respect for your identity in different spaces.”

Watch the full video to hear more about Jhavier’s journey.