Amber Abernathy, Account Executive at Travelers, has been awarded with the inaugural ‘Alumni Spirit Award’ by Girl Talk, a nonprofit organization focused on peer-to-peer mentoring with teen girls.
The ‘Alumni Spirit Award’ is the first ever award given by Girl Talk. According to the organization, it is given to a Girl Talk alumna for inspiring confident leaders through the work they have done with the organization.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Amber said. “I got the phone call and was very surprised. I feel so grateful to be honored by an organization that I love and have grown so much with.”
Amber has been involved with Girl Talk since she was in sixth grade, when she worked with a high school mentor. She loved the program and became a mentor when she reached high school. From there, Amber has stayed active with Girl Talk, speaking at their Girl Talk Camp during the summer, working to build out the organization’s alumni network and contributing to other Girl Talk programming.
“Girl Talk is all about leadership, confidence and learning how to be the best version of yourself,” Amber said. “I honestly used to be so shy, I wouldn’t talk to people. I have always been a quiet person, but Girl Talk taught me how to be a quiet leader in the workplace and build confidence in that type of leadership.”
Amber joined Travelers as a Posse Scholar intern in 2017 through the company’s Posse Foundation partnership. After the internship, she was hired full-time as an Underwriting Professional Development Program participant and now serves as an Account Executive. She says Travelers is a workplace that feels like home.
“Travelers has provided me the flexibility and work-life balance to be able to volunteer with organizations like Girl Talk and give back to my community in ways that I am passionate about,” Amber said. “It’s truly an amazing feeling to be celebrated at work for things I do outside of work. The company celebrates me in all parts of my life.”
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Travelers is committed to promoting career opportunities to a diverse range of talent in the actuary community. One of the ways where this commitment is apparent is through our partnership with the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA).
Travelers’ strong presence at the recent IABA annual conference demonstrated the company’s commitment to investing in development opportunities for Black actuaries. One attendee was Whittney LeBruce, who was introduced to Travelers when she attended the conference in 2017.
Whittney participated in a pre-conference bootcamp for aspiring actuaries. The bootcamp included a mock interview with Travelers, where she made a connection. Whittney met with five Travelers attendees that year and become convinced the company would be a great fit.
Fast forward five years: Whittney, who is now a recruiting lead for entry-level talent, joined four other Travelers colleagues to share knowledge and lessons through a “cooking show” for this year’s conference attendees. The “chefs” used cooking analogies to demonstrate how building a predictive model is achieved with each “ingredient.”
“I really value promoting diverse talent into this career,” Whittney said. “Maintaining a connection to IABA has been paramount to me. Through my participation, I can help build a pipeline for Black actuaries, celebrate them and help us learn from each other.”
This year, Travelers sent 15 actuaries to the IABA meeting, triple the number Whittney saw when she attended four years ago.
Loren Danielson, VP of Actuarial and Analytics, attended the conference as well and was honored as IABA Mentor of the Year.
“I got comments from multiple people from other companies on how many people Travelers sent to the conference,” Danielson said. “It was definitely recognized that Travelers is a leader, both in the content they presented and the value Travelers sees in sending people to the conference.”
In addition to being a recruiting opportunity, the conference is also viewed as an opportunity to retain talent who attend and return re-energized about their careers in this field.
“I’m very glad that Travelers continues to invest in me,” Whittney said. “And I’m honored that I can now help invest in others.”
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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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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Travelers has a long-standing history of honoring and supporting its military employees. While we understand the unique skillset and experience that our service members bring to careers at Travelers, those who hire, manage and support military employees rarely get to see their military skills in action.
Recently, two Travelers leaders got the chance to view some of the capabilities and tasks our Reserve Component Service Members perform while on duty with the Connecticut National Guard (CTNG) through the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift Program.
The Bosslift Program, also referred to as “Employer Day” by the CTNG, allows civilian employers to understand the missions, skills, experience, education and knowledge that service members bring to the defense of our nation and our civilian workforce. Ricky Jones, Regional President, Enterprise Distribution Management, and James Forshey, Senior Vice President, Field Management, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and a group of other employers toured Connecticut Army and Air National Guard facilities in Windsor Locks and East Granby, Connecticut, where Travelers employees proudly serve.
While some Bosslift transportation took place on a military bus, an anticipated UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flight over downtown Hartford treated the Travelers team to another unique perspective for the day: the sky view of the iconic Travelers tower.
“Hiring from this community of people strengthens our reputation as a military and veteran-friendly company as well as extending our commitment to diversity in our workforce,” James said.
“The people we met have diverse backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints and knowledge representing all dimensions of diversity. We are a better company when we incorporate those multiple dimensions into our workforce.”
“I’ve always had a tremendous respect for the men and women who serve our country and make sacrifices to keep us free,” Ricky said.
“The Bosslift not only showcased the multiple talents of the service members we met, but it also reinforced pride in one’s country over oneself in work performed each and every day.”
The ESGR is an office of the Department of Defense that promotes understanding and cooperation between reservists and their employers. Travelers signed a Statement of Support with ESGR in 2016, further solidifying our company’s commitment to supporting our nation’s National Guard and Reserve units through providing employment opportunities, advocacy and awareness.
“I feel proud and fortunate to be a Travelers employee and I’m struck by how our company values align with that of the military – ‘integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do’* sounds exactly like us,” said James. “And as much as we, as people and a company, appreciate the service of our armed forces, they appreciate us and our support as much.”
* “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do” are the core values of the U.S. Air Force.
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This year, we welcomed more than 400 interns under the umbrella. We sat down with three of them to learn their stories and hear about their summer experience with us.
Anjali A.
While working towards earning her PhD in statistics, Anjali A. of Amherst, Massachusetts has spent this summer here at Travelers interning under the Data Science Leadership Development Program.
Anjali, who has one more year in her doctorate program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was introduced to Travelers through a modeling competition held at her school. She admits that although insurance was not necessarily her first choice for a career, her interest was piqued shortly after she learned about all the fascinating data and insights that could be collected from insurance, as well as the employees that she had the opportunity of engaging with.
“One thing I love about my team is how open everyone is to sharing knowledge; I really look forward to presenting my work and discussing my work with my teammates,” says Anjali.
At the conclusion of the summer, Anjali hopes to have gained as much knowledge about insurance products as possible and to have built a broader skill set as a data scientist. She says, “Every single call I’ve had with someone here, I’ve learned so much; I learn something new every single time.”
Rising senior at the University at Buffalo, Elijah K., joined Travelers this year as an LDP summer intern. Majoring in finance and working under the Operations Leadership Development Program, Elijah says an average day for him can begin anywhere from capacity reporting to mid-year cutoff reporting.
Elijah discovered Travelers three years ago through a family friend that had suggested he apply to the Claim internship program. Following his brief introduction to the company and several interviews, Elijah spent two summers virtually working in Claim until he accepted a position in Operations this summer.
He says, “[At Travelers] There are a lot of diverse roles you can be a part of. If you get tired of one thing, you won’t have to leave. There’s still another part of the company you can get training on and transfer to.”
By the end of the season, Elijah hopes to take his developed skill sets as an intern and apply them as a full-time employee in Operations. His advice to future interns is to truly understand the importance of networking. He says, “The more people that you meet, the better.”
Originally from Ukraine, Kateryna Y. is spending her second summer under the umbrella as an intern for the Finance Leadership Development Program. Arriving to the United States in 2004, she now resides in Connecticut where she attends Central Connecticut State University double majoring in accounting and finance.
The opportunity to intern at Travelers was offered to Kateryna through her sources and professors at her university. She says, “Once I learned more about Travelers, I realized how many opportunities there are for learning, especially so early on in your career.”
One of Kateryna’s biggest learning opportunities this summer so far has been co-leading the LDP Intern Newsletter. Her new leadership position has helped her create relationships with members of other Leadership Development Programs outside of Finance, as well as develop strategies to keep track of personal and collective deadlines.
After finishing undergrad, Kateryna aims to one day work full-time in the FLDP. She advises future interns at Travelers to never stop networking. She says, “Your internship is your opportunity to learn not only about your specific role, but also about how the company works, its goals and its culture. Building your network early on in your career is very helpful for your growth in the future.”
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At Travelers, innovation is part of our DNA. That’s never truer than during the Travelers Innovation Jam (InJam), an annual hackathon that provides Travelers employees the opportunity to develop new technologies that answer business challenges and aim to improve the experiences of our customers and employees. The inventions that come out of InJam and other working groups embody the spirit of innovation at Travelers, and several have become contenders for U.S. patents.
Travelers has filed 70 employee-driven U.S. patents in the last five years thanks to innovators like Michael Gammon, an Information Systems Engineer. Michael’s team created HomeSafe, an app-based system powered by machine learning which allows consumers to measure water usage more effectively. The team was inspired to create HomeSafe by personal experience. “Our team decided to focus on mitigating water damage after a particularly cold winter in the Northeast,” Michael said.
In creating this technology, they balanced researched-based findings and consumer needs to allow users to better protect their homes from water damage. In the same vein, the patented Wildfire Defender uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess wildfire risk. “After the world experienced several years of devastating wildfires, we wanted to focus on the potential impact of vegetation when assessing wildfire risk in a proactive way,” said Stefanie Walker, Manager, Information Delivery.
Where HomeSafe shook up the consumer technology space, other Travelers patents focus on innovating in commercial tech. “When cargo is stolen, the first 24 to 48 hours of an investigation are crucial,” says Scott Cornell, National Practice Leader for Inland Marine Transportation. In response to this issue, Scott and his team developed The Cargo Theft App, which uses AI to prevent theft and aid recovery. “This app makes it possible for drivers to photograph their truck, trailer and cargo, and warns them about areas where theft has recently occurred along their planned driving route. If something gets stolen, the app can instantly send pertinent information to Travelers, vastly accelerating the investigation and supporting recovery,” he said.
Scott’s teammate Ernesto Jaramillo, Senior Information Systems Director and Circle Lead, highlights how crucial their interdisciplinary team was to the app’s development. “The keys to our success were our agile mindset and the fact that our team was cross-functional. If I had been at InJam with just engineers, we’d have been coding without a business partner’s expertise. And if our business colleagues had been working on a concept without engineers, it could have remained a mere idea.”
After working on Intelligent Imagery, another patented technology that applies computer vision models to aerial image data to determine a building’s footprint and characteristics, Data Scientist Murat Yasar, Ph.D., also credited the app’s success to a multifaceted team. “We approached the idea for this system with an inclusive, collaborative mindset, which brought out each person’s perspective,” Murat said. “Our team included people from product development, data science and architecture. And from that we could better consider every angle, outlining how our solution would benefit not only Travelers but also our customers, agents and brokers.”
At Travelers, innovation and collaboration go hand in hand—and everybody benefits. Each of these patents, which benefit stakeholders from large companies to the average consumer, is proof of the power of tech and of teamwork.
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By Lynn Simon-Thomas
Manager, Diversity Engagement
Talent Acquisition
I often get calls from friends, colleagues, and family members seeking advice on how they should prepare for an interview after they’ve already scheduled it. Usually, the beginning of the conversation is loaded with anxiety because the mere thought of interviewing makes many people uncomfortable and nervous. On one hand, I can understand because some interviewers put candidates through an experience similar to a Senate confirmation hearing. On the other hand, I find it confusing because when you apply for a job, that usually means you believe you’re qualified to do it based on your experience. And who knows your experience better than you?
That question is the basis for one of the first questions I often ask when interviewing a candidate which is, “Why did you apply to the position?”
Point blank, why are you seeking another job? And particularly, why this job?
I always ask this question because it forces people to take a step back and really investigate the “why” behind their job search. It also inspires honest introspection and self-reflection, which can help determine whether a position may be the right opportunity. When you unequivocally understand your “why” and you are self-aware enough to know your strengths, as well as the things you need to improve upon, you become a much stronger and appealing candidate.
In addition to knowing your “why,” it’s also important that you have a solid understanding of the current job description. Do you clearly understand the tasks you will be asked to complete if given the role? One way to obtain this clarity is to ask the recruiter to share some insights into what the hiring manager seeks in a candidate. Armed with that information, be sure to ask yourself if you truly have the proper skills needed to succeed in the role. If you don’t, that can be okay if you consider the opportunity a “stretch” role and you have the desire to obtain those needed skills.
If and when the opportunity presents itself, be sure to ask potential co-workers to describe the culture within the company and department, as departmental culture can sometimes differ from the overall company culture. Enjoying what you do, and with whom you do it, is extremely important for your emotional well-being. It can impact your daily motivation, drive, and overall contribution to your job and the company. Take an honest look within yourself to uncover what makes you happy in your current job. Try to identify those things that bring you joy at work and make you excited to start your day. The ability to explain what you need from a job, as well as the opportunities you see in your next role, can go a long way towards ensuring the role is right for you.
Finally, once you have a better understanding of the role and what the hiring manager may be looking for in a candidate, you should be able to clearly articulate what you bring to the table through relevant examples of how your current skill set makes you an ideal candidate for the position. Perhaps you helped to improve a vital process that saved your current department a significant amount of money. Or maybe you were instrumental in turning overall customer sentiment from negative to positive. Regardless, when you can demonstrate that you have the expertise and experience to help a potential manager solve the problems they’re currently facing, you dramatically improve your chances of landing the role.
To help you remember these guidelines, I’ve created a short list of tips that can help you ace your next interview.
Interviewing Tips:
Concentrating on these four things can help you navigate your next interview successfully and remove some of the pre-interview anxiety many people experience. Good luck!
Lynn Simon-Thomas is Manager, Diversity Engagement within Talent Acquisition. Lynn has over 15 years of experience in recruiting and diversity engagement. She serves as the diversity and inclusion subject matter expert focused on the execution of targeted diverse talent sourcing strategies.
Connect with Lynn Simon-Thomas and other Travelers leaders on LinkedIn.
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Amber Abernathy Honored by Girl Talk
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