For Susan Daniels — the insurance industry was pretty much loveat first sight.

Most people who find themselves in the industry have workedelsewhere before changing careers, but that wasn't the case forDaniels. “After graduating with a degree in health careadministration, I started pursuing a Master's degree in publichealth administration, and undertook an internship in the healthfield,” she explains.

Started as a workers' comp trainee adjuster

When the internship wasn't the challenge she'd hoped, Danielsstarted watching for job openings and applied to be a workers'compensation trainee adjuster with an insurancecompany. Insurance ran in her family as her father had spent morethan 30 years as a multi-line adjuster, working as a workers'compensation claims manager at Northern Adjusters.

“My dad put out an inquiry about the job and called me back tosay that as long as I could spell 'insurance,' they welcomed me toapply,” recalls Daniels.

She spent the next year working as a trainee adjuster at theinsurance carrier, when her father passed away unexpectedly due toa reaction from the chemotherapy he had just started. “Because thefolks at Northern Adjusters were family to me, I reached out tooffer help, presuming my offer would be evenings and weekend help,”says Daniels. “The leaders met with me and offered me an adjusterposition. Over the next month, I changed employers, studied andsecured my adjusting license, and I took over my dad's claim load,minus a few gnarly files. My mom thought I was nuts to walkdirectly into such a loss. For me, it was a way to honor his legacyand be in community through the loss.”

That was in 1993, and for the next 24 years, Daniels wouldcontinue to hone her understanding of the insuranceindustry, expanding her knowledge of workers' compensation andtaking on new leadership roles as she went from supervisor, toworkers' comp unit manager and then manager, to vice president,president and eventually owner of Northern Adjusters.

First woman to lead the NAIIA

Her leadership roles weren't confined to her company either. Shealso became involved in industry groups including the AlaskaAdjusters Association, the Workers' Compensation Committee ofAlaska, as well as the Affiliated Adjusters. Realizing the value ofcontributing to an industry that had given so much to herpersonally and professionally, Daniels attended her first meetingwith the NationalAssociation of Independent Insurance Adjusters (NAIIA) in 2000,when Past President Dane Havard took her to a meeting in Keystone,Colorado. This month, she became the first woman to lead theorganization as its president.

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Daniels serves in the these organizations because she believesthat “each of us have talents, skills, [and] strengths, and aredesigned for a purpose to function together in community tocontribute something bigger and better than we can do on ourown.”

While her accomplishments are recognized and appreciated bynumerous women and men in the insurance industry, it is the supportthat is a lot closer to home that really matters. “Personally, I'mtouched by the feedback from my daughters and other professionalwomen,” shares Daniels. “My daughters have expressed that myaccomplishments in leadership, and even power lifting, have giventhem the courage to go after their goals, to dare greatly andpursue their dreams, and believe they can impact the world.”

Daniels and her family. (Photo: S. Daniels)

Claims adjusting in Alaska

Sometimes it is easy to forget the challenges that insuranceadjusters encounter daily, but some locales provide a little morechallenge than others, and Alaska definitely offers a few that mostinsurance professionals cannot even begin to comprehend.

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Geographically, the state is larger than Texas, and travel timebetween claims can be significant, which surprises desk adjustersnot familiar with the terrain. “We have big scenery,landscapes and wild life,” describes Daniels. “We have a need tohelp communicate our vastness when discussing our environment. Forus, a total loss dialogue may mean presenting the differencebetween the local repair costs in a remote, one-shop village versuswaiting until spring for the rivers to thaw to ship a vehicle toAnchorage for alternative shop repair. Cold weather can be asignificant element in our claim handling, including sub-zerotemps, where exhaling can ruin a good picture, and pen ink actuallyfreezes.”

Traveling to claims can be its own adventure. “Besideschallenges with extreme cold and seasonal darkness, our fieldadjusters may have to use two to three modes of transportation toget to a loss,” explains Daniels. “This may include commercialairline, followed by bush plane, and even a ride by snow-machine or4-wheeler into a loss community.”

Adventurous on-site investigations

The actual claims can be pretty interesting too. Danielsdescribes a significant claim requiring an on-site investigation onan off-shore oil rig. She volunteered to take the claim, knowingthere was a very good chance she would get weathered in at thesite.

“I travelled by large commercial plane, followed by a smallerplane, and finally donned a full-body emergency suit to ride byhelicopter to an off shore oil rig in severe winter weather andblowing snow,” she says. “The rig had been shut down in theaftermath of this serious loss and while an investigation wascompleted.”

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Once on site, Daniels found that the company had a strongincident response plan in place. ”The rig leader did a phenomenaland compassionate debriefing with employees on the rig, with ahealthy pause in operations to pay honor and respect in the face ofloss. It was a great model of leadership and responsiveness toexperience firsthand,” she says.

Daniels also got to witness the severe weather conditions oilrig workers face daily. There was hard-packed ice on the ground,blowing snow, darkness and blizzard conditions. Her helicopter wasgrounded by the weather and she spent two nights at the site, oneof four women in a group of 104 people. “The experience gave me aunique perspective and a great respect and admiration for the workand working conditions endured by our Alaskan oil field workers,”she adds.

At one time, Daniels held four state records for powerlifting. (Photo: S. Daniels)

Focusing on the future, but appreciating thepast

As the new president of NAIIA, Daniels is definitely monitoringwhat is transpiring in the industry and how changes and trends willaffect those who work for and support insurers.

“I recognize two significant challenges that remain at theforefront: growing consumer expectations and changing workforce demographics,” says Daniels.“Consumers' expectations have grown in this digital age whereinformation is at their fingertips. People want what they want,now. Consumers want digitally friendly, availability andresponsiveness around the clock. We'll continue to see consumerinterests drive the need for relevant changes and adaptation, whilewe strive to establish new balance points.”

The other challenge involves the number of insuranceprofessionals who are leaving the industry. “Every day in the U.S.,10,000 baby boomers retire. For the claims industry, our retireesrepresent a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise exiting our workforce,” Danielsshares, but she also sees the benefits that accompany a growingmillennial generation. “This may create opportunities for those whoare ready and interested to engage our youth to help transformbusiness models and help drive value. The shift in demographicswill press us toward new solutions for finding, training, andretaining qualified professionals.”

'Live out my values on a daily basis'

Daniels says the insurance industry has offered her a “legacyand lifetime of opportunity and challenge thus far. A career inthis industry has offered me the chance to live out my values on adaily basis. These have included serving a noble and importantpurpose, and serving others through compassion and empathy, dignityand respect to bridge the gaps between loss and recovery.”

The chief influencers in her life and career have been herhusband, JD, whom Daniels credits with providing her with stabilityand consistency, while keeping her grounded and encouraging her topursue her personal and professional dreams. They celebrated 25years of marriage this month and are raising three beautifuldaughters.

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Daniels gives a lot of credit to her mom who was the one braveenough to follow Susan's dad to Alaska. Working as a dietician anddoing research, she developed and taught classes in her field ofexpertise, and even starred in some television commercials. “Shecamped, fished and snow-machined right alongside my dad,” sharesDaniels. “She was a working mom of four children with boundlessenergy and incredible resilience. She's modeled the courage andconfidence as a woman to be seen, and heard at times, and tobelieve in yourself. She's not afraid to go boldly in causes shesupports.”

Havard had a significant impact on Daniels professionally.Serving as a mentor, Havard was the person who encouraged Danielsinto leadership positions with both Northern Adjusters and NAIIA.“Without Dane's mentoring, vision and support, I would not bereceiving this distinguished honor as an NAIIA leader.”

Daniels embraces her life and the opportunities that come withliving in Alaska. Her favorite outdoor activities include hiking,kayaking and fishing in the summer, and ice skating, cross countryskiing and snow machining during the winter. But there have beensome other adventures too, including red salmon fishing on theKenai River, dog sledding outside of Willow, and even a glacierlanding on Ruth Glacier. She also holds two state records for powerlifting and is currently training for a triathlon.

'We are stronger together'

With NAIIA members representing more than 250 independentadjusting firms, Daniels is well aware of the responsibility andopportunity serving as president of the organization present. “Mytime in the industry has been made richer for the associations andfriendships formed through the NAIIA. As an independent adjustingfirm, it is these respected peers I call upon when challengesstrike, when solutions are needed, and best of all, to celebratetogether when times are good. I believe the principles we werefounded upon are still true for us today and we are strongertogether.”

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Patricia L. Harman ([email protected]) is editor-in-chief ofClaims magazine.