What was your major at Trinity and would you recommend it to current students?
I was an Economics major and I would recommend it to any students interested in Business and Finance.

Could you please give us a brief overview of what you do?
I am currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of RC Know & Co., which is a leading regional independent insurance agency. We provide a variety of  insurance policies to businesses and all sorts of people.

How do you feel Trinity prepared you for where you are now?
The fact that I got an outstanding education at Trinity really prepared me in dealing with different types of people. You need a good educational background in order to be able to relate to business owners and to all sorts of people. The academic life was very important in preparing me, however the life experiences at Trinity such as being involved in a fraternity, in sports and in other college activities really helped also.

How did you find yourself in the insurance business? Was it by choice or did you fall into this career?
I don’t think there is anybody who grows up thinking “I want to be in the insurance business”. When I was looking for a job, I interviewed mainly with financial companies.  My intention was to get a job at a bank, but I ended up getting an offer at Travelers’ Insurance in the Training Program, which provided me with a broad background in Insurance. I moved my way up in the company, before leaving in 1987 to join Knox. 

What major trends are affecting the Insurance industry?
We are a very cyclical business. This business depends on the general performance of the economy and how that affects our customers. The investment environment also plays a significant role in the ability of insurance firms to generate good returns.

Is there a typical day? If so, what is it like?
What I like about my job is that it’s very diverse. I have two primary roles here. One is an administrative role that goes along with being the COO, and the other is maintaining and developing a book of clients. My day is very varied. I spend a couple of hours doing management and personnel work and the other part of my time I deal with customers. I really enjoy that about my job.

Can you describe an aspect of your job that makes you happy and makes the hard work worthwhile?
All the financial reward and personal satisfactions of making a sale or being able to assist a client is very satisfying.

What is your least favorite part?
My job can be frustrating.  It has a lot of emotional highs, but also a lot of emotional lows. I don’t like spending a lot of time soliciting a customer or a business, and then to lose the sale to either the competition or to acquisition, which happens quite frequently these days.  You learn in this business not to get too high with your successes and not to get too low with your failures.

How do you stay current in this field? Is it through seminars, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, etc?
Basically all of the above are important. As an agency and a business, we encourage our employees to continue with their education and to learn as much they can about what’s going on in the business world.

How important do you fell networking is in your field? And how important was it for you when you were looking a job?
Networking is critical. It’s important to use all the advantages you have when you try to get a career position. I have maintained all the friendships I made at Trinity and through business.  Networking is very important because you never know who your next client will be or when you are going to need one of them.

Do you have any recommendations to students as far as extracurricular activities?
It’s a matter of what interests the student. It’s important to have an interest outside of the classroom. When recruiters come on campus or review your resume, they want to see a diverse background; they are looking for something that shows initiative, something that shows hard work and commitment. You can demonstrate those characteristics and qualities by getting involved in activities outside of the classroom. I think it’s very important to pick up management skills at a young age by getting involved in various organizations and assuming leadership positions.

Do you know of any internship or entry-level positions that are currently opened in the insurance industry?
A lot of the major insurance companies have entry-level training programs that provide you with a broad knowledge of the insurance field and a good foundation. I am not too sure about internships though, but I am sure some companies offer them.

What makes a candidate stand out for a position you are interviewing for?
I usually assume that they all received an outstanding college education, so I focus more on the initiative a person has shown as an undergraduate and the things he has done outside of the classroom.

Do you have any last words of advice to Trinity college students who are about to enter the real world?
The advice is don’t wait until the last minute to try to pack your resume with activities. Take advantage of all the resources the school has to offer and show initiative. Trinity alumnae are very good about helping students or other alumnae looking for a job. Take advantage of that network and view that as part of the investment you made by going to Trinity.