Grace Strahl is vice president of claims operations for Safe Auto Insurance. She began her career in the insurance industry in 1991, working part-time for an agency after school. As she puts it, "Since then, I have never left the business."
Grace has held a variety of positions in the industry, including claims adjuster, sales manager, and customer service assistant vice president. Now as vice president of claims operations -- which she assures us is her favorite position to date -- she notes that the sheer diversity of the position is the best part of her job.
Just a few of her many projects include: launching a fast-track processing group; co-championing one of the company's strategic goals (service excellence); and the implementation of a new claims management system. "I have the opportunity to affect change on a daily basis across a wide spectrum of areas throughout the department," she said.
Grace attributes her success to "perseverance, ambition, and the ability to be resilient in the face of adversity." This is evident in her advice to others: "Challenge the status quo, question authority, consistently seek out ways to improve operational efficiency, and ... keep your boss happy."
And happy he is. As her boss, Senior Claims Vice President Vic Johnson told us, "Grace is a major contributor to the overall success of the claims department. Her direct and honest approach to managing her team is refreshing. I can depend on her to accomplish her goals and complete major projects timely and thoroughly."
A seasoned veteran of III courses, Grace lists Managing Change, Time Management for Adjusters, Teaching and Coaching for Claims Supervisors and Managers, and Time Management for Claims Supervisors and Managers as her favorites.
Grace believes that the most important thing she has learned in her career is, "There is never time to stop learning," which shows in all of the training and leadership classes she has attended. She certainly keeps herself busy learning, growing, and developing herself as a professional, which likely helped her become an officer at the young age of 30 (we weren't supposed to tell). She is quick to name her husband, Michael, as the person who has had the most influence in her career and life.
Not being a person who likes to beat around the bush, Grace is well known for her style of being clear and honest. Testimony to this is her favorite saying, "Say what you mean, and mean what you say." Well put!
After accomplishing so much in her career, Grace still finds time to enjoy gardening, reading, shopping, watching movies, and interior decorating.
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