FA L L S E M EST E R 2020
ALUMNI RECOGNITION We recently had 5 Katie School alumni identified as Rising Stars by Insurance Business America!
LAUREN MELZER (2008) Senior Manager National Market Relations and Branch Programs Gallagher Early in her career, Lauren Melzer worked as a commercial accounts underwriter for two major insurance companies. As the director of technology for The Hanover’s Midwest region, Lauren led the P&L for a sixstate territory. She also co-founded the company’s Women’s Networking Group and was awarded the Community Hero Award for her work with the Junior League of Kane & DuPage Counties. Lauren joined Gallagher’s national market relations team in 2017 and currently oversees several of the company’s top carrier partnerships, providing oversight on strategic initiatives and driving profitable growth. Earlier this year, she was promoted to manage Gallagher’s US branch programs. “As we continue to adapt to our new environment, I hope to see inclusion and diversity continue to be a top priority for insurance companies,” Lauren said. “We need to attract more women and people of color to the insurance industry, and it starts by creating a culture of change and making diversity and inclusion a priority.”
VANESSA CONTRERAS (2009) Senior Vice President US Deputy Team Leader, Professional Lines SCOR Reinsurance Company At SCOR Reinsurance,Vanessa Contreras assists with the strategy and direction of the casualty treaty portfolio by coordinating efforts among underwriters and managing client relationships. Prior to being promoted to her current role earlier this year, she served as vice president and senior underwriter. Contreras was inspired to get into insurance by her mother. “She helped low-income families understand their healthcare insurance options and utilize resources they otherwise may not have realized were available to them,” she says. “Seeing how her work positively impacted so many families made me want to understand the industry better. It drove me to seek a career that would challenge and fulfill me in the way that her job did for her.” For six years, Contreras served on the Reinsurance Under 40s board. She is currently a member of the Association of Professional Insurance Women and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) and has successfully completed the LAMP program through PLUS and the ASPIRE Leadership Program through SCOR.
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