I noticed on your bio you are designated as an insurance counselor. What is that?

It’s a designation certifying that I am able to offer advice and counsel to clients. It requires continued education and deeper knowledge in the field. It’s an important certification in that it demonstrates to the client that I’m serious about providing the best possible advice and service to my clients.

Your clients are generally religious organizations and non-profits. How did you get started working with these constituencies?

I was looking for insurance for my own church in 1994 after I had joined Carlisle and Fields. I found that there was a tremendous need in this area. It was right after Hurricane Andrew and many churches needed help with insurance. I saw the need and thought this would be a good way for me to help churches and religious organizations.

You have described your insurance work as a ministry. Can you explain what you mean by that?

I believe God’s given me an opportunity to help my own church as well as help other churches and non-profit organizations. I have clients that are very small as well as the mega churches. I have been blessed in my life and want to share that with others, particularly churches, religious organizations, and non-profits that strive to do good work in our community.

Besides the typical insurance coverages such as windstorm, flood, and liability what should religious institutions and non-profits consider as necessary types of coverage? Why?

In addition to basic coverages such as property and liability there are different exposures that require insurance coverage such as sexual abuse, clergy counseling, volunteers, students, youth groups, accident/medical coverage. Special events can be another area of exposure that requires proper insurance coverage. There are all sorts of church –related events such as youth group trips, mission trips, men’s and women’s group activities and fundraisers that have to be covered as well.

If you weren’t working in the insurance industry what would you be doing?

If I weren’t providing insurance services for my clients, I would probably be involved in hospital administration or sports administration. After I graduated from college, I thought about the field of hospital administration as a career option.

In a tough economy, many religious organizations and non-profits are experiencing a decline in giving. How do they afford insurance coverage?

Presently, it’s a challenge for them going through their budgets and making sure they have adequate funds to pay for insurance coverage. Sometimes, we have to re-market accounts and work within their budgets. Some are foregoing windstorm coverage but there’s a huge risk in that. We try to emphasize risk management and ask the right questions- do you have an emergency fund set up in case of a disaster or a catastrophic event? Are you adequately prepared for an unforeseen event that could have an impact on your mission? Those are the important questions we ask our clients.

What’s the most common religious organization-related type of claim?

I have worked on claims ranging from lightning and water damage, usually a result of not having proper surge protection or lack of building maintenance, a lot of medical payments to visitors, volunteers and members during activities. Sexual abuse allegations and more commonly, motor vehicle accidents because many churches and schools don’t spend enough time training employees and volunteers on how to drive their 15 passenger vans and buses.

Describe risk management in terms of sexual abuse claims.

We’ve been involved with Guide One Insurance that offers quite a bit of material regarding the importance of setting up prevention programs. We’re also involved in helping churches and organizations create their own risk management programs. We have a lot of resources with which we help. We assist with information and resources concerning employee and volunteer screening, background checks and waiver forms.

What’s your greatest challenge today?

It’s crucial for us to remain current in order to offer our clients the best possible products and services. Affordability is a major challenge for our Florida clients. However, our retention rate is very good. I’m proud to say our client retention rate is consistently around 95%. We don’t lose many church clients generally unless they merge with another church or close their doors.

What provides you with the greatest satisfaction?

My satisfaction is derived from knowing that I’ve done the best job possible to help a church, knowing when there is a claim, it’s covered. When they call, they have the confidence that I’ll handle it. It’s a relationship we’ve developed over time.

For example, First Baptist church experienced a significant plumbing leak and needed a restoration company. They reached me on my cell phone and I was able to help them on a holiday. Those events make me feel good about the work I’m doing.