March Madness is here, and while us basketball fans are focused on brackets and buzzer-beaters, there’s another kind of strategic play happening in our industry. Success — whether on the court or in business — isn’t about luck. It’s about preparation, leadership, and the ability to adapt under pressure. The best teams don’t just rely on talent; they build strong foundations, make smart decisions, and position themselves for long-term success.
The same is true in our industry. Whether leading a company through a major transformation, driving innovation, or building infrastructure that helps teams perform at their best, great leaders embrace challenges and develop strategies to achieve their goals.
Recommended For You
Today, we’re highlighting three women who exemplify this kind of leadership. Over the past year, they’ve tackled significant challenges, demonstrated resilience, and pushed their organizations forward. Their stories show the power of adaptability, collaboration, and knowing when to bring in the right talent to level up.
Please welcome Laura, Cindy, and Janet as they share their experiences leading through change and building a foundation for lasting success.
“Over the past 12 months, I have led my organization in a strategic transition from being a subrogation service provider to a technology that produces subrogation outcomes.
This strategic shift involved obtaining buy-in from our board, leadership and staff as we built our technology architecture and underwent a corporate rebrand – all while maintaining current operations and ensuring a 97% or higher client retention rate, on average.
For me, the process reiterated the importance of humility and recognizing where additional expertise is needed. We did exactly that as we sought new skill sets outside the organization to complement and support our vision. This led to several strategic executive hires, as well as promotions and additions of key staff throughout the company.
Setting a vision, building consensus, and collaborating at all levels within and outside our company has been rewarding and has enabled us to build a solid foundation for sustainable growth.”
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you” – Fred DeVito. These are words that inspire me. For the past 17 years, I’ve led sales and account management teams at UnitedHealthcare, always embracing a leadership philosophy centered around servant leadership and empowering my team. My leadership style is simple: I work for you!
Beyond my professional role, I had the honor of serving for six years on a statewideTexas nonprofit executive board, including four years as Board President for Heroes for Children, providing financial and social support to families with a child undergoing cancer treatment. These experiences have shaped my journey and led me to my current role with the National Broker Relations team. I am grateful for opportunities to continue growing my skills in relationship consulting and strategic growth. My success is a reflection of the incredible mentors, strong friendships, and loving family who have guided and supported me along the way.”
“I was promoted to the EPIC EB Compliance team last April and tasked with improving our library of compliance resources. One of my first priorities was creating a more organized and efficient system. I restructured our file folder tree by topic, implemented a tracking system for all housed documents, and flagged those requiring periodic updates with clear notes detailing necessary changes. I also developed indexes to help teammates locate items quickly, archived outdated content, and created new documents on a range of compliance topics.
The impact has been noticeable, resulting in far fewer instances of “I can’t find…” and a significant drop in repeat questions, likely because teammates can now locate answers independently. The compliance team also saves time identifying documents that need updates due to new IRS, HHS, or Treasury regulations.
Next, I’m focused on training our AI tool to reference this content when answering EB compliance questions. I’m excited to see how it enhances efficiency even further!”
These women are proof that strong leadership, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace challenges lead to real, measurable success. Their journeys remind us that growth isn’t just about hitting milestones — it’s about navigating through setbacks, making strategic moves, and surrounding yourself with the right people to push forward.
Stories like these deserve to be shared, and I know there are more out there. If you know someone whose journey should be highlighted, send me an email at [email protected]. Let’s keep sharing and supporting these incredible stories.
And speaking of what’s ahead, BenefitsPRO Broker Expo is right around the corner! If you haven’t registered yet, now’s the time. It’s one of the best places to connect, learn, and get inspired by the industry’s top minds. I’ll see you there!
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
