Barbara Woodworth

 

Jobs in the insurance sector are as varied as customers’ needs

 

Improving Lives At AETNA

 

Tameeka Smith, president, Aetna Dental & Vision, has been with the Hartford, CT-headquartered- company for four years. She is responsible for strong leadership and profit and loss of both businesses, which collectively account for approximately $1.88 billion in revenue generated from serving more than 15.4 million members.

 

Prior to her appointment to her current role, Smith was executive director, distribution strategy and effectiveness for Aetna’s Government Sector Labor business. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver and a master’s degree from Regis University with a specialty in operations management.

 

Active in the community and a member of the board of the Business Outreach Network, a New York nonprofit that works to improve the economic prospects of traditionally underserved entrepreneurs, she initially found it somewhat ironic to work for a health insurance organization.

 

“Four years ago I made the decision to move from the financial services insurance end to health insurance. With my interest predicated on a need to access quality healthcare, once I was involved in the health insurance industry I found it tremendously rewarding,” she states. Smith’s particular interest in Aetna centered on personal growth as well as the company’s focus and commitment to diversity and women in the workplace.

 

Arguably the most dynamic and fastest-growing job sector, “health insurance offers considerable career opportunities for personal and professional growth,” says Smith, who is additionally responsible for network development, clinical policy, product design, service operations, and pricing for both dental and vision products.

 

Discussing increasing diversity within the insurance industry, Smith believes that as companies become more customer-centric, it is vital for organizations to maintain a diverse group of employees to reflect a broader and deeper view of the people in the communities they serve. She is chair of Aetna’s African American Employee Resource Group, charged with increasing employee engagement, strengthening business relationships, encourag- ing innovation, influencing multicultural markets, and ultimately enhancing this 50,280- employee company’s business results.

 

Smith is pleased to play a part in impacting the lives of people in need of quality healthcare. For anyone in ter- est ed in working in this industry, she tenders “Be committed, flexible, courageous, focused, creative, educated, communicative, and work as if your life depended upon your success.”

 

For more career info: aetna.com/about-us/aetnacareers.html

 

Making A Difference At FLORIDA BLUE

 

Camille Harrison, group vice president, chief customer officer at Jacksonville, FL-headquartered Florida Blue, once viewed a career in insurance as a stepping-stone. “It was only supposed to be a job I held until I graduated with a degree to teach business,” says Harrison who holds a BS in business education from Montclair State University. Once she started helping customers understand and leverage their healthcare benefits to achieve better health, however, she was hooked - personally and professionally.

 

“There is something special about knowing that each day you have the ability to make a difference in the life of at least one person,” she says. “You also know, almost immediately, whether a decision you made has a positive impact. If not, there is opportunity to course-correct and improve.”

 

During her 21-year tenure in the health insurance industry, Harrison held a number of positions, leading to front-line leadership roles and her current role. Responsible for approximately 2,000 of Florida Blue’s 50,280 employees, and accountable for facilitating the delivery of optimum customer experience, she partners closely with the company’s executive team to drive a persistent focus on the most critical customer initiatives, investments, and strategies. Accountable, too, for the continuous improve ment center of excellence and the service operations area, she helps drive a significant portion of customer, provider, and hospital interactions, transactions, and issue resolution.

 

“With so many changes in the health insurance industry, now is a very exciting time to be part of this arena. There are multiple opportunities to work with big data, with consumers, or to innovate better systems to care for people, among other avenues,” Harrison remarks.

 

As the health insurance industry becomes more customer-driven and serves more individuals, Harrison sees companies diversifying to ensure a workforce that reflects a particular customer base. “Within this arena, diversity is paramount. Given the continued evolution of customers, it is more important than ever to ensure that a health insurance workforce mirrors the markets it serves. Diversity of culture, thought, and perspective are all key ingredients to any company’s success,” she contends. Harrison enjoys working with professionals who work hard and care about their customers.

 

Citing Florida Blue’s position on the leading edge of industry change, “I welcome the opportunity to be an agent of change, to contribute to the success of the enterprise, and, most importantly, to help others grow and achieve their personal and professional goals,” she comments. Harrison is a sponsor of the company’s Generation Y employee resource group, a Stein Fellow Mentor with the United Way, and a member of the Jacksonville’s Women’s Network.

 

An innovative spirit, compassion, agility, and a burning desire to help people achieve better health are critical to Harrison. “Be willing to make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions,” says Harrison. “Stay the course no matter the obstacles and see things through. Do what you love and love what you do. The moment that is no longer true, it is time to do something else.”

 

For career info: floridablue.com/general/careers