SBL: You graduated from Nazareth with a bachelor's degree in Business Management in 1992. What was your favorite part about the program? Were internships part of your program?
KB: My favorite part of the program was the professors. The passion so many of them had for their area of expertise created a positive learning environment. In fact, a few are still with Nazareth, including Jerry Zappia and Joseph DaBoll-Lavoie, who was also my senior advisor. Additionally, I was fortunate to secure an internship with the NYS Attorney General’s office where I worked as a mediator in the Bureau of Consumer Fraud and Protection department.
SBL: What did you do after Naz? What were the steps between that first internship experience and where you are now (Senior VP of Group Benefits Account Management at Lincoln Financial Group)?
KB: I’m pretty sure no one has ever had a goal of a career in insurance when they were in college including me. It’s an industry most of us simply stumbled upon. When I graduated in 1992, the labor market had yet to rebound following the 1990-1991 recession. In September of that year, a family friend mentioned that an insurance carrier in central New York was hiring for a new class of entry level claims positions. Through that contact, I was fortunate to secure an interview and was subsequently hired by MetLife in Utica, NY.
After 5 years and a few small promotions, I knew I wanted to further my career in the insurance industry. I also recognized that I would have made a physical move to further expedite those opportunities. In 1997, I accepted a management role with Liberty Mutual in their group benefits business and relocated to North Carolina. I remained with Liberty Mutual for more than 20 years where I progressed through roles of increasing responsibility. During that time I made conscious decisions to take on responsibilities outside my area of expertise to develop a more holistic understanding of the business.
In 2019, Lincoln Financial Group acquired Liberty Mutual’s group benefits business. I was fortunate to be included on a team that led the integration of the two businesses. This experience provided yet another opportunity to expand my knowledge of the business from a merger and acquisition lens. It was also a pivotal moment for me as a leader being from the company that had been acquired. Not only did this require the need to quickly win the trust of my new peers but the required significant focus on how we bring two disparate organizations together and lead the integration of two cultures with optimism.
Over the next 4 years my role and span of control grew within the combined organization and in May of 2022, I was named Senior Vice President and joined the senior executive team within Lincoln Financial?
SBL: How did Naz play a role in achieving your goals? What are you most proud of?
KB: I started off as an Accounting major. As I progressed through the program, I realized a career in Accounting just wasn’t for me and found other areas of my coursework far more interesting: economics and finance. I changed my major in the second semester of my junior year. In order to graduate in 4 years, I had to take 18 credit hours over my final 3 semesters. I’m proud of the fact I was able to do so and navigate the internship with the Attorney General’s office during that time.
To this day, I look back on the internship as a pivotal point for me. The mediation work with the Attorney General's office helped me begin moving from a fixed to a growth mindset as it reinforced that success was as much about effort and continued learning as it was about intelligence.
SBL: What is the advice you would give to current and incoming business and leadership majors and minors?
Remember leadership and management are not synonymous. You will be far more successful as a great leader than a great manager.
KB: Practice relationship building skills now! Keeping your head down and doing great work will only get you so far. The ability to forge relationships across and above you will be highly beneficial as you move through your career. You can refine these skills by being intentional about building relationships with faculty members, career counselors, joining advisory boards, student government, etc. Also ensure you are expanding your circle with individuals of diverse backgrounds and ethnicity.
Use of technology and digital connectivity will continue to drive how we work and how businesses deliver. Be sure to maintain awareness on how tech is changing and influencing business.
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