What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?
I work in Risk Management and Insurance, which is part of Safety and Risk Services.

What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?
I am the Insurance and Claims Manager. My position involves managing property and auto claims, assisting with insurance procurement and risk mitigation programs, and managing youth program compliance for the university.

What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?
In high school, I was really fortunate to be part of a unique program that allowed us to complete an internship and earn college credit. I chose to work with the State of Oregon Department of Justice, and looking back, I guess it was a big deal for a DOJ administrator to grant approval for a high school student to work there. From then on, I knew I wanted to work in public service because I really cared about helping others. It is important to me to work with people that have a common mission and focus on achieving that together. I finished my two-year degree, and then, while working full time for the State of Oregon, I went to school full time and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

I moved to Eugene and started working with the Division of Child Support, commuting from Eugene to Salem. I later found a position with OR-OSHA—the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—supporting the consultation team and doing training assistance. I then worked for the Workers’ Compensation Board, which is another key part of the insurance and safety field. The more I worked in this field, the more I realized how interesting it all was to me. A position opened up at the university seven years ago, and I have been here ever since.

What do you like about your current position?
I would not have thought this would be my chosen path, but I really do find it interesting. I really enjoy problem solving, and finding creative solutions can help support the UO mission and help my colleagues across the campus to get their work done safely.

Overall, I have been fortunate to work with really great people. I would not be able to do what I do without the support of the Environmental Health and Safety team, the Occupational Health and Safety group, and the Emergency Management Program folks. Collaborating with campus partners has also been vital to my role. There is a lot of interaction with people which is great.

What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
Working full time and studying full time was hard work. It was worth it in the end, but it was a challenging time.

How has working at UO enabled your professional goals and interests?

I have had a lot of opportunities to learn and grow; the UO cultivates that with employees. We have a lot of professional development that comes through Human Resources; I feel really supported as an employee because of those opportunities. One aspect that I am able to explore and grow is my creative side. This could be making a form or a safety one-pager, creating conference slides or a new infographic—it all grants me the room to be creative in my work.

Please share some insight into what your job involves.
Oh, it can involve all sorts of interesting situations; many of them require creative problem solving. For example, a few years back we had a student that wanted to have a dirt bike motocross event right in the center of campus. The student tried to argue that it was tied to the mission of the University, but the risk office ended up not approving that event application due to it being an uninsurable high-risk activity.

On another occasion, a group wanted a Ferris wheel. That came to the risk office for a safety and contract review, so we looked at the accident reports and maintenance reports, safety considerations, activity waivers, etc. We worked through all the safety details, and in the end, they did have a Ferris wheel on campus!

What advice or tips would you share for someone thinking of applying to the UO?
This is not necessarily UO-specific, but I really recommend that people find mentors or champions that can help encourage them in the different areas of their life. It is hard to find one person to support you through everything, but if you have people to go to for career advice, or to help with educational goals, or for support in the professional realm—that is absolutely key. Be willing to be open with people; that will really help you find your champion(s). Think about who you go to for advice and build those relationships up so you have strong champions to support you—whether it is getting your dream job at the UO or any of your other life goals.

Share a little about yourself personally:

• Family: I am married with a Chihuahua. The Chihuahua is five pounds and rules the house. People claim he is the cutest dog they have ever seen. He is cute and sassy and has me trained. His full name is Wulfric, but we usually call him “Wolfie."
• Favorite food: I don’t have a favorite, but anything combining sweet and salty is great in my book.
• Best movie you’ve seen: I wanted to say Predator…but I actually love a lot of movies and really miss going to the movie theater. If I have to pick one, I tend to re-watch Sense and Sensibility—the one directed by Ang Lee, starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet.

If you could only take three items with you to a deserted island, what would they be?
During a recent Emerging Leaders group activity, we had to tackle this problem together. The rest of the group wanted tents and survival gear, but I was focused on getting OFF the island, not staying. My three items would definitely be a floatation device, duct tape (in case the boat springs a leak), and flares. Trust me, I am making it off that island!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I am doing something really amazing next year: a trip to Alaska to photograph Kodiak brown bears!! My dad called late one night in July and gave me an hour to decide if I wanted to take the trip in August 2022—there is usually a very long waitlist. It is really remote! You fly from Anchorage to King Salmon and then take a seaplane to Brooks Camp. There are camping options, but we are staying in a cabin in Katmai National Park. You can check out the Brooks Falls Brown Bear livecam online: https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls

(October 2021)