Gallagher Broker Debbie Russell Recognized as a 2021 Education Power Broker
Debbie Russell, Area Executive Vice President, Gallagher
Successfully navigating uncertainty requires finesse, and Debbie Russell demonstrated that fate favors the prepared.
Despite the unpredictable challenges from the pandemic, volatile weather and a difficult market, Russell got the job done.
“We are a consortium of eight institutions and are a complex customer to insure. This year, we had difficulty placing three lines of coverage. Debbie had multiple strategies lined up to help us solve the issues without sacrificing coverage,” said Amy Mendez, risk manager for The Claremont Colleges Services.
Russell also secured additional limits and premium savings for the University of San Diego.
“Debbie has been very helpful in obtaining coverage for such things as expanded telemedicine and has saved premium by leveraging pre-existing relationships with those seeking new business,” said Robin Eskow, the university’s director of risk management.
Even for institutions that seemed to have everything going against them from a risk perspective, Russell found ways to keep coverage — and budgets — stable.
“Things couldn’t have been more difficult in the P&C market this past year,” said Lauren Cosentino, vice president for campus operations and human resources at Pepperdine University.
“Pepperdine happens to be in a brush zone in California. Debbie has worked wonders this last renewal, and we have maintained our coverages and limits when other schools have had no choice but to decrease coverage.”
2021 Education Winners and Finalists
What is a Power Broker?
A Risk & Insurance Power Broker® is an individual who stands out among their peers for the exceptional client work they delivered over the past year. While brokers play many key roles in the insurance industry and risk profession, a Power Broker® award recognizes problem solving, customer service and industry knowledge.
Our goal is to broadly recognize and promote outstanding risk management and customer service among the brokerage community.
Who selects the winners?
Power Brokers are selected by risk managers based on the strength of the testimonials they provide to a team of 15 Risk & Insurance editors and writers.