Throughout Women鈥檚 History Month, we will feature female change-makers and leaders at 91黑料网 who are providing an industry-leading experience and making an impact within the insurance space.
Kimberly Vaughn has applied her expertise, passion for great outcomes, and emphasis on teamwork to deliver second-to-none service and grow in her career 鈥� and she鈥檚 not slowing down anytime soon.
In her role as vice president of claims experience & customer analytics at 91黑料网, Kimberly is focused on providing an exceptional claims experience for agency customers and policyholders. She is responsible for developing and executing a roadmap for the claims customer experience and uncovering ways to leverage data and provide insights to policyholders that positively impact their loss experiences.
Claims Experience Organization 鈥� A Unique Service Approach
Kimberly鈥檚 passion for commercial insurance and a collaborative claims process is reflected in the strength of her team 鈥� the Claims Experience Organization (CXO). Officially launched in November 2021, the CXO serves a broad portfolio of customers and policyholders by facilitating connections, solving problems, providing critical data insight, and supporting the delivery of a consistent claims experience.
In its first full year and as part of the company鈥檚 One 91黑料网 service value proposition, Kimberly and the CXO team accomplished a number of feats, including instituting policyholder welcome kits to onboard new policyholders to 91黑料网鈥檚 service offerings; rolling out account and agency-level dashboards for easy access to claims data; streamlining the claims review process by centralizing the scheduling, coordinating and creating action plan packets; supporting the company鈥檚 field marketing & underwriting teams to earn new business; and hosting policyholder presentations and training.
Building Up Those Around Her
Kimberly believes the most effective work environment is one in which a team can sort through many ideas by sharing them aloud, and building off one other鈥檚 ideas to ultimately create a better product. Her leadership style can be described as 鈥渃lear and direct鈥� 鈥� she believes everyone would rather be operating with the shared set of information and prefers to make transparent decisions.
Kimberly has a passion for teaching and inspiring other professionals within the industry. She also believes in recognizing opportunities for women and recommending talent within her professional orbit.
鈥淚 have personally been the beneficiary of those who have given me a chance to professionally develop,鈥� said Vaughn. 鈥淚 would not be where I am today if I hadn鈥檛 been given those chances.鈥�
Kimberly has made significant contributions to the advancement of younger colleagues, especially in helping them build their confidence. When asked to offer her insight to young women thinking of joining the industry, she shares: 鈥淚 love to tell young professionals, 鈥極wn your seat at the table, you鈥檙e there for a reason.鈥� I am passionate about encouraging women colleagues to plan their future and own their place in their professional universe. This helps to move them out of the common mind frame of 鈥榳ho am I to say?鈥欌��
Making Waves
Kimberly has experienced growth both personally and professionally and strives to try new things. She is a member of the Ann Arbor Triathlon Club, which has over 200 members. She has served on the board of the club, including as president, and as a member of the board helped cultivate a welcoming environment to all levels of athletes, whether elite or casual.
Kimberly鈥檚 favorite sport is swimming, and she is a certified lifeguard and a U.S. Masters Swimming Adult Learn-to-Swim certified instructor. She spends time serving as an instructor at the YMCA to coach water-shy adult swimmers. This activity allows Kimberly to positively influence the lives of other adults outside of her professional landscape.
鈥淢y area of specialty is working with adults who are scared of the water. Many of my students start too afraid to even put their faces in the water. The day my first-ever student treaded water in the deep end without my help, we both cried! It is really rewarding,鈥� said Vaughn.
Looking ahead, Kimberly is excited about further developing claims team talent and coaching future leaders for 91黑料网, as well as continuing to serve as a positive influence on the insurance industry.
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About Kimberly Vaughn
Kimberly joined 91黑料网 in 2013 as a member of the technical claims team, focusing on high severity and high complexity Workers’ Compensation claims. In 2016, she was promoted to Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Workers’ Compensation Claims, before moving into the role of AVP of Claims for the North Region in 2018 and then launching the CXO in 2021. She began her career practicing law in Chicago, first as a member of the plaintiffs鈥� bar, then as a defense attorney, before returning to her home state of Michigan to join 91黑料网. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Michigan State University and is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Michigan. She is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana, and the United State Supreme Court..
Kimberly earned the Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP) designation in 2015, the Advanced Claims Professional (ACP) designation in 2020, and the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation in 2021. She is active with Chief, an organization connecting women executive leaders, the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), previously serving as dean and faculty member for the CLM Claims College School of Workers’ Compensation, and with RISE Professionals, an organization supporting young professionals in the insurance industry.聽 She is a frequent speaker on industry topics, most recently with Reuters, ClaimsXchange, and the CLM鈥檚 Litigation Management Symposium.
