Angie Nelson is the Director of the Division of Insurance Market Regulation for the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. She was a paralegal in Texas and then Missouri working on personal injury, products liability and employment law cases. She became an insurance agent and then took a state job in the insurance department as a P & C Product Analyst in the Market Regulation Division. Her first job was as a live action 6-foot Twinkie (and sometimes a 6-foot loaf of bread) for a local bakery in Kansas City as part of the marketing for new openings and other events.
Guiding Star: Because we get moving so fast, sometimes we think we have a problem. When you force yourself to stop, you may realize you really don’t have a problem at all. It requires a purposeful effort to make that mind shift, and slow down. It’s an effort well worth making.
How Did You Fall Into Insurance? I thought I would be in journalism and writing for a magazine. I wound up with a business degree from Central Missouri State College, and now have a Master’s degree in Management and Human Resources from William Woods University. When I was younger I never thought about insurance, but I have a desire to help people. While working for the local attorney’s office, I realized I was looking for a change when a friend opened an insurance agency in Holt Summit and needed some help. I liked the opportunity to help others prepare so that when bad things happen, it does not also have to be a financial disaster. A few years later another friend was working at the insurance department and thought a position there would be a good fit for me. I started in the Department of Market Regulation as a product analyst and I am now the Division Director. I’ve been Division Director since about 2012. The commonality in my career is the opportunity to help others when they go through bad times in their lives.
Other Education: I earned the Advanced Market Conduct Manager designation from the Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society and am an American Health Insurance Plan Fellow for Health Insurance Advanced Studies.
What Does AICP Mean To You? AICP provides the forum for a dialogue like no other. No issues and no problems are insurmountable as long as we talk about them honestly. AICP gives us all the opportunity to break down the walls between us and fosters that dialogue. Regardless of our roles AICP gives us a forum for dialogue and encourages personal relationships in a part of the business you would not expect those relationships.
Who is Your Hero? I have two – my mom is first. She is such a fighter and works so hard. She handled all of life’s crises and demonstrates what resiliency is. Our family didn’t have much. As a single mom, I saw her work so hard to do whatever it took to keep moving us forward. Maybe its resiliency, maybe its stubbornness – either way she taught me no matter what life throws at you, you must keep moving forward. I’ve had lots of opportunities provided to me. Because of her, I need to pay it forward to thank everyone who gave me an opportunity.
The second was a boss. Former Missouri Insurance Director John Huff is a master of long term thinking and strategizing. John is also a great leader as he consistently goes out of his way to make everyone feel special as individuals and builds up everyone around him.
What Else Do You Do? I love to burn off mental and physical energy. It is not unusual in our family when my husband goes away for a weekend that I will re-paint a room or two. He’s learned to just roll with it. I also love to Cricut. Cricut is a craft process like no other that allows me to make custom and personal gifts for others. It’s a great release!
Most Important Life Lesson, So Far: Life is Good. Enjoy the little things.
