Environmental Team Welcomes a New Member: From Intern to Insider
In an effort to ensure we are the insurance company of choice for environmental insurance brokers, it is important we establish a strong and dynamic team. Each issue of Environmental Insider will introduce you to members of our team and describe the unique role they play in supporting you and your clients.
Meet our Valued Team
Megan Kennedy, Production Underwriter Trainee - Underwriting
Great American’s Environmental Division is thrilled to officially welcome Megan Kennedy to the Underwriting team as a Production Underwriter Trainee. Megan joins us from her previous position as our Communications Intern and has spent the latter half of her internship further exploring underwriting duties and learning more about our products and offerings. In her new role, she’ll build on what she’s already learned and begin analyzing environmental sites to find the most comprehensive insurance solutions for each client.
Megan obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and then went on to pursue her Master of Environmental Science from Miami University, which she officially completed in May of this year. While at Miami University, Megan completed another internship with an environmental consultant agency and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She was heavily involved in their philanthropy, Building Strong Girls.
While completing her internship with our division, Megan originally assisted the Communications team on business development workflows, organized and maintained records, and contributed to various data projects through analysis and reporting. Additionally, she authored an article for Environmental Insider on the history of lead regulation in the United States, which you can read below. Throughout her time here, Megan’s interest in the underwriting side of the business grew. Her background in environmental analysis and consulting gave her insight into what to look for on sites and she expressed a desire to learn more about how to curate coverage solutions. She quickly grew accustomed to assisting with endorsements and learning how to handle renewals.
Megan states she started her internship with an open mind – she knew she was interested in environmental insurance, but wasn’t sure what unit would call to her the most. After speaking with leaders on our claims, risk engineering and underwriting teams, she figured out which path she would take.
“Environmental underwriting gives me more of an opportunity to use what I learned in school. Every submission is completely different, which keeps things interesting and engaging.”
Megan was originally drawn to the environmental field through her grandfather, who worked at the EPA his entire life. (Fun fact: he actually attended the first annual Earth Day!) Through him, she learned how important it is to maintain our environment and resonated with his scientific background. She describes environmental sciences as having a social aspect:
“I see this as a growing field. We add so many complexities to our surroundings – we’ll need to continue to learn how to reduce the impact we cause, and we’ll be striving to grasp that insight for a long time. It’s essential younger generations continue to get involved in environmental sciences so we can continue to progress.”
She looks forward to continuing to learn from leaders in our division and diving deeper into the underwriting unit—and we’re excited to have her!
Megan is based out of the Cincinnati headquarters.
Great American Environmental is seeking a new intern this fall! If you are interested in joining our team and gaining hands-on experience, please contact us below. We look forward to hearing from you.
