As the daughter and niece of nurses, Janet Frank thought she wanted to work in medicine, too.
After high school, she enrolled at Kansas University Medical Center’s respiratory therapy program, six months of on-the-job training coupled with academic coursework at local community colleges.
“I loved being in medicine like my mom,” Frank says. “I loved the patient interaction. Unlike other nurses who just wanted to work in one department, like surgery, I was very versatile. I’d work anywhere. But, after a while, my job became repetitive. I didn’t think it would challenge or energize me long term.”
Frank mentioned this to her sister, who had a connection to the human resources manager at Reliance Insurance Co. in Kansas City, Mo.
“Reliance had a job open in the collections department,” says Frank. “They were looking for an accountant with at least five years of experience. I told the manager that even though I’d been in respiratory therapy, I’d always been very good in math in school.
“I asked him to give me an opportunity. If it didn’t work out, they could fire me. If it did work out, I expected to be given opportunities to advance. The manager agreed to give me a shot.” Frank worked with a group of older employees, who taught her the framework behind accounts receivable and accounts payable.
“It was really easy for me,” she remembers. “My job was reconciling numbers. I’d call agents and reconcile with them what they owed Reliance.”
That was the start of Frank’s 30-year insurance industry career. Now 54, she is executive vice president of North American field operations for CNA Insurance Cos. in Chicago.
Q. What respiratory therapy job skills translated into helping you in insurance operations?
A. When you’re a respiratory therapist, you have to size up the patient’s situation, develop an action plan and learn to prioritize what you do. You’ve got to have good analytical skills and be well-organized.
Q. What else did you do to assimilate yourself into the insurance industry? A. I’ve always been someone who’s been eager to see how things work. So when I finished my work, I’d offer to do things to help other people.
Six months into my collections job, the head of personal lines said Reliance was going to start a training class for personal lines underwriting. He said he’d seen my work ethic and asked if I’d like to be a trainee. I didn’t know what an underwriter was, but it paid $150 more monthly, so I agreed.
Q. What’s the best job advice you’ve received?
A. I always wanted to finish my bachelor’s degree but couldn’t take more than a couple of classes at a time.
Some of my employers would say, “You don’t need to worry about education. You’re so good.” One of my bosses offered me some advice: “Everyone takes things from you,” he said. “The one thing they can’t take is your education.”
Q. So what did you do?
A. I never got my bachelor’s degree, but I did get a master’s of business administration by going to school weekends at the University of Denver. I called the admissions office and scheduled an interview. I explained I’d taken a lot of undergraduate courses, hadn’t finished my degree and that the courses were becoming boring because they were so easy. I’d taken the GMAT, the admission test for MBA school, and did so well on it they decided to admit me.
Q. How do you deal with setbacks on the job?
A. You have to be agile and flexible. With even the best-laid plans, you might get to 85 percent of where you want to go. Some external dynamic is going to prevent you from getting to 100 percent. I don’t see the road as straight. It curves and weaves. You have to have an end game and be flexible enough to adjust.
Q. How has your personal life fared as you’ve climbed the ladder?
A. My husband, Art, is a woodworker. He makes one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and built-ins.
I couldn’t do what I do without him. I go 100 m.p.h. I’m pretty wired and like doing a lot of things. He keeps me grounded. I have an operations person at work. But Art’s my operations person at home. We have a 24-year-old son, Jared.
Q. What’s the best career advice you’ve received ?
A. Own your career. Make your goals known. Build your network. Be a life-long learner.
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Step by step
2005-present: Executive vice president of North American field operations, CNA Insurance Cos., Chicago
2001-05: Senior vice president of U.S. field operations, CNA, Chicago
2001: Vice president of underwriting, actuary, finance, sales and marketing, USF&G Specialty Insurance Co., St. Paul and Denver
1999-2001: Regional president-West region, USF&G, St. Paul/Denver
1998-99: President, small commercial region, USF&G, St. Paul/Denver
1998: MBA, University of Denver
1996-98: Regional vice president, West region, USF&G, Denver
1995-96: Regional vice president, Rocky Mountain region, USF&G, Denver
1994-95: Branch manager, USF&G, Seattle
1993-94: Field vice president and business development and product executive, Fireman’s Fund, Denver
1990-92: Chief underwriting officer, Fireman’s Fund, Denver
1988-90: Business development manager, Fireman’s Fund, Kansas City,. Mo.
1986-88: Commercial lines manager, Chubb Insurance Cos., Kansas City, Mo.
1983-86: Senior underwriter, Chubb Insurance Cos., Kansas City, Mo.
1979: Associate’s degree in business, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan.
1978-83: Commercial lines underwriter/underwriting supervisor, Reliance Insurance Co., Overland Park, Kan.
1976-77: Personal lines underwriter trainee and underwriter, Reliance Insurance Co., Overland Park, Kan.
1976: Collections Department, Reliance Insurance Co., Overland Park, Kan.
1974-75: Respiratory therapist, Providence Hospital, Kansas City, Kan.
1970-74: Respiratory therapist, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan.
1967-69: Cashier, S.S. Kresge Co., Kansas City, Mo.
