A team of risk management and insurance majors from the University of Georgia captured first prize at the 2019 Talent Development Competition hosted by the National African American Insurance Association on Sept. 12 in Atlanta.
Terry College of Business seniors Jacqueline Patterson, Kerry Martin and Serena Aluko won $500 each after judges determined they had the best solution to a case study about how to properly assess the internet of things to improve risk management decisions.
“Working on the case was different from school work because we had more creative control over the outcome,” Patterson said. “The competition was very stiff, but I believe our win was due to how we interpreted the case. We focused on strategic partnerships with companies that specialize in insurance-related artificial intelligence and machine learning.”
The team received the case in April, and began weekly phone calls with mentors from Liberty Mutual and faculty advisor Jenny Atkinson.
“The Terry team was by far the best-prepared team,” Atkinson said. “Thanks to the dedicated mentors at Liberty Mutual and months of hard work, they had the most in-depth knowledge and brought the best analysis to the case. I just could not be prouder of how well they did in front of the judges.”
The National African American Insurance Association was organized to create a network for people of color and others employed in or affiliated with the insurance industry. The association has 15 chapters throughout the nation and its members represent every sector of the insurance industry.