For Danielle Humphreys, helping Americans protect their families is a way of life.
Humphreys has been in the insurance field for over 15 years. She was introduced to the industry by her father, a lifelong State Farm agent, and started her career in his office. What started out as just a job quickly became her calling. “I just had this passion for making complex things simple,” she says. "It doesn't have to be overly complicated.”
In August 2020, Humphreys faced the biggest challenge of her career. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was hit by a derecho, a rare storm similar to a tornado. The city was devastated, and insurance claims began flooding in. The storm affected 3,000 customers in her office alone. “We all lost power for two to three weeks," Humphreys recalls. “[There was] no cell phone service for a while. We were traveling an hour to two hours to get gas.” Humphreys worked tirelessly to help her clients file claims, working without power, using pen and paper, and calling in claims on her cell phone.
In the chaos and uncertainty, Humphreys was a comforting and stabilizing presence for her clients. “They [were] just feeling so out of control and not knowing where to go,” she recounts. “Being able to [say], ‘These are the next couple of steps. We've got you. Let us help you. Let us take care of this for you.’...That part was really rewarding for sure.”
Humphreys joined American National in June of this year. She works with a diverse population, but most of her clients are young families. She helps her clients navigate the intricacies of home, life, and auto insurance, educating them along the way. “It's important to know what you're getting,” Humphreys explains. “It's really hard to compare apples to apples. There's so much behind the policy, and if you don't know to ask the right questions, then you don't know what you're getting.”
Humphreys joined NAIFA last month and is impressed with the scope of NAIFA’s activities. “It's definitely so much more than I thought it was,” she says. She’s excited about NAIFA’s advocacy and values having a voice in issues that affect her work and her clients. In addition to NAIFA, Humphreys is a member of the Junior League of Cedar Rapids, where she works teaching foster youth life skills to prepare them for adulthood.
When she’s not in the office or volunteering, Humphreys enjoys spending time with her children, aged 14, 11, and 7. She also loves the outdoors, especially hiking and exploring caves in her native Iowa.
With her passion for teaching, Humphreys is interested in helping educate the next generation about insurance. “I just recently got a TikTok,” she explains. “I would love to start some type of social media [channel] where it's like: ‘Let me teach you about insurance.’” She’s eager to find a way to make learning about insurance fun.
Thank you, Danielle, for your service to our industry and association. We’re #NAIFAproud to call you one of our own.