Omari Aarons-Martin is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the National African American Insurance Association, a 2,100-member 501c6 organization that works to diversify the insurance industry and provides professional development programming to its members. A champion of workplace inclusion and equity, Aarons-Martin has received recognition from Insurance Business America, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Business Equality Magazine for his leadership and volunteerism. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts and common cathedral, an outdoor congregational community for the unhoused, and serves on the Board of Trustees at Roxbury Community College. Aarons-Martin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio and Master of Divinity cum laude in Global and Community Engagement from Boston University School of Theology where he was a Howard Thurman Fellow and served as President of the Association of Black Seminarians. In today’s episode of the In The Know podcast, Chris Hampshire and Omari discuss the current and possible future state of DEI in the insurance workplace, the role that NAAIA is playing in training and connecting African American members of the industry, and the need for increased collaboration and connection across all facets of the insurance industry.

 

These onsite episodes of the In The Know podcast are brought to you by Gallagher Bassett.

 

Key Takeaways

• Omari recalls his personal invitation into the insurance industry.

• The most appealing aspect of the industry was his transferable skills.

• The role that seminary theology training has played in Omari’s career.

• Inclusion in the insurance industry is increasing at a promising rate.

• DEI at the C-suite level is still a work in progress.

• At NAAIA, members have access to extensive training and development.

• Attracting new talent through professional development offerings for African Americans.

• Tactics for better supporting and fostering professional DEI relationships.

• Benefits of the accessibility of in-person versus virtual meetings.

• The importance of collaborating and sharing ideas with your professional circles.

• A five-year look at the future of the insurance industry.

• Omari shares a few of the many things he would have liked to know at the onset of his career.

 

Quotes

• “I now understand central motivation, what brings people to the table and what they really care about.”

• “We’ve seen a lot of activity around diversity, equity, and inclusion — more conversations and more transparency.”

• “There is still much more [DEI] work that we need to do as we look at CEOs, C-suite, senior manager roles to see inclusion really take hold.”

• “We know that the way people move through the industry is in relationships.”

• “Starting with an audit and assessment of the [DEI] environment where you are is key.”

• “Finding the right solutions to close the [DEI] gap is really important.”