Assistant vice president
CRC GROUP
Years in the industry: 19
There are two primary barriers to entry into the insurance industry for people of color, says CRC Group’s Brent Jenkins: limited knowledge of career opportunities and lack of access to decision-makers. “Companies need to be actively recruiting and seeking the candidates that align with their goals and core values,” Jenkins says. “This will include recruiting at historically Black colleges and universities and reaching out to the general public to share the benefits of insurance.”
Jenkins is a charter member and the founding president of NAAIA’s Dallas-Fort Worth chapter. Since its inception, the chapter has partnered with agents, brokers and insurance companies for programs and scholarships, and has developed relationships among African Americans to share resources and educate the younger generation about opportunities within insurance. In addition to being an active NAAIA member, Jenkins is also a member of the scholarship endowment fund committee, serves as a volunteer teacher at local high schools through the IIABA InVEST Program and is heavily involved in community service programs. He has also been working with CRC Group’s leadership team to formulate a strategic plan for increasing diversity within the company.
“The insurance industry has a lot of room for growth in hiring and recruiting diverse talent,” Jenkins says. “I believe diversity is not just ethnicity, but background, age and perspective. Companies that are truly committed to diversity will have realistic, attainable, written goals that are reviewed and a timeline to achieve those goals. Companies will realize racial equality is a benefit to everyone – not just for their employees, but for their communities, for them, their stakeholders and ultimately the bottom dollar.”
