BIP Spring 2025

Healthcare is Local

NABIP Oklahoma event aims to give students industry access

A deeper talent pool James Ashford of Vision Care Direct of Oklahoma says one of the biggest challenges in the insurance industry is attracting younger professionals. “We have a largely white, male, over 50 membership. We need to bring in younger professionals, or we’re just shifting the demographics in one area while ignoring the long-term future of the industry,” she says. Ashford initially proposed hosting a DEIB-focused event at Langston University, but interest outgrew the venue. Oklahoma State University in Tulsa offered to host, providing more space while keeping the event in a historically significant area. The keynote speaker will be NABIP’s first Black female president,

The Oklahoma Chapter of NABIP is hosting an event in April in Tulsa focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in the insurance industry. Initially planned for Langston University, Oklahoma’s only Historically Black College and University (HBCU), the event has grown into a more extensive gathering now set to take place at Oklahoma State University’s Tulsa campus in the Greenwood District, an area known as Black Wall Street. The event will include speakers, a job fair and discussions about career opportunities in insurance. Organizers hope it will introduce students to a field they may not have previously considered.

while playing for semi-pro team Oklahoma Thunder led him to a new path in counseling. “Emeka’s journey is about resilience and adapting to change,” Ashford says. “That message fits well with what we’re trying to share with students.” Showing students the possibilities NABIP Oklahoma is reaching out to business students from several universities, including the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and multiple regional schools. The goal is to highlight the range of careers in insurance, from technology and marketing to finance and customer service. Jimmy Jenkins, a NABIP Oklahoma City board member, says many

Jessica Brooks Woods, joined by motivational speaker Emeka Nnaka, whose career-ending football injury

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