Summary: Dean and Draper Insurance Agency is collaborating with the University of Houston Downtown on its growing Insurance & Risk Management program. Dean and Draper President and CEO Bob Dean is one of the founders of the program and is helping to provide more insurance-related education for the insurance industry.
Houston – Dean and Draper Insurance Agency, “a Trusted Texas Choice agency,” wants to insure that more students get the education they need to succeed in this industry today. To that end, Bob Dean, president and CEO of Dean and Draper, along with a small group of industry leaders who, in 2007, founded and personally funded the University of Houston’s Risk Management Program in 2007 and has served on the Insurance & Risk Management Advisory Council since 2009. In 2011, he became chairperson of the council with a dedicated focus on education and employment.
Under Dean’s leadership, more students have pursued a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, through the university’s Insurance & Risk Management program. Recently, the program has made education even easier by offering online courses, which help more students and professionals achieve their goals in the insurance industry by creating internships and connecting students and graduates with industry employers. This program, now available to students across the State of Texas, currently has 23 graduates, all of whom are employed in the industry and 30 majors who will graduate within the next two years.
“We believe that education is the key to succeeding in the insurance industry today and tomorrow, and are thrilled that more and more students are gaining the knowledge and background they need to succeed at the University of Houston Downtown,” Dean said, a graduate of the University of Houston.
Dean has worked with the University of Houston Downtown on the program for the past six years, helping to expand courses and enrollment, providing funding for scholarships and operations, offering internships to students and participating in the search for the program director and the school’s first full-time tenure-track faculty member. The program requires all majors to complete an industry internship and graduates enjoy a variety of career opportunities, since Houston is the third largest insurance market in the United States. The program prepares students for insurance careers in areas including underwriting, claims, risk assessment, accounting, finance, technology, sales and marketing. Further, students can also complete coursework and take examinations for various professional designations, including the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), the Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) designation, and the Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designations while obtaining their degree. Each course, approved by the Texas Department of Insurance, will count as 30 hours of continuing education for those students currently licensed.
“We look forward to working with the University of Houston Downtown and its students for years to come, providing education and employment opportunities throughout the insurance industry,” Dean added.
About Dean and Draper Insurance Agency
Founded in 1980 by President and CEO Bob Dean, Dean and Draper Insurance Agency caters to an international roster of clients from five offices, including its headquarters in Houston. Through a network of more than 200 diverse insurers, the independent company offers the most competitive, comprehensive policies for personal and commercial insurance needs. This National Top 100 agency in Property & Casualty and Top 50 agency in personal policies underwrites in excess of $150 million in annual auto, home, health and corporate premiums and employs over 135 people. For more information, please visit http://www.deandraper.com.