Helga's Home Page

Helga Penner

Spring 2010
College of Notre Dame of Maryland

Research for CST 515: Privacy Paper | Speech Paper | Social Issues



I recently began the Master's Program in Contemporary Communication after having been away from an academic environment for quite some time. I graduated from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in 1982 with a Bachelor's degree in English.

Since 1984, I have been working in the claim department at Allstate Insurance Company. At Allstate, I have worked in several different positions. For the first several years, I worked as a Claim Adjuster. I then was a Front Line Manager for nine years, and for the last twelve years, my title has been Evaluation Consultant. I no longer have direct reports, but my role is to review casualty claim files for proper handling and evaluation of bodily injury claims. I also am responsible for training and coaching employees as well as some analysis of results. Occasionally, I have worked on a number of special projects, the most recent of which was as a trainer for a new claims computer application.

While I do not have any immediate plans to change careers, my goals in enrolling in this Masters program have more to do with broadening my knowledge in technology to qualify me for other opportunities within Allstate. Many companies, including Allstate, are changing how work is received, processed and completed, and therefore, staying on top of technology advances would seem to be one way of remaining an asset to a changing company. Looking even further ahead, I hope that this degree might help to present wider options for a second career in retirement, perhaps in training, writing or consulting. The last and probably most fulfilling aspect of returning to college is the personal enrichment and growth I've already experienced after just one semester.

Email Helga Penner