Good Policy: David Parker Has Thrived for More Than 40 Years in the Insurance Industry
Written by Doug Goodnough
For someone who didn’t have a job after he graduated from Hillsdale College, things worked out just fine for David Parker, ’81.
Not long after commencement, Parker and an ATO fraternity brother packed up and drove to Dallas, Texas, to look for jobs.
“We checked in at a Days Inn and started interviewing,” Parker recalled of his initial job search.
He eventually found a position in the insurance industry, and more than 40 years later, he still considers it a very satisfying career. As principal of Marsh and McLennan Agency Southwest, a subsidiary of Marsh Insurance, an insurance broker and risk advisor, Parker negotiates coverages that respond to business claims.
“One of the principle coverages I deal with is called directors and officers liability policy,” Parker said. “’D and O’ are claims brought against mismanagement of an institution, and are usually claims that are driven by some sort of financial loss that the plaintiff alleges they sustained.”
He said he deals with many high-profile—and often high-stake—claims.
“Once the claim hits, then we have a claims group that helps (the client) through the claims process,” Parker said. “We help them find law firms.”
He considers his agency a “middle market” insurance broker. His clients are businesses that range in revenue from $100 million to $5 billion. He said helping clients through difficult times is the most rewarding part of his job.
“I’m on the front end of helping them negotiate the breadth of the policy that’s intended to cover the claim,” he said. “I stay involved and engaged with them to make sure everything is running smoothly with the claim. It’s a great opportunity to serve the client.”
Parker calls the insurance industry “a great business.”
“It doesn’t sound sexy, but it’s not going away,” he said. “People always need insurance. If you’re in sales, it is a recurring revenue stream. The specialty that I’m in, I think, is the best of all worlds. I get to deal with CEOs, CFOs, the leaders of an organization, because that’s who the policy covers. You get some business insights that you wouldn’t otherwise get.”
He said he moved to Dallas when the town was “young” and prospering. Now residing in the suburb of Plano, he said he relishes all of the opportunities Texas can provide.
“I love to be outside in the earth, planting,” said Parker, who enjoys gardening and landscaping. “It’s very relaxing. Your mind kind of escapes the issues and pressures of work.”
He and his wife, Judith, have four grown children ranging in age from 19-36 from a blended family.
“As you get older, you realize what becomes most important to you,” said Parker, an avid golfer. “I’m a spiritual person, so the most important thing in my life is up there (God). My family is number two.”
Though his job often puts him in high-stress situations, he said he loves what he does and has no plans of retiring anytime soon.
“After 42 years, I’m in an industry where I’m learning new stuff,” he said. “That’s why I’m still working. I think the best way to stay young is to stay active, to keep your mind fresh.”
A self-proclaimed “gregarious” person, he said he enjoyed his time at Hillsdale—admittedly maybe a little too much at times.
”I poured myself into the fraternity house,” Parker said. “I loved my ATO experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I did miss other things that Hillsdale had to offer. I wish I had been a little more diverse with my time.”
The economics major said faculty like Dr. James King, Dr. Febes Facey, and Mark Lewis were formative during his time on campus. He said Hillsdale’s conservative principles and values originally attracted him to the school—and still do.
“Long before Hillsdale, I believed that less government was better,” said Parker, a native of the Toledo, Ohio, area. “I knew Hillsdale stood for that. I am blessed to have stumbled upon Hillsdale. I’m proud of Hillsdale and want to give back to the school that gave me so much.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in June 2023