Strategic Innovation Director | New Business Ventures & Innovation at USAAI am a Strategic Innovation Director at USAA, where I lead research into groundbreaking tools and technologies to drive disruption in the insurance industry. In this strategic role, I am responsible for assessing the feasibility and potential of innovative concepts, guiding them from early-stage research and ideation through to design, incubation, prototyping, piloting, and ultimately developing a robust business case. I actively lead several key projects spearheading the exploration and implementation of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and data analytics solutions to optimize various facets of insurance operations. Additionally, I played a pivotal role in enabling the Hover application for both employee and member utilization, significantly enhancing efficiency and user experience across the board.Having joined USAA in September 2010 as a front-line employee in Property Claims, I gained invaluable insights into member needs and streamlined claim processes with empathy and efficiency. I further honed my expertise as a Property Field Adjuster in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas, actively participating in numerous catastrophe deployments, which ignited my passion for catastrophe response. Notably, I led initiatives such as leveraging drones during catastrophes and fostering community relationships for emergency response through the now-retired Disaster Innovation Response Team (DIRT). Additionally, I aid in running our aerial imagery collection during catastrophe scenarios, further enhancing our response capabilities. The experience and knowledge garnered from these endeavors have been instrumental in my mission to revolutionize catastrophe response practices at USAA. Presently, I focus on piloting and validating various virtual and digital property claims solutions.I earned my bachelor's degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, proudly known as the home of the Rattlers! I am a graduate of both the IC2 (I-see-squared) program and the Alex Briseno Leadership Development Program (ABLDP), where I fine-tuned my leadership and team collaboration skills. Additionally, I serve as the National Chair for Adelante, USAA's Hispanic and Latino Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Business Group.