Starting in the file room at Lexon Surety at age 16, I began learning surety from the bottom up. I continued to work at Lexon during summer and winter breaks while pursuing a degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. Upon graduation, I realized I wasn't quite ready for an office job, which led me to pursue a lifelong love of photography, receiving a Master of Fine Art from the New York Film Academy. Well, as it turns out, some passions aren't as fun when you're doing them to earn a living. Now ready for that office job, I started an underwriting position at Lexon, where I earned my AFSB designation, assisted in the placement of reinsurance from net underwriting, and participated in selling the company to Sompo International. After the successful transition of Lexon to Sompo, I pursued opportunities with Houston International Insurance Group and, subsequently, QBE North America. With the closure of QBE's North American Surety division, it was a nudge to flip to the agency side and start Parrot Surety Services.I am a solution-based underwriter with experience nationally across contract surety, commercial surety, and structured arrangements. The knowledge base from my time as an underwriter assists me in presenting clients in the best light to our surety partners, resulting in more competitive rates and terms. I nerd out on everything surety and am happy to be a resource to anyone with questions about the wonderful world of surety.