Insurance doesn’t tend to be a career field students choose from the start. A closer look at the industry, however, shows plenty of upside — the insurance sector offers a range of career paths and remains stable during economic downturns. And job opportunities are plentiful thanks to continued industry growth.
As retirements continue to sweep the sector, even more opportunities are emerging for new graduates. And, with Wisconsin home to more than 300 insurance companies, including giants like American Family Insurance and Northwestern Mutual, Marquette recognized it had an opportunity to help fill those gaps.
The College of Business Administration launched the Insurance Leadership Program in fall 2025 to help prepare students to enter into insurance through a combination of academic and real-world experience. An undergraduate program with a growing set of course options, the program also offers pathways to earn coveted industry accreditation as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) while in school.
Jae Junkunc, a seasoned corporate leader with significant experience in financial services strategic planning at multiple insurance companies, came to Marquette in 2025 to lead the program as director. She says she’s thrilled by the talent and curiosity demonstrated by students, and for the opportunity to help Marquette take a significant role in serving one of the city and state’s largest industries.
“Our business partners are excited for this,” Junkunc says. “They’re excited for the students they’ll meet through this program and to show them the opportunities in front of them. Insurance is a growing industry, and there is a huge need for new talent.”
Real-world application & built-in accreditation
Junkunc says once students begin taking courses and participating in the program’s real-world initiatives, they start seeing how the industry touches almost every aspect of their lives. From climate change to personal health, home protection, cyber threats and artificial intelligence, students participate in meaningful projects related to national and global concerns.
In the Certified Financial Planning concentration, courses on financial planning, estate planning, retirement and employee benefits help fulfill the CFP education requirement, and students are then eligible to sit for the exam. In the insurance concentration, students take courses on insurance and enterprise risk management, distribution and operations. Two courses are designed to help students waive two of the eight CPCU accreditation requirements. Both tracks culminate in a capstone.
A recent course project had students working in partnership with Stitch Studio AI, in which they helped identify data sources for generative AI models used for underwriting. Other opportunities include membership in Gamma Iota Sigma, a national fraternity for students pursuing careers in insurance. Membership often provides another pool for companies to recruit students for careers. Coming in 2027 is a spring break study trip to Bermuda, the nation where global insurance companies have converged to do business for decades.
Welcoming new generations
The genesis of the program came almost 30 years ago when industry leaders such as Mike Ansay, Bus Ad ’76, CEO of Ansay & Associates, wanted to work with the university to find talented students to help boost his company’s growth. Over the years, the vision took shape — Charles Reis, former Marquette development director, and former dean Tim Hanley worked to determine how an insurance program would fit within the business school. The plan also got buy-in from Chris Swift, Bus Ad ’83, CEO of The Hartford insurance company and a member of Marquette’s Board of Trustees. Rich Poirier, Arts ’83, Law ’86, former CEO of Church Mutual, became another founding member.
“The younger generation comes with no restrictions in how they look at things — they have a ‘blue sky strategy’ that doesn’t deal with restrictions or predetermined outcomes that don’t exist,” says Ansay, a member of the program advisory board who is also sponsoring costs for the new fraternity chapter. “That’s the beauty of bringing in new employees, plus the energy they bring.”
The college’s first insurance course, Principles of Risk and Insurance, emerged a few years ago and was co-taught by Lora Reinholz, an instructor of practice in finance, and Mark Afable, a former Wisconsin state insurance commissioner and industry veteran, also an executive in residence and instructor of practice. New courses have been developed and taught this academic year.
“The program showed me a rewarding career path that combines analytics, empathy and impact.”
Holly Ferrara, student
“I see it as an evolving industry,” Afable says. “Jae has used the phrase ‘it’s not your father’s insurance industry,’ and I believe that’s true. It’s a data-driven industry. There are great opportunities for students who have analytical skills. That’s what I believe Marquette does a great job of — teaching and giving students those types of foundations and opportunities.”
Holly Ferrara, a triple major in finance, economics and AIM (Accelerated Ingenuity in Markets), said she was drawn to the program’s reputation for preparing students for insurance careers, along with additional offerings including weekly guest speakers, field trips, applied simulations and instruction from executives-in-residence.
Ferrara, a Chicago native, landed a summer internship at American Family Insurance and continues to work there part time. She also has earned her property and casualty and life insurance licenses for Wisconsin, Illinois and Arizona. After graduating in May, Ferrara plans to continue in the accelerated Master’s of Science in Finance program while working full time with American Family at Gonzalez Agency & Associates, LLC.
“The program opened doors I didn’t know existed, connected me with inspiring professionals, and showed me a rewarding career path that combines analytics, empathy and impact,” she says. “I can’t recommend the program enough to anyone considering the field.”
