Bob Zak and Valerie Senatore
Merchants Insurance Group is proud to recognize Valerie Senatore, Regional Marketing Coordinator, New England Regional Office (NERO), as the 2019 President’s Award winner, the highest honor Merchants bestows on its colleagues.
Ms. Senatore was nominated by Scott Behrent, New England Regional Office Vice President, and June Mittelmark, New England Regional Office Underwriting Manager. The award was recently presented by Merchants’ President and CEO Bob Zak.
“Valerie is one of the most organized, efficient, detail-oriented, and upbeat employees I have ever had the privilege of working with,” said Mr. Behrent in the nomination. “She is polished and professional in all that she does. She brings a positive approach and high energy to everything she does, no matter how much she has on her plate at the time.”
Ms. Senatore was selected as the 2019 winner of the President’s Award because she lives the Company’s core values and tirelessly works for the Company’s policyholders, agents, colleagues and other stakeholders through her hard work, professionalism, self-development and competency in her job.
Ms. Senatore serves various administrative functions in the New England office: liaison with corporate headquarters for IT and human resources; employee wellness coordinator; support for the office leadership team; marketing and sales support representative; agency and licensing support; and planner for numerous events inside and outside of the office for employees and agents.
“Valerie’s examples of professionalism and her ‘can-do’ attitude have helped the NERO leadership reshape the culture and morale in NERO over the past three years,” said Mr. Behrent. “The influence her attitude, and welcoming voice, has had on every agency partner who has come in contact with Valerie at an event, or over the phone, has been mentioned to me often.”
In addition to managing events for the office, she also provided event planning and agency management/marketing support for the company’s Midlantic Regional Office (in New Jersey), during 2019.
She has also taken on coordination of charitable activities for the New England office, including the “Casual for a Cause” program, the United Way Day event, and various colleague events.
Ms. Senatore began her career with Merchants in early 2017 as the senior administrative assistant. In 2018 she was promoted to regional marketing coordinator.
She currently holds the AINS (associate in general insurance) certificate, and is working to earn the AU (associate in commercial underwriting) designation. She lives with her family in Bedford, N.H. and is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a BS degree in business/hospitality.
