New Director of Claims Management – a strategic hire to focus on risk management
Follow us: 
Written by Rose Gundersen, VP of Retail Services & Retail Services
Joining the Retail Services subsidiary team is a partnering opportunity with our members to maintain a healthy, productive workforce and achieve successful recoveries for your injured workers. Kimbel is a strategic hire as we continue to align our staffing needs with the expansion of our member service programs.
Kathy brings over 30 years of diverse experience in management, health and safety, workers compensation, and client relations. Earlier in her career, she directed a team of 120 employees and provided services to 165k employers statewide as the Employer Services Program Manager at the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). She later served as the Executive Director of the SMART Association and then Safety and Health Manager of the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
Kathy will oversee claims management and analysis, return to work maximation, and risk management education through her newly defined role. Kathy’s position will further coordinate with the Director of Safety and Education, Rick Means, to deliver innovative online platforms designed to improve safety and compliance, returning employees back to work safely and efficiently.
With Kimbel’s proven empowering leadership history with L&I’s Retro and Risk Management programs, she will energize the sharing of best practices among our experienced claims analysts – furthering the utilization of claims cost reduction tools.