TSLA’s Patterson: After 25 years, retirement is not an option

During April 2006, Jean Patterson, executive director of the Texas Surplus Lines Association, celebrates her 25th year with the organization. With this being the association’s 50th anniversary, Patterson can rightly say she has supported TSLA for half its life.

A fourth generation native of Austin, Texas, who “loves to dance and is an excellent ping-pong player,” Patterson began working for TSLA in 1981 as an administrative assistant.

While the list of duties required to keep TSLA running smoothly is expansive, Patter-son said, “in a nutshell, I manage the day-to-day operations of TSLA.” Her responsibilities include: Managing committees, including the political action committee for TSLA (TSLA/PAC), and committee volunteers; planning and implementing two conventions and four quarterly board meetings a year; revising and improving on a yearly basis the product guide and membership roster; marketing TSLA to agents and prospective members; and assisting TSLA members with questions and concerns.

“My role has changed dramatically since I began with TSLA in 1981,” she said. “In 1983 TSLA changed my position to full time, my title to executive administrator and allowed me to manage the association on my own. …. In 1997, my title was changed again to executive director and with each title change my duties grew.”

Along the way, she said, “the association became more proactive rather than reactive, which required TSLA to become more active on the regulatory and legislative fronts.” As such, TSLA makes a point to stay informed about issues that affect its members, and to educate and advise members on those issues.

“TSLA was instrumental in getting the legislation passed that formed the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas, which was a huge undertaking for a relatively small association,” Patterson noted.

She said an increased visibility of surplus lines in the marketplace has stimulated growth and competition. “The companies are now larger and are better capitalized and the market as a whole is seen as more mature and a more professional marketplace.”

For its 50th anniversary, TSLA will hold a small celebration at its mid-year meeting this summer, but the big party will occur during the 2006 Annual Meeting in November in Austin.

Patterson said the number one “thing that keeps me coming to work each and every day are the wonderful members that I have had the pleasure of working with and currently work with.” Adding that she counts many members as friends and many past presidents as mentors, Patterson said she has “grown so much, in knowledge and as a person, by working with all of them these past 25 years.”

Because she loves what she does, Patterson has no plans for leaving her post any time soon. But, she warns past presidents that when it’s time to retire, she plans “to write my memoirs, so who knows what may lie ahead!”