Background
Elise Farnham writes the
personal lines claims column for IRMI.com.
As president of Illumine Consulting, Ms. Farnham provides claims management
consulting, continuing education programs, professional and personal
development programs, and business ethics programs. Ms. Farnham began her
career in the insurance industry in 1973 with Crawford and Company. She became
a multiline adjuster and in 1978 was promoted as the first female claims branch
manager for the company. She has worked in Texas, New York, and Georgia in
senior management positions and has held senior-level positions with The
Harmonie Group, CSB Group, and GAB Robins, NA.
Ms. Farnham is a member of the CPCU Society. She has previously served the
Society as Southeast regional governor, executive committee member, president
of the Atlanta Chapter of CPCU, and on numerous task forces, including the
Ethics Certification Task Force, the CPCU Claims Section Committee, and chaired
the Media Advertising Task Force. She is a member of the education and
professional development faculty for the Society with courses on ethics as well
as technical insurance and risk management topics. Ms. Farnham is a past member
of the Board of Ethical Inquiry for the American Institute for CPCU and has
served as a member of the ARM, AIC, and CPCU Advisory Boards.
Ms. Farnham is past president of the International Association of Insurance
Professionals (1998/1999), having served on the board of directors for 5 years.
She was regional vice president of Region 1 (Northeast). Prior to that, she
served two terms as president of NAIW-New York City. Currently, she is a member
of the Insurance Professionals of Atlanta. In 2004, she received the AAMGA
Achievement Award from the Georgia State Council of NAIW for her contributions
to the association. In 2002, 2004, and 2009, she was named Insurance Woman of
Atlanta, and in 1993, she was chosen National Claims Professional of the
Year.
Ms. Farnham is an associate member of The Risk and Insurance Management
Society (RIMS) and is a member of their professional development faculty. She
teaches the "WC Management," "Claims Management,"
"Fundamental of Insurance," and "Executive Risk/E&O"
courses. Ms. Farnham also serves on the Board of Directors for the Registered
Professional Adjusters Society.
As an international speaker and author, Ms. Farnham's articles have been
published in Business Insurance,
Claims Magazine, The Claims Advisor, CPCU Claims Interest Group Quarterly, National Underwriter, Risk Management Quarterly,
Today's Insurance Professional, and
Insurance International (published in the
United Kingdom). She published her first children’s e-book, "Monster in
the Barn," in 2012.