BRIAN WATKINS
STATE FARM
Allen,TX
24
years of professional experience
Strategic and people-focused leadership development and learning professional with 20+ years of progressive experience developing employees, supervisors, and emerging leaders across complex corporate, customer-service, investigative, and military environments. Holds a Master of Science in Management and Leadership and received an Academic Excellence Award for achievement in a leadership development capstone project. Demonstrated success designing, developing, facilitating, and implementing classroom, video, and blended learning programs that produce measurable business and talent outcomes. Experienced partnering with Learning & Development teams, coaching leaders, facilitating professional development programs, driving employee engagement, and leading organizational change. Proven ability to lead organizations of up to 128 employees and supervisors while translating business priorities into practical learning and leadership-development strategies. Combines strategic thinking, engaging communication, operational expertise, and a passion for developing people to create learning experiences that drive participation, leadership growth, employee engagement, and measurable organizational results.
Work History
BODILY INJURY LITIGATION MANAGER
5 Years- Led a large, complex organization with responsibility for leader development, employee performance, engagement, operational strategy, change management, and execution of organizational priorities.
- Led and developed 8 supervisors and 120 employees, coaching on performance, providing leadership support, and creating development opportunities.
- Partnered with Learning & Development to create and implement an advanced investigation and negotiation training program that was subsequently adopted by another business function.
- Served as Change Management Lead, helping employees and leaders understand, adopt, and sustain new processes and technology.
- Increased adoption of new technology solution by 30% in three months through strategic employee engagement and effective change leadership.
- Served as Employee Engagement Lead, supporting initiatives designed to strengthen employee connection, participation, and organizational alignment.
- Developed and implemented division-wide strategy addressing aging work, enhancing completion rates of customer-facing activities.
- Reduced operational inventory by more than 1,000 claims within three months through process improvement and coordinated team execution.
- Collaborated with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to align development, operational, and organizational priorities.
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT TEAM MANAGER
3 Years- Led, coached, and developed a specialized team of 12 employees.
- Cross-trained two teams of specialists, expanding organizational capability into identity theft and fire-property investigations.
- Identified capability gaps and implemented cross-training initiatives to expand employee skill sets.
- Identified capability gaps and implemented cross-training initiatives, broadening employee skill sets across multiple areas.
- Helped translate complex technical and investigative concepts into accessible learning content for employees.
- Partnered with Learning & Development to develop a series of training videos explaining the biomechanics of minor automobile accidents and associated vehicle repairs.
- Facilitated knowledge sharing and cross-functional collaboration, strengthening team capability and cohesion.
- Led employees through changing processes and organizational priorities while maintaining engagement and performance.
AUTO INJURY TEAM MANAGER
1 Year- Oversaw leadership development for 19 employees to enhance team performance.
- Designed and implemented leadership development program integrating classroom instruction and video-based learning to prepare employees for leadership roles.
- Attracted 120 participants to the program and achieved an 80% placement rate into leadership roles over an 18-month period.
- Developed program content addressing leadership expectations, interview preparation, communication, decision-making, and professional development to enhance employee readiness.
- Developed program content focused on leadership expectations, interview preparation, communication, decision-making, and professional development.
- Coached employees during development, guiding aspiring leaders in applying training to real-world leadership situations.
- Coached employees throughout their development and helped aspiring leaders translate training into practical leadership behaviors.
CUSTOMER CARE CENTER SALES SUPERVISOR
2 Years- Managed a workforce of 24 employees to enhance team performance.
- Provided coaching, performance feedback, development guidance, and employee engagement support.
- Developed and facilitated emerging-leader interview workshop for over 60 employees, enhancing readiness for leadership roles.
- Facilitated development discussions on leadership readiness, communication, interview skills, and career advancement, supporting employee growth.
- Training contributed to an increase of 60,000 policies over one year, demonstrating measurable business impact from learning and process improvement.
- Developed and facilitated an emerging-leader interview workshop attended by more than 60 employees preparing for leadership opportunities.
- Balanced customer expectations with employee capability and business objectives, ensuring alignment with productivity goals.
CATASTROPHE CLAIMS TEAM LEAD
2 Years- Led frontline coaching during high-volume, rapidly changing operational environments to enhance team agility.
- Supported employees in navigating changing workloads and processes to meet evolving customer demands.
- Reinforced communication, teamwork, quality, and customer-service expectations.
- Facilitated employee adaptability to maintain performance and service standards amid operational shifts.
MULTIPLE SENIOR LEADERSHIP ROLES
6 Years- Led teams of up to 70 personnel, with responsibility for training, coaching, performance, leadership development, and operational execution.
- Developed personnel through structured training, mentoring, and feedback, enhancing leadership capabilities and team readiness.
- Identified individual and team capability gaps, implementing targeted strategies that elevated performance standards.
- Communicated complex information and organizational priorities to diverse audiences.
- Led teams through changing operational requirements while maintaining accountability and engagement.
- Applied structured leadership and continuous-improvement principles to address organizational challenges, fostering a culture of accountability and growth.
MULTIPLE LEADERSHIP ROLES
4 Years- Led teams of up to 50 personnel, enhancing training, development, and operational readiness through strategic communication and performance management.
- Led as Communications Chief, providing strategic communications and operational planning expertise.
- Facilitated communication across leadership levels and translated organizational priorities into actionable direction.
- Facilitated cross-level communication, translating organizational priorities into actionable directives that aligned team efforts with overarching goals.
- Built team capability by implementing structured training programs, providing continuous feedback, and fostering accountability through hands-on leadership.
Education
Master of Science - Management and Leadership
Academic Excellence Award — Leadership Development Capstone Project
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
Associate Degree - Business Administration
Skills
Leadership Coaching
Talent development
Learning & Development
Curriculum Development
Training Facilitation
Leader development
Change Management
Performance Management
Employee Engagement
Operations & Strategy
Program strategy
Stakeholder Management
Cross-functional teamwork
Customer service
Adult Learning
Accomplishments
- Designed and implemented a leadership development program combining classroom instruction and video-based learning. The program attracted 120 employees, with 80% subsequently placed into leadership roles over an 18-month period.
- Designed and implemented training to teach employees an efficient method for quoting home and auto insurance simultaneously. The program contributed to an increase of 60,000 policies over one year, demonstrating measurable business impact from learning and process improvement.
- Developed and facilitated an interview workshop for aspiring leaders, attended by more than 60 employees, preparing participants for leadership interviews and advancement opportunities.
- Partnered with Learning & Development to develop a series of training videos explaining the biomechanics of minor automobile accidents and associated vehicle repairs, translating complex technical concepts into accessible educational content.
- Led and developed organizations of up to 128 employees and supervisors, including 8 supervisors and approximately 120 employees.
- Served as Employee Engagement Lead and Change Management Lead, helping leaders and employees understand, adopt, and sustain organizational initiatives.
- Increased adoption of a new technology solution by 30% within three months through communication, engagement, leadership, and change-management strategies.
Timeline
BODILY INJURY LITIGATION MANAGER
STATE FARM
01.2020 - 01.2025Read More
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT TEAM MANAGER
STATE FARM
01.2017 - 01.2020Read More
AUTO INJURY TEAM MANAGER
STATE FARM
01.2016 - 01.2017Read More
CUSTOMER CARE CENTER SALES SUPERVISOR
STATE FARM
01.2014 - 01.2016Read More
CATASTROPHE CLAIMS TEAM LEAD
STATE FARM
01.2012 - 01.2014Read More
MULTIPLE SENIOR LEADERSHIP ROLES
U.S. ARMY
01.2006 - 01.2012Read More
MULTIPLE LEADERSHIP ROLES
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
01.2001 - 01.2005Read More
American InterContinental University
Bachelor of Science from Criminal Justice
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American InterContinental University
Associate Degree from Business Administration
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Western Governors University
Master of Science from Management and Leadership
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