One Family, One Lincoln

Dads – or any father figures – wear plenty of hats in a child’s life: a little league coach, personal chef, financial role model, fishing partner and many more. For Mike Hamilton, vice president of Actuarial Management for MoneyGuard, one of the many roles he plays with his daughter, Kelsey Humpherys, is “coworker.”

Mike joined Jefferson Pilot in 2005 and stayed with the company throughout the merger with Lincoln. Growing up, Kelsey had no intentions of joining the insurance industry. With Lincoln in the background, as she launched a career of her own, she knew joining was the right decision while looking for a long-term career with good values.

“My dad was always sending me job postings at Lincoln, and finally, I took him up on the offer,” Kelsey laughed. She is now a communications specialist for Underwriting and New Business (UW&NB).

Having his daughter join Lincoln gave Mike a sense of pride and satisfaction, knowing that Kelsey had started a career that will lead to many years of stability – like he has experienced during his tenure at Lincoln. “Lincoln has been great to the family for so many years. I advised Kelsey that Lincoln is a great place to cultivate her career,” he said.

But the family affair doesn’t stop there. Soon after Mike joined the company, his brother, John Hamilton, got his foot in the door as a wholesaler in LFD, now a Senior Underwriter for the Direct Agency Team in UW&NB. Once Kelsey established her career at Lincoln as a New Business Case Manager (NBCM), her husband, Josh Humpherys, also joined Lincoln as a NBCM, later transitioning to IT Enterprise Solutions as an Application Developer.

“We’re slowly taking over Lincoln,” Kelsey joked. “Six months after I joined, my husband was looking for a new opportunity, and it worked out great.”

For Mike and Kelsey, seeing both sides of the family – personal and professional – is exciting and leads to interesting conversations at the dinner table. “We bring work to the table just because of how connected we all are to Lincoln,” Kelsey said. “My mom usually is the only one at the table who doesn’t work for Lincoln, so she feels a little left out.”

Kelsey has seen her dad from a different perspective, and it’s been easier to relate to each other as Kelsey gets older. “Even though we don’t work together day-to-day, it’s fascinating to see my dad as a coworker. I’m always learning about the role he plays at Lincoln and how he continuously puts his problem-solving hat on for the company and his team.”

And, as for Mike, he always knew Kelsey was a perfect fit for Lincoln, as both she and the company share important values: “She has a passion and willingness to fight for what she believes in. She’s a real advocate for people, and I admire that about her,” Mike said.

Mike worked hard to get to where he is today – he even read to Kelsey from his actuary study materials when she was a baby! Yet, he also passed an important lesson on to his daughter: give your best to your job, but also know what else is important. Kelsey confirmed, “I never had to compete with work for my dad’s attention. His dedication to his work is apparent, but so is his love for his family, and that’s something I really admire and appreciate about him.”

“Working together has broadened our relationship and taught us the importance of creating relationships and giving our best effort, both personally and professionally,” said Mike.

For Father’s Day, after the work talk settles down at the dinner table, they’ll make sure the important men in the family know one thing, “You’re awesome, and I love you.”