After a long career in the IT sector, I stepped away for a good number of years to pursue my passion in teaching martial arts. Helping others while providing an exceptional experience has always been a part of my DNA. An opportunity presented itself at HawkSoft and I was delighted to accept the role.
With roots in our Product Support group, I am now honored to be a regional Territory Manager for our Sales Team. Finding myself once again in a position to both educate and advise, I could not ask for a better place to be.
Based out of Texas, Brandon has worked for large companies in IT support roles within the energy, retail, and bio-tech industries. He also holds a 5th degree black belt in Taekwondo, with affiliations at the national and international level.
I joined the HawkSoft Sales team in November of 2020 and have been working as a Territory Manager. I bring 8 years of enterprise product support and sales experience with me, and I always look forward to learning something new with every customer interaction.
My favorite thing about HawkSoft is the personal and professional actions shown by leadership all the way down. HawkSoft is about walking the walk just as much as they talk the talk. It is a diamond in the rough to work for a company who shows up and puts in the effort for every level of the process. Being on the front line, working with our customers is a daily testament to the dedication that HawkSoft shows to get it right.
My personal hobby is to spend as much time outside as I can with my husband and son adventuring and exploring nature!
As a Western Regional Territory Manager, Mike focuses on agency growth and opportunities in the marketplace. Mike, a Marine Corps Veteran, started his career 25 years ago in the insurance industry, then moved into the banking sector. Today he spends his time consulting insurance agencies on opportunities and solutions that best fit their needs.
His favorite activities are spent outdoors to include hiking, archery, kayaking, and golf. Mike and his wife Jessika reside just a few miles from the beautiful Yosemite mountains.
Mike’s favorite thing about HawkSoft is the culture. There’s not a day that goes by without someone exceeding his expectations; anywhere from their conviction and sense of urgency to providing the necessary knowledge for success. He looks forward to many years to come and hopes to remain an integral part of the HawkSoft organization.
In her role as Manager for Inside Sales, Crystal Townsend is responsible for vendor relationships, customer inquiries, collaboration across departments, and process management. With eight years of experience in account management, sales, and customer support, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. As an expert in the HawkSoft partner ecosystem, she helps potential and existing HawkSoft customers find processes, products, and/or people to complement their HawkSoft experience and improve their workflows. Crystal works hard in her current position to ensure the efficient operation of the team while developing and maintaining strong relationships based on trust with her customers and colleagues.
I began my Journey in the insurance sector 11 years ago. As a former Psychology major with a laundry list of prospective career paths, insurance was not on the agenda; however, life happened, and I stumbled upon an opportunity to become a licensed agent. I served as a P&C agent for 3 years with a predominantly Hispanic agency/franchise in the Atlanta area. Shortly after departing that agency, I was sought after by a former colleague to work as a sales rep for an AMS competitor. That is where my true passion and desire for serving the InsureTech community was curated. The opportunity to educate and help a vast group of insurance entrepreneurs implement a system providing the essential needs for their agency and features to scale their business is of utmost interest to me. This is an investment!
Implementing a management system serves as an asset as well as a risk. That is why understanding the customers’ needs and business path is important. I have been serving the Insurtech community for over 8 years. My consultative approach from sales to support has earned me the trust of many. I serve my role with so much pride and joy, and HawkSoft makes it that much easier. I know that the customer service I provide is appreciated by the masses.
In addition to assisting the Inside Sales team, Megan travels to various tradeshows throughout the year, meeting with insurance agents and building relationships with other vendors. Megan is excited to continue to grow with HawkSoft and the insurance industry!
About: With over 20 years of management experience in various industries, Sandy brings a well-rounded and pragmatic approach to overseeing her department of seasoned bookkeepers. She has extensive experience in both customer-facing roles and behind-the-scenes accounting roles. Sandy is in her 3rd year with HawkSoft and has demonstrated her management and operational skills in Product Support, Client Services and now, Managed Services. She works hand in hand with our customers to ensure that their experience is exceptional.
Kathi joined the team from Product Support, where she was a representative and a subject matter expert. She holds an AA in Accounting and spent 8 years teaching mathematics. She also has several years of retail management experience, where she honed her excellent customer service skills. She has a passion for accuracy and is excited to be a part of the team.
Here at HawkSoft we are deeply committed to the success of independent insurance agencies. From the time I first became an insurance agent, I have developed cutting-edge technology solutions for agencies. We have a solid understanding of the changing insurance industry, and we thrive on innovation. My real passion, though, is interacting with clients. I love talking to agents at industry conferences, trade shows, and user group meetings. I want to find their pain points and find out what gets them excited. I personally read the feedback and suggestions submitted through our forums and email and set priorities based on what is best for our clients. We feel that if we take care of our clients’ needs the bottom line will take care of itself.
I was told by one of our clients that the difference between us and our competition is that HawkSoft has heart. Our passion for the customer experience draws people in. One of the best pieces of business advice I ever received was to surround myself with good people, and I feel I have done that. HawkSoft now has over seventy employees, and I’m proud of every one of them. They work hard, embrace our core values, and put our clients first. I am excited for the future.
Paul Hawkins began developing HawkSoft’s first software program while working as an independent insurance agent in Portland, Oregon, and seeing first-hand the opportunities for increased efficiency and improved product support that software automation could provide. Throughout his 6-year career as an insurance agent, Paul developed many software tools that he and his coworkers used to boost their agency’s success. In 1995, Paul founded HawkSoft to devote his full attention to helping all independent insurance agents. Paul serves as President and CEO of HawkSoft and is a member of the board of directors. He is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events and has received the Legend Award from The Brokers Insurance Group. Paul enjoys woodworking, spending time with his family, and working on his farm.
My passion is creating technology solutions that people love to use. I enjoy finding creative ways to solve problems for our clients, and I love seeing those solutions in use. My favorite words to hear from a client are, “That is the coolest feature ever!” That thrills me.
As Chief Product Officer, I set the direction for our software. Our mission is to provide a superior experience for our clients, so I listen to them and then establish the roadmap for meeting their needs. Our focus has gone beyond providing a powerful management system to also providing the tools needed to run the entire insurance agency as a successful business. We pride ourselves on having the most intuitive software available. It requires minimal training, and its streamlined workflows save agencies both time and money.
Sean Hawkins started work at HawkSoft in 1997 while attending Brigham Young University with a Computer Science major. He has over 20 years of computer programming and technology industry experience, working with HP, AutoTime, and HawkSoft. At HawkSoft, Sean manages the product management, development, QA, and database conversion teams and serves as a member of the board of directors.
I love software programming. I’ll develop a piece of software for just about anything, just for fun. I love digging in and figuring out how things work. It’s thrilling to design and successfully create a project. As Vice President of Information Technology at HawkSoft, I’m involved in anything and everything. My job is different every day.
My favorite thing about HawkSoft is the people. We have some of the best people around. Even as we continue to grow, we are still able to recruit excellent people who are a really good fit and great to work with. Ultimately, this provides a superior experience for our clients.
Our clients are our top priority. As the industry changes and we add more and more to our software, we focus on keeping it easy to use. Our clients love it that they can learn to use HawkSoft in about an hour just by playing with it. Our management system is very easy to pick up and also has enough depth to handle just about everything an agency needs to do.
Jason Hansen started with HawkSoft in 1995 after attending Ricks College (BYU-Idaho). Jason has over 20 years of programming and network administration experience. At HawkSoft, Jason is responsible for computer and network administration and IT procurement. He also serves as a member of the HawkSoft board of directors.
I came to HawkSoft after a decade-long career in the mobile software industry. HawkSoft’s strong culture, bedrock values, and family-oriented environment drew me in. Leadership has an unrelenting focus on delivering an amazing experience to our two stakeholders — agency partners and employees. Industry-defining customer experience is the one ring of fire that we refuse to step outside of.
It’s my role to communicate our values, inspirational story, and what makes our organization and products so unique. Our customers and employees put their trust in our company, and it’s our responsibility to curate this trust and position them for success.
Rushang brings 18 years of software development, marketing, and entrepreneurial experience to HawkSoft. He served as Director of Marketing for CompanionLink Software before joining HawkSoft, helping land the company on the list of Top 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Oregon for two consecutive years. He holds a BS degree in Computer Science and an MBA in Marketing Management.
Mickey brings 20 years of corporate finance and accounting experience to HawkSoft. He last served as a financial executive at Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE), where he was responsible for the financial planning and reporting for TBE and several of their sister companies. He holds a BS in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy. Mickey loves spending time with his family and friends. He also loves to play golf, kayak, or to be in the great outdoors.
HawkSoft's core values are extremely important to me, especially Do the Right Thing. It is so refreshing to see that we truly do what we say in those values. I was drawn to HawkSoft because of the passion and care for people (both employees, customers, and partners) that continues to lead the company.
Paul began his career in insurance 25 years ago, starting as an agent for Northwestern Mutual Life. After starving to death selling life insurance, he moved to the technology side of the business where he worked as a Business Analyst and Customer Relationship Manager for an insurance software provider before becoming Director of Operations for a large regional bank. The next career stop saw Paul running a consulting group focused on bank insurance operations, after which he decided to work for himself, opening and operating two successful insurance agencies in Idaho. Paul came to work for HawkSoft in 2013, first working as a Product Owner in the Development department, and later running the Sales team for HawkSoft since 2018. Paul has a BS in Finance and in his free time loves fishing, hunting, boating, and mountain bike racing.
During the 17 years I worked in an insurance agency, I learned the importance of having a strong team. Now, as a regional territory manager for HawkSoft, having a strong team is more crucial than ever. My office is 2400 miles away from the HawkSoft home office, yet I feel completely supported and involved. I am on the front line, serving as liaison between clients and HawkSoft. I see firsthand how clients use our software, what they like, and what they want improved. I nurture relationships and pass information along to the home office. I love reporting back to clients that their suggestions have been incorporated into the software and showing them the new features they dreamed up. It’s thrilling for them to know they are heard.
My favorite thing about HawkSoft is the support my clients and I get in the field. The whole culture of HawkSoft is positive and encouraging. Clients love that HawkSoft inspires them to implement solutions that will help them be more efficient and successful in their businesses. I see this every time I perform a demo for a prospective client. I never tire of hearing, “You can really do that? That’s so quick and easy! That will really help our agency.” I value the relationships I have with HawkSoft clients and love attending user group meetings and visiting agents in their offices.
Linda Anderson joined the HawkSoft Sales Team in 2007 after working for 17 years in an insurance agency in Ohio that used HawkSoft’s Client Management System. She has worked as an insurance customer service rep, as a producer, and as an agency manager. She also worked for 14 years as Vice President of Commercial Acquisitions and Leasing for Spector Development Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona. She graduated from the American Institute of Business. Linda’s office is in Springfield, Ohio.
Mathew Brauer joined HawkSoft in 2013 as the Northeastern Regional Territory Manager, focusing on creating brand awareness, expanding agency presence, and obtaining regional agency feedback to incorporate into future HawkSoft enhancements. Matt's insurance career has focused entirely on agency-related business services and solutions, including his tenure as a New Jersey P&C and Life insurance agent. He entered the industry over 16 years ago, managing Agency Service and User Acceptance Testing for a leading comparative rating vendor. From there, his roles progressed to Director of National Accounts where he spent time building integration partnerships and business solutions between insurance carriers and agency-focused companies like HawkSoft. Matt and his family live in Massachusetts where they enjoy gathering with friends and traveling together.
I worked in the industry as an agent and agency owner for 20 years before joining the HawkSoft team. Being involved in HUG (HawkSoft User Group), I got to know the team at HawkSoft and worked alongside them at different conferences and conventions. In those experiences, I was able to see the passion that each HawkSoft employee has for not only the product, but the people and users of their product. Seeing and experiencing the company culture and family-centered focus made it easy to want to be part of it. I'm excited to work with the different insurance networks, clusters, associations, and large enterprises within the industry and help with education, programming, training, and their needs in the HawkSoft platform!
Coming Soon.
I came to HawkSoft on 2/20/20 after almost 40 years in the insurance industry in many different capacities, including running an agency for more 26 years. I have known Paul Hawkins for over 15 years and was impressed with his company’s culture, values, and family-focused orientation. It has been a perfect fit for me since joining. I appreciate that the leadership team has an unrelenting focus on delivering an amazing experience to our two stakeholders — employees and agency partners. We deliver an amazing customer experience and seek to raise the tide for all boats instead of thinking short-term to benefit only ourselves.
I handle Carrier Relations for HawkSoft. This includes connectivity to and from the carriers, as well as encouraging download and dealing with all kinds of questions. I also work with carriers to implement HawkSoft solutions like HawkLink and Book Roll.
Before joining HawkSoft I led the implementation, planning, and education for the Agency & Broker Operations Division at CoreLogic Insurance and Spatial Solutions that aligned CoreLogic’s technologies with the needs of the agent and broker community in the US and Canada. I was a principal at an agency in Minnesota for 26 years, where I had oversight over the organization’s entire technology platform and directed the implementation of all information technology systems. I served on the Board of Directors for NetVU from 1998-2007 and was Chairperson 2005-2006.
I have experience as a leader in automation for two agencies, playing key roles at both in choosing and implementing a new management system. Not only did I play a key role in technology automation, I was also a licensed CSR and Agent in Property & Casualty and Life & Health for four years. I used the management systems every day, becoming familiar with every aspect from the front line to the back office.
In joining HawkSoft, I had the privilege over the last ten years of helping agencies of all varieties. I was able to help agencies new to benefiting from a management system and agencies who were switching management systems. I’ve learned a lot about what is important to agencies and what it takes to effectively implement a management system, so key to their success. Every day I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a team dedicated to the insurance agency’s success, to share what I’ve learned and to make a difference.
My favorite thing about HawkSoft is the people. Everybody has a great passion for what we are trying to accomplish. We value relationships and what each person brings to the table. We really enjoy working with each other, and that ultimately benefits our clients.
Jake Dunbar has been a licensed insurance agent for both property & casualty and life & health. He has consumer experience with Applied TAM, Applied Vision, and with HawkSoft CMS. He joined HawkSoft in 2006 after working for 6 years in the insurance industry. Jake graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. He has 10 years of work experience in the IT industry where he worked as a computer tech, a network administrator, and an automation manager for insurance agencies.
At Hawksoft we put the customer first. Our focus is not just on helping our clients with a specific issue but on consulting with them to truly understand their underlying needs and address those needs for the future. Our goal is to provide exceptional service, the best in the industry. My favorite thing about Hawksoft is the open and inclusive culture. This contributes to happy employees who work well together. Our work here is truly a team effort where everyone’s input is welcomed and considered.
Aedan James joined Hawksoft in early 2016. She holds a BS in Business Management and brings over 20 years of experience in client relations, customer service, and operations management in the software industry, running large and small contact centers in Oregon, Washington, and California. When Aedan isn’t focusing on the customer experience, she spends time with her family and working on the family farm.
Joined HawkSoft in 2012
Hobbies: Yoga, kayaking, hiking, and backpacking
What's your favorite book?
The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss. Embrace your authenticity!
What's your favorite movie?
Who is one person that you would like to express gratitude to?
My children for always reminding me what is most important in life!
Where is your favorite place to relax?
Beautiful Lake Tahoe because I can do everything I love on or around the lake
Who or what are you always happy to see?
Why do you choose to work at HawkSoft?
HawkSoft is literally my extended family. We all truly care about one another and live by our core values. Our amazing culture all begins with our leader, Paul Hawkins.
I worked for an insurance agency for a year and a half right out of college. I started at HawkSoft in 2009 in Customer Service and have been an Accounting Trainer, Team Lead and now the Client Services Manager. I chose to work at HawkSoft because of the family atmosphere. The people here bring out the best in you. The company urges you to be all that you can be and to challenge yourself to grow. You are cared about holistically. I love the fact that ideas are encouraged and they want you to think outside the box to make things better. I’m a working mom, and I appreciate the core value “Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work.”
As the Human Resource Generalist for HawkSoft, I enjoy getting to know employees and making their work life easier, and more meaningful. I truly believe that I cannot fix what I do not know, so I encourage employees to stop by and tell me not only the great things about their day, but the frustrating things as well.
HawkSoft prides itself on its great company culture. When we talk about our core values, we mean them; they are not just words what we stuck up on our website to look good. I hear often from new employees who are stunned that someone sent them home at 5:15PM during their first week, only to leave the building to an empty parking lot.
We believe in Work to Live, Not Live to Work. We expect eight good hours of dedicated work, and then it is time to go live your life. Not to say we do not have fun during the day too, but we do not stuff our breakroom with distractions so you end up living at work.
Pamela has been an HR Professional for over 20 years and has worked in many different industries including construction, manufacturing, healthcare and retail. She graduated from Marylhurst University in 1997. In her time away from work, Pamela enjoys spending time family, painting and crafting and has belly danced for number of years. It’s all about the glitter! She and her Husband are also involved in many culinary volunteer events.
Coming soon
As Scrum Master (a project manager for development), I see up close how HawkSoft understands the insurance industry and the needs of its clients. We work hard to make our clients’ lives easier and not just develop software for the sake of developing. I work with our business analysts, developers, quality analysts, and documentation specialists to keep projects moving forward and to ensure we are working on the features and enhancements that will provide the best experience for our clients. I define the process for our projects, develop standards, provide training, and develop software for internal use.
My favorite thing about HawkSoft is the culture. We believe in honor, in being family friendly, and in showing how much we value those around us.
Brita Brodin has over 20 years of experience managing complex software development projects. She has a proven record of implementing significant process improvement and delivering high quality products that meet business needs. Prior to joining HawkSoft in 2011, her work included management roles in software development, product design, and project management in the real estate industry.
Brita holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics from Occidental College. Outside of work, Brita enjoys travelling and spending time outdoors with her family.
My favorite part of being Development Manager is creating features that really make a difference. I enjoy hearing feedback from clients about how much they love a new feature we’ve developed and how it has made their workflows and lives easier.
When we’re writing code, it’s not about what we want. We write for the clients. Our enhancements and new features are driven by them. As we work, we communicate back and forth with our business analysts to ensure we are providing a superior experience for our clients.
As Development Manager, I have many responsibilities. I am in charge of interviewing and hiring new developers. I write and review code. I mentor other developers, showing them processes, procedures, design patterns, and new technology. It is satisfying work, and I love the family environment at HawkSoft.
Wade Koehmstedt brings over 25 years of software development experience to Hawksoft. He is an expert in software design, coding, debugging, testing, and mentoring. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and has been with HawkSoft since 2009. When Wade isn’t programming he is spending time with his family and playing ice hockey.
I have over 30 years of Customer Service experience. I enjoy helping our team educate and assist our users. I truly enjoy working for HawkSoft. The culture of the company is one that truly means it when they state they want our employees to succeed, and I enjoy being a part of a culture that will work with the employee to see that it happens. HawkSoft strives to live by its Core Values. They aren’t just words—we do our best to live by them. The company values its employees and listens as we move forward to our next iteration of the program.
I have been with HawkSoft since 2008, most of that time spent managing teams. I have been blessed to work with outstanding individuals who not only care about the success of our customers using the product, but the success of their fellow HawkSoft team members. The senior management at HawkSoft is truly outstanding and have done a great job of preserving the family feel even with the ongoing growth of the company.
My wife and I are always looking for new outdoor adventures, whether it’s camping, hiking (working on doing more backpacking), kayaking, snowshoeing, etc. Our goal is to visit every National Park in the US, though we have work to do as we are on number 16. Our son also works for HawkSoft, and we have three fur children that we are very fond of (two dogs and a cat).
Coming soon
Coming soon