Madison,
13
February
2020
|
05:00 AM
America/Chicago

Chief Operating Officer Telisa Yancy honored as one of Madison Magazine’s “Best of Madison Business"

Reprinted with permission from Madison Magazine.

Madison Magazine’s Best of Madison Business celebrates 20 years of recognizing extraordinary business leaders and their contributions to greater Madison’s economic vitality and nationally recognized livability.

This year, American Family’s Chief Operating Officer Telisa Yancy was one of the honorees.

From food and beverage enterprises to cutting-edge new economy innovators to Madison business legends, Madison Magazine has celebrated the best, their accomplishments and their influence. All have had stories — a way of doing business — that collectively make up Madison’s one-of-a-kind intersection of lifestyle and business.

It’s clear from the list of 80 individuals who have won Best of Madison Business awards since 2000 that great businesses have great leadership. But it’s also clear that the best have great leadership teams. How those teams are organized, the ways they function and the degree to which they are diversified make a difference.

Quality, sustainability and success are profoundly affected by a diversity of ideas, experiences, life paths and more. According to the labor market analytics firm Emsi, Madison has America’s most diverse economy. It’s one of our greatest strengths.This year’s Best of Madison Business honorees exemplify the values of diversity in the corporate chain of command at some of the city’s most important and successful businesses.

Telisa Yancy: Dream Big

Telisa Yancy is, among other things, a dreamer. As the COO of American Family Insurance, Yancy created a marketing concept to position American Family as the inspirer, protector and restorer of dreams. That includes the Insure Carefully, Dream Fearlessly campaign and the DreamBank community space. But behind the dream is Yancy’s journey from growing up in Chicago to earning a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She has held executive positions at companies including Ford Motor Co. and Burger King Corp., and she has earned recognition from Ebony Magazine, appearing on its Power 100 list, and Black Enterprise Magazine in 2019 as one of the most powerful women in corporate America. American Family Insurance Chairman and CEO Jack Salzwedel describes Yancy as “smart, strong and poised” and someone “who thrives on finding a solution to any challenge.”

See more from Madison Magazine:
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Video introduction of honorees from awards event

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About American Family Insurance group
Madison, Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance group is the nation's 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group and ranks No. 306 on the Fortune 500 list. The company sells American Family-brand products, including auto, homeowners, life, business and farm/ranch insurance, primarily through its exclusive independent contractor agents in 19 states. American Family affiliates (The General and Homesite) also provide options for consumers who want to manage their insurance matters directly over the internet or by phone. Affiliate Main Street America sells insurance products through independent agents and affiliate American Family Connect Property and Casualty Insurance Company (proposed new legal name of Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance) sells through partners. Web www.amfam.com; Facebook www.facebook.com/amfam; Twitter www.twitter.com/amfam.