Breanca Niski, 29

As a private client adviser for Brown & Brown of Florida, Breanca Niski says what she likes most about her job is it gives her the opportunity to help people. “With insurance, a lot of people don’t understand what their policy does for them,” she says.

Niski focuses on insuring people’s tangible personal assets, including homeowners’ insurance and auto insurance. She sees her role as providing education about the industry to her clients, from breaking down policies to explaining what it is exactly they’re paying for.

Being young and female in the male-dominated insurance industry has had its challenges, Niski admits. What’s helped her overcome it, she says, is the opportunity to sit down with prospects and show them she knows what she’s talking about.

Her career goal is a big one: to hold one of the largest books in personal lines for Brown & Brown. “Slowly but surely,” she says, she’s on her way there. “The thing that I’m a big believer in is if your dreams do not exceed your capacity, they’re not big enough,” Niski adds.

Outside of work, she takes an active role in the community, serving on 13 committees.

One organization that holds particular importance to her is BeyondMe, a newly launched young philanthropist society in Sarasota led by JFCS of the Suncoast. Niski and another young professional had a founding role in BeyondMe.

Niski says some people she encounters think they can’t get involved in philanthropic efforts because their pocketbooks aren’t big enough. She wants to dispel that notion.

With all of Niski’s work and community commitments, time management is crucial. In the office, the first half of her day is spent going through what she calls her “priority checklist” and accomplishing what needs to be done. The second half of the day involves marketing efforts prior to committee involvement starting in the late afternoon and evening. Niski says, “I’m a huge advocate of knowing what is worth your time and trying to plan your day.”