Downey to Retire After 45 Years of Service to AAA Members

WALNUT CREEK, California, Aug. 20 -- CSAA Insurance Group, an insurance company, issued the following news:

After a 45-year career dedicated to serving AAA members, Paula Downey, president and CEO of CSAA Insurance Group since 2010, will retire following a search for her successor.

In her role as president and CEO, Downey led the AAA insurer through a six-year infrastructure transformation aimed at improving the customer experience and launched a customer-centric, agile strategy. Under her leadership, the company executed this transformation while simultaneously growing revenue by $1.5 billion to $4 billion in 2018 and significantly improving efficiency.

"The insurance industry is extremely dynamic, and slowing down is not an option," Downey said. "A smooth handoff of leadership is critical, and I will be fully engaged in executing our strategy and serving AAA members until our board names my successor."

Among her career accomplishments, Downey was named Humanitarian CEO of the Year by the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter and earned a place on Insurance Business Magazine's "Elite Women in Insurance." She also was repeatedly honored as one of the Bay Area's Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times, and named one of the region's "Most Admired CEOs," in recognition of her outstanding corporate citizenship.

CSAA Insurance Group

CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA members through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1914, the company has been rated "A" or better by A.M. Best for 90 years, and is one of the top personal lines property casualty insurance groups in the United States, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The company has been repeatedly named one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America by Points of Light. Read more at csaa-insurance.aaa.com.