Higginbotham promotes executive to lead private client services

In a strategic leadership shift, Higginbotham has elevated Mary Russell to the role of president of private client services.

In her new role, Russell will manage operations for the private client services division, which caters to over 44,000 individual clients across 17 states. She was previously a key executive at the firm as the former chief operating officer for personal insurance.

This appointment is part of a broader restructuring by Higginbotham CEO Rusty Reid, who has reallocated the president title he has held since 1989 into three specialized divisions. Now, Chris Rooker leads business insurance, Michael Parks oversees financial services and employee benefits, and Russell takes charge of private client services.

Reid explained that dividing the leadership into three primary areas—business insurance, personal insurance, and financial services and benefits—reflects the company’s commitment to providing comprehensive service across various client needs.

“Higginbotham is proud to provide service in each area, but we also provide service across areas for clients with complex needs. That’s a big part of our culture—that we’ll take care of you across any lines. To expand on that culture as we grow, we needed top people to take the lead on each vertical while also working together as a team across divisions. Chris, Michael, and Mary already work together as Higginbotham board members, and I couldn’t have asked for better people to lead each division,” Reid said.

Reflecting on his long professional history with Russell, Reid also recalled their early days at American General Fire & Casualty Company. After he transitioned to Higginbotham, Reid spent two years convincing Russell to join the firm, which was then in its formative stages.

“When there are only 15 of you, and you’re building a company from the ground up, you wear a lot of hats. We got to know each other’s abilities, qualities, and values thoroughly—and Mary’s qualities are outstanding. Under her leadership, our personal insurance department has grown tenfold, and many of the clients she engaged in 1992 remain with us to this day,” Reid said.

Throughout her career, Russell has been recognized with several industry awards, including Safeco’s Personal Achievement Award, Travelers’ Personal Insurance Agent of the Year, and the JoAnn Heltibridle Award from the Private Risk Management Association (PRMA). She was also honored as a Great Woman of Texas by the Fort Worth Business Press in 2019.

Russell holds multiple industry certifications, including the Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and Certified Private Risk and Insurance Advisor (CPRIA) designations.

In 2022, she earned the Certified Advisor of Personal Insurance (CAPI) designation through Chubb Personal Risk Services in collaboration with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

“It’s a blessing to work with people like Rusty, Chris, and Michael that I’ve known for so many years, but it’s the new generation coming up that energizes us. I’ve talked to young people here who are already planning full careers at Higginbotham. That’s a testament to the culture we built. We’re the largest independent agency in Texas with partnerships around the country, but we’ve retained that small-town, personal agency feel. We truly are like a family here,” Russell said.