From Lost Newcomer to Industry Connector—How One Public Adjuster Built a Directory to Bridge the Knowledge Gap in Property Claims

Note: This guest post is by Sarah Parker, an educator and founder of Parker Public Adjusting, TheClaim.Directory, and Kuva Media, and a CPAU Certified Appraiser/Umpire.

Everyone in the property insurance industry will experience something similar to this at some point: you’ve just passed your licensing exam, and received notice that your new license application was approved. Your pre-licensing education set an excellent tone, gave you an ethics framework, and created a foundation for what you knew would be a rewarding and challenging career. You’re excited about your new career (maybe even a little nervous), but then the thought comes:

Now what?

Your pre-licensing courses didn’t teach you how to actually do your new job, did they? You realized that instead of arriving at the pinnacle of the profession like you thought your license would bring you to, you’re actually standing at the very edge of the path of your new career. You have absolutely no idea what the next step should be.

That’s exactly where I found myself when I first started in this industry, as a public insurance adjuster. Little did I know that this struggle would eventually lead me to create the very resource I was desperately searching for a decade earlier, to share with others (others, like you), TheClaim.Directory.

Not knowing what to do next, I did what anyone would do in 2014: I started “Googling.” I searched online for claims education, training, networking opportunities, and anything that could help me grow past that foundational knowledge I’d gained. There wasn’t much out there at the time, especially for public insurance adjusters, as some insurance industry events actually ban our niche profession from attending.

In my online searches, I finally stumbled upon the website of the policyholder advocacy nonprofit United Policyholders. It was incredibly helpful. It felt like finding water in the desert! But I still felt like I was only getting pieces of what I needed as a professional. I still needed to learn how to do my job well. I knew in theory how it should be done, but I needed to know the actual steps. And, I wanted in-person training, which, again, was pretty rare for public adjusters at the time.

Here’s where my story took an unexpected turn. Picture this: you’re brand new to the industry, and a public adjuster you barely know calls you up out of the blue. They invite you to some appraiser and umpire training thing that you’ve never heard of. Do you go?

I went.

And I’m forever grateful for that training, because it completely changed my life by setting my adjusting career in the right direction. It was an IAUA (Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association) training and certification course, with education specific to my state (we do appraisal a little differently than the rest of the country).

Walking into that room as someone fresh to the industry, I had no idea I was about to meet some of the people who would become mentors, like Merlin Law Group attorneys Christina Phillips, Ed Eshoo, Mike Duffey, appraiser and umpire Bob Norton, and later Chip Merlin. From there, through my new network, I found more events, mentors and colleagues, education, and eventually NAPIA (the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters), for which I would later serve as a Member of the Board of Directors.

However, I was incredibly lucky to find the educational resources, the people, and tools—and early in my career, at that. Not everyone has had the luxuries of luck and finding amazing colleagues and mentors like I’ve had. Not everyone gets that serendipitous phone call. Not everyone finds their tribe so easily. That realization became part of why I’m now always there for other professionals across the country, because I know what it’s like to need that quality guidance (instead of bad internet advice from random strangers), and I know how transformative and meaningful it can be when you find it.

That’s where the idea for TheClaim.Directory came from in 2023 and launched in 2025. I can now be the mentor to others that I wish I’d always had, to a greater capacity and sharing the resources I wish I’d known earlier. Over the years, I’ve shared resources online and through texts, emails, and phone calls with colleagues across the country, spoken at events, and taught CE/CLE courses, but that serves a limited audience. TheClaim.Directory is a more accessible way to connect all of the resources I love to share in one place, for everyone.

So, what exactly is TheClaim.Directory? It’s a comprehensive resource and educational platform designed specifically for property claim professionals, including policyholder and carrier attorneys, adjusters (of all types; I built this to be of service to my staff and independent adjuster colleagues as well), experts, appraisers, umpires, and more. Think of it as the centralized hub our industry has been missing. The directory organizes resources for professionals into clear categories, making it easy to find exactly what you need to grow your career or business and do your job better.

I curate and list tools, resources, and educational events from across the country, with the help of my team at my design agency Kuva Media, so you never miss important training opportunities or industry knowledge. Our resource categories cover everything you need: Books & Publications, Blogs & Podcasts, Operations & Marketing tools, Communities & Associations, Advocacy & Wellness resources, Insurance & Finance guides, Claims Software & Tools, Training & Certifications, and Events, with some exciting features planned for the future.

And lastly, TheClaim.Directory produces its own podcast that features insights and resources from the directory, where they come from, and how to use them, giving you access to wisdom you might never otherwise get (like our podcast episode that reveals a surprising source of NOAA weather data we all use in claims).

Best of all? Basic listings are completely free, and only vetted resources make it into the directory. Every resource needs to bring real value and quality. This is my way of giving back to an industry that has given me so much. I invite people to submit their events or resources for the property insurance industry, so that we can build this together as a community.

There’s something bigger at work here than just a directory. Everything we enjoy professionally today, such as our laws, ethics, customs, sayings and inside industry jokes, protocols, and case law didn’t just appear overnight. It’s the result of hundreds of years of professionals who came before us, each one adding their piece to the foundation we now build upon.

You and I, we are part of that continuum. In due time, we will all be forgotten, but our contributions will remain, passed on to another generation of professionals who will face the same “now what?” moment we once did.

I created TheClaim.Directory to make sure that the next person holding their brand-new license, wondering “now what?” doesn’t have to wonder alone. And I’m here to make sure that experienced professionals have a place to continue growing, learning, and connecting with others who share their passion for this industry.

I hope you’ll join me in this mission by visiting, sharing, subscribing, and contributing to TheClaim.Directory.