Leah Coakley wants to be a part of the solution.

After having her first child, she found a new appreciation for the vast amount of love and resources children require – and a growing awareness of disparities among children in New York City. As she says, “It broke my heart. I knew I had to do something.” She discovered CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), an organization that advocates for youth in foster care, and got to work.

She joined CASA-NYC’s junior board and put intention into action. Leah fundraised and brought in meaningful donations. “I found that I was just as good at selling CASA’s mission to those who wanted to have an impact as I was at selling M&A insurance to buyers of companies.”

Leah has a growth mindset – both in the insurance world and in her communities. Her proclivity to bring people together to support meaningful causes is evidenced by her work within the community and at Lockton. Now on CASA-NYC’s executive board, she helped establish a Board Engagement Committee, which supports equity and anti-racism work. This aligns with her goals as Director & Culture Officer of Lockton’s Transaction Liability group where she facilitates community and DEI initiatives such as cooking meals for sick NYC residents and supporting Lockton’s LEAN (Lockton Empowered Associate Network) groups as a member of the Northeast DEI Council. She is also an advocate for women’s initiatives. In 2022, she along with other leaders in the transactional risk (“TR”) space founded Women of Transactional Risk, which was established with a mission of fostering an inclusive community of men and women to generate meaningful connections and empower women in the TR industry.

Leah’s experiences have taught her the value of a caring culture. As Leah says, “The people you work with is everything, and we all thrive in our day job and beyond when collaborating in purpose-driven work within a supportive and uplifting team environment.”