Susan Hecker: 2025 Presidential Award Recipient and Surety Industry Leader

Carrington Publishers proudly announces Susan Hecker as a 2025 Presidential Award recipient, honoring her outstanding contributions and decades-long dedication to the surety industry.

Throughout her distinguished career, one benefit has consistently stood out to Hecker above all others: relationships. “What I treasure most are the friendships,” she reflects. “There’s virtually no place in the country where I can’t pick up the phone and reach someone I trust to help if a customer needs something.”

Currently serving as Executive Vice President and Director – National Contract Surety at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in San Francisco, Hecker has built an extensive and trusted professional network over the course of her dynamic career.

Hecker’s path into surety was both unexpected and serendipitous. While pursuing studies in nursing, a household accident left her hospitalized for a month, delaying her academic progress. During recovery in 1977, she accepted a position in the bond department at Fireman’s Fund—and found her true calling. Captivated by the problem-solving and relationship-driven nature of the work, she joined the company’s underwriting training program in 1980. At a time when few women were working in contract surety underwriting, Hecker focused on the contractor segment of the business, where she felt most at home. Over the next two decades, she advanced steadily, ultimately leading Fireman’s Fund’s flagship surety office in San Francisco.

Her transition to the brokerage side of the industry came with the acquisition of Lamberson Koster & Company by Arthur J. Gallagher. It was a pivotal moment—Gallagher needed leadership and continuity in its surety practice, and Hecker was perfectly positioned to provide both. She quickly became a central figure in expanding the firm’s national construction and surety operations.

For Hecker, the rewards of her work are not only professional but deeply personal. “We see the impact every day,” she says. “Our clients are building roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and other essential infrastructure across the country. These projects mean jobs, housing, and food on the table for thousands of families. We get to be part of something meaningful.”

A tireless advocate for the surety profession, Hecker has been a longstanding and active member of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP). Her service has included roles on both the Membership and Government Relations Committees, and she has made numerous trips to Washington, D.C., to educate lawmakers about the critical role bonds play in the construction industry. She served two terms as a Director-at-Large before ascending through NASBP’s leadership ranks and ultimately serving as President of the association in 2015–2016.

Hecker is also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of surety professionals. “For years, the industry didn’t invest enough in developing new talent,” she observes. She credits fellow NASBP member Steve Cory of Cory, Tucker & Larrowe, Inc. in Metairie, Louisiana, with launching the innovative 5-15 Leadership Circle—a program designed to support early- and mid-career professionals. Hecker continues to champion mentorship, knowledge-sharing, and active engagement to ensure the future of the industry remains strong and vibrant.