Deborah is Tidewater born and raised, having lived in Norfolk and Virginia Beach for most of her life. She loves being near the ocean and cannot imagine life without salt water and sand. Deb is a Bayside High School graduate and attended Old Dominion University and Virginia Wesleyan College. She lived in Chapel Hill, NC for two years where she became a UNC Tarheel Basketball fan. Deb left State Farm in Charlottesville, where she was employed in the Injury Claim Center, to move back to Virginia Beach to work with her brother Kellam in establishing his own law practice in 2012.
Prior to joining her brother Kellam, Deb worked in management positions in various fields, such as managed healthcare (QualChoice), educational student travel (Worldstrides), and property management (Colonial Properties). Deb’s experience with managed healthcare extends to local companies such as Aetna, Cigna, and Sentara. While overseeing staffs of over 35, Deb has helped to train personnel to provide quality service while working to streamline processes and procedures. She obtained certifications in her various fields of industry (CAM-Certified Apartment Manager, AIC-Associate in Claims, and was working on the rigorous CPCU Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter before she left State Farm) always pursuing knowledge above-mandated requirements.
Throughout her employment experiences, Deb has enjoyed working with numerous emerging concepts and technologies, such as at Aetna when the term “PPO” was a new concept in managed health care and acting as the LAN contact when Aetna switched from PCs to Mac. Deb worked with Cigna when doing business with agents in other states by phone and fax from a central hub when that was a new concept.
Relocating back to Tidewater to work in a law practice which integrates the latest technology was a natural fit. Deb is thrilled to be working in a business where modern technologies such as paperless and cloud-based systems are used to improve efficiency and client contact.
Beyond work, Deb has volunteered with such organizations as Junior Achievement and the Red Cross, as well as spending time as a T-ball coach, working with Girl Scouts, and activities in her church. She has enjoyed her various projects with these groups and organizations, an example of which being a Red Cross project of sketching and painting the solar system inside a primary school, using her artistic talents to provide an educational and visually stimulating mural.
Deb was married and survived divorce, remaining close to her in-laws. She is the mother of two children, Cara (and son-in-law Chris) and Paul (and daughter-in-law Courtney). She is “Grams” to eight grandchildren, Bryant, Maxwell, Mia, Scottie, Braylon, Luke, Aly and Rae. Deb believes being a grandmother is life’s best reward. She loves having the house full of family and friends with food and laughter. Although Deb has traveled around the USA, Cancun, Bahamas, and Italy, her favorite place in the whole world is Disney World where she enjoys time spent with family and, of course, Mickey Mouse.
