In The Driver’s Seat with Roxanne Ross

Roxanne Ross, Assistant Director of Product, recently celebrated her 10-year milestone with the DriveTime Family of Brands. Known for her love of Disney, passion for Starbucks and an unwavering commitment to her career, Roxanne’s journey has been marked by diverse roles and a passion for learning. We had the pleasure of exploring her remarkable career trajectory and insights into her role.

Midwestern Roots

Roxanne was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Her academic pursuits took her to Wisconsin, where she graduated with a degree in archaeology and classical languages.

After graduating, she returned home and worked as an office manager at a local chocolate store before relocating to Colorado. Her career took off with Progressive Insurance, where she navigated various roles that ultimately brought her to Arizona.

“I started working for Progressive Insurance, moved around a bit in there, and that’s actually what brought me to Arizona,” she shared, highlighting her journey through various roles at Progressive that honed her customer service skills.

Discovering Her Passions

In 2014, Roxanne embraced a new chapter with DriveTime, joining the Customer Relations Department. Her background in handling escalated customer issues at Progressive made her a perfect fit for this role.

She explains, “I did that for about three months and then moved to the verifications team,” after a supervisor opportunity became available. Her ability to adapt and her previous experience enabled her to take on leadership roles, such as overseeing the welcome call group, which she did for about a year.

Her insurance background took her to SilverRock, DriveTime’s warranty and ancillary company, where she was able to gain exposure to and find her passion in system management and configuration.

“I’m a licensed insurance agent from my Progressive days, and they were looking for insurance-related expertise,” she says.

With this new opportunity, Roxanne’s skillset expanded from a more technical standpoint, which helped her a few years down the road when she transitioned into an IT role. She stayed with IT until late 2021 before moving into her current position.

For the past couple of years, Roxanne has been working with Bridgecrest products. “I am a product manager with the loss mitigation group, working primarily on ancillary product enhancements and performance,” she shares.

Reflecting on her journey, she added, “I’ve been all over the place and I am learning. Moving into the loss mitigation space more recently has been a whole new set of things to learn. So, I’m always learning, always growing.”

Embracing a Strong Culture

Reflecting on her decade with the company, Roxanne appreciates the consistent and supportive company culture that has remained a cornerstone of her experience. This supportive environment, coupled with continuous growth opportunities, has kept her motivated and engaged.

“The culture that we have as a company is very consistent,” she said. “I think that becomes very important. You have to feel comfortable with the people you work with.”

Innovation is another key factor that has kept Roxanne engaged over the years. “There’s always innovation,” she said. “There are always people thinking. I’ve been able to see all the different brainwaves working and the way people innovate to stay fresh in the space.”

Culture is not something that’s created overnight, though, it’s something that continuously needs worked on, especially from leaders. As a leader, Roxanne finds that it’s important to place an emphasis on recognition.

“I’m huge on recognition. I try to make sure that other people feel appreciated and celebrated,” she said. “I offer guidance and assistance. If I see someone may be struggling with something, I reach out and share what’s helped me in the past.”

Advice for Aspiring Professionals

For those looking to build a similar career, Roxanne’s advice is simple: Advocate for yourself.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want,” she said. “If an opportunity looks interesting, just ask and see what opens up for you.”