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Turning the maze-like complexity of insurance into understandable, accessible information is no easy feat, but benefits advocate Jessica Palacios is up for the challenge. As associate director of benefits administration at the Texas A&M University System, Palacios oversees the management and day-to-day operations of several insurance programs. She’s also on a mission to demystify insurance for the A&M System’s 44,000-plus employees, retirees, and their covered dependents.
“A lot of people don’t understand how insurance works,” acknowledges Palacios, who received a management degree from Texas A&M International University in 2000 before going on to work for the A&M System for more than twenty years (and counting). “It’s always my goal to uncomplicate things and explain them in a way others can understand.”
Palacios believes education is power. One of the highlights of her job is when people tell her, “I had no idea I had that [benefit]. Thank you for letting me know.”
That’s why Palacios appreciates the wellness champion program at the A&M System, which comprises a statewide network of eleven universities and eight state agencies. The program encourages ambassadors throughout the A&M System to facilitate health and well-being awareness through boots-on-the-ground initiatives. Palacios, a former wellness champion, works hard to find the best ways to support the champions.
“A lot of people don’t understand how insurance works. It’s always my goal to uncomplicate things and explain them in a way others can understand.”
Jessica Palacios
Currently, Palacios and her colleagues are focused on giving the wellness champions the tools to address their colleagues’ needs, with data playing an important role in their work. For instance, data can show the more prevalent conditions in a given employee population, Palacios explains. Every A&M System location is different. By looking at the aggregated data in health claims, champions can develop targeted programming for each population.
“They don’t need to talk about asthma to a population that doesn’t have a large number of claims [for that condition],” Palacios says, “or they don’t need to spend dollars on programming that isn’t as relevant.”
Soliciting feedback from employees and staff at each location is another area of focus. Palacios’ team encourages employees to take a BCBSTX well-being survey, which will guide priorities and capitalize on areas of opportunity. As leaders prepare to parse the results, Palacios reminds them to be open to the feedback and committed to taking action.
Before her decades-long HR career, Palacios planned to pursue a career in nursing. In fact, she was just a few semesters away from finishing her program when she realized a prospective career in medicine wasn’t meant to be. That revelation prompted a journey of self-discovery, in which she searched for a new path to pursue.
“I was dabbling in different majors, held down two jobs, and went to school full-time, which was tiring after a while,” she says. She took a year off of school to regroup and think seriously about what she wanted to do. “I liked a lot of things,” she recalls, “but I didn’t like them enough to do them as a career.”
After her year of reflection, she enrolled at Texas A&M International University. One of her first moves was to meet with a faculty advisor for guidance. They exposed her to the opportunities that existed in HR. From there, she pursued her management degree and took HR courses to supplement it.
“Give it your all and be your best, and the good days will make up for all the challenging ones.”
Jessica Palacios
Eventually, she started working for the university in the School of Business and snagged a job at the HR office when a benefits position opened in Laredo, Texas. She stayed with that team for fourteen years, holding roles such as associate director of HR and senior project manager. During that time, she earned her Professional in Human Resources and Society for Human Resource Management-Certified Professional certifications.
In 2016, she transferred to the A&M System headquarters in College Station. Since then, she has served as HCM functional lead for talent management and recruiting and in her current role as associate director of system benefits administration. She has a passion for learning and decided to return to school to obtain her master’s degree. In May 2024, she earned her master’s in human resources from the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M University.
Palacios believes young people can learn a lot from her winding journey. One key lesson is “to be OK with not knowing what you want to do,” she says. Some people know exactly where they’re headed right out of high school, but they’re in the minority. Palacios herself thought she had a surefire career trajectory lined up, but things didn’t happen the way she expected. “Make sure you’re resilient enough to pivot,” she says.
But when you do find what you want to do, be sure you enjoy it, she adds.
“You may not feel that joy every day, but you need to know that your job is important and valued,” Palacios says. “Give it your all and be your best, and the good days will make up for all the challenging ones.”
