Symetra Awards Top Honor for Community Service to Bellevue Employee DeAnne Dodson

Symetra, a national provider of employee benefits, annuities and life
insurance, announced that DeAnne Dodson is the recipient of the
company’s ninth-annual CEO Service Award. The award recognizes Symetra
employees for exemplary community service. Dodson is an IT operations
manager in Symetra’s Bellevue, Washington headquarters.

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Symetra honored DeAnne Dodson as the ninth recipient of the company’s CEO Service Award, which recognizes employees for exemplary community service. Dodson, an IT operations manager at the life insurer’s Bellevue, Wash. headquarters, is pictured here (seated right) at nonprofit Eastside Baby Corner in Issaquah, Wash., with the volunteer team she captained during the Symetra Week of Service. (Photo: Business Wire)

“‘Swift to Serve’ is one of Symetra’s core values. This attitude
describes the way we interact with our customers and partners, but it
also defines the deep sense of responsibility we have to the communities
where we live and do business. This year’s CEO Service Award honoree,
DeAnne Dodson, truly exemplifies that spirit,” said Symetra CEO Margaret
Meister, who selected Dodson for the honor.

Dodson has been an active member of Symetra Service Squad, the company’s
employee volunteer group since 2015. She has served as a Symetra Week of
Service team captain for several years, often leading multiple projects,
and also spearheaded fundraising efforts for Symetra’s annual
Adopt-a-Family holiday gift program benefiting local families in need. A
longtime volunteer at Eastside Baby Corner, a nonprofit dedicated to
helping kids thrive, Dodson championed the organization’s participation
in Symetra’s I CARE nonprofit fair.

“DeAnne utilizes her many strengths to help people who need it the
most—that is a reflection of her personal core values and mission in
life,” wrote Symetra VP Kelli Burns in one of Dodson’s nominations. “We
are lucky to have someone here at Symetra who is consistently committed
to making our world better.”

As part of the CEO Service Award, Symetra donates $2,000 to the
nonprofit organization of the honoree’s choice. Dodson will direct half
of her award to Issaquah, Washington-based Eastside
Baby Corner and the other half to IGNITE—Inspiring
Girls Now in Technology Evolution, an organization she has been
involved with for nearly 25 years that aims to expand the diversity of
talent in technological fields.

Commitment to Community Service

Symetra supports its employees’ volunteer spirit through the company’s
matching time program, annual Symetra Week of Service and Symetra
Service Squad. Since 2009, the Symetra Week of Service has
connected employees with volunteer opportunities in the community. From
clearing trails to tutoring students to assembling emergency
preparedness kits, employees choose a project they care about and take
time out of their work day to volunteer, contributing more than 14,000
Week of Service hours to date. The Symetra Service Squad is an
employee force ready to roll up their sleeves and give back. Members
meet to share ideas about volunteer opportunities and hear from local
nonprofits about ways to get involved in the community.

About Symetra

Symetra Financial Corporation is a diversified financial services
company based in Bellevue, Wash. In business since 1957, Symetra
provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a
national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and
independent agents and advisors. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.

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