Donegal’s Krista Root Honored Among Central PA’s Forty Under 40

Awarded annually to high-achieving young professionals, CPBJ’s Forty Under 40 awards recognizes future leaders of Central Pennsylvania under the age of 40 who are not only achieving success in their careers, but giving back in meaningful ways to their communities.

“Krista is extremely deserving of this honor,” said David French, Vice President of Commercial Lines Product Development at Donegal. “She is conscientious, caring, and has an infectiously-positive attitude. Krista has developed into a true leader through her highly collaborative role as a Regional Product Manager and her commitment to mentoring high school students in her Lancaster County community.”

A graduate of Penn State with her MBA from Elizabethtown College, Root’s role as a Regional Product Manager within Donegal’s Commercial Lines division charges her with playing a key role in the strategy for Donegal’s most impactful region. She joined the Donegal team as a Personal Lines Underwriter in 2014, before making the move to Commercial Lines in 2017.

A working mom to three daughters under the age of 5, Root knows the importance of cultivating the next generation of female business leaders. While her career in the insurance industry has soared in recent years, so has her commitment to being a trusted mentor to Lancaster County’s high school students through both Lancaster Chamber’s Discovering Paths mentorship program and Junior Achievement of South Central PA. This past spring, she concluded her fifth consecutive year of mentoring through the Chamber.

“I was not surprised when I learned of Krista being named to Central Penn Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 list,” said Jeffery T. Hay, Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer at Donegal Insurance Group. “Krista is a mature and dynamic business leader who has earned the respect of her colleagues and drives influence across many parts of the Donegal organization, leveraging her deep technical skills coupled with her inclusive and collaborative nature. She has a tremendous career ahead of her.”  

Root will be celebrated with her fellow honorees on October 24th, at CPBJ’s 2024 Forty Under 40 event in Harrisburg.