HB20: Elaine Gascon, Atlas Insurance Agency

A first-generation college graduate who broke into a male-dominated field, Elaine Gascon now oversees condo policies topping $200 million in replacement value.

Insurance might sound unsexy—policies, premiums, fine print. For a young professional, it can seem even less glamorous. But for Elaine Gascon, it’s anything but boring.

As Vice President and leader of Atlas Insurance Agency’s Commercial Lines AOAO (condominium) Unit, she oversees hundreds of condominium associations with replacement values topping $200 million, ensuring owners’ most valuable assets are insured and their futures protected.

“It’s a rewarding career because you’re helping people,” Gascon says. “Even though I insure large condo master policies, I talk to unit owners all the time because I want to help them—protect their biggest assets and plan for their future. I get calls from people who think they don’t need insurance, and that hurts because they’re one loss away from losing their home, everything. There’s so much miseducation, but I’ve seen (insurance) save livelihoods.”

She is the first in her Filipino family to graduate from college and went on to earn a graduate degree. Her family immigrated to the U.S. about 40 years ago with little more than hope and determination. Leaving Hawaiʻi to study on the mainland, Gascon earned scholarships, navigated unfamiliar territory and built a foundation for a career in finance.

She entered insurance through an administrative role and quickly discovered an industry that rewards curiosity, learning and service. Today, she holds multiple professional designations—Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, Associate in Insurance and earned her Master of Business Administration—and has become a recognized expert in a traditionally older, male-dominated field.

“I think a major thing for me is that there’s always been a negative stigma on being young when you’re in insurance because you can’t know things,” she says. Rather than letting bias hold her back, Gascon has used it as motivation to excel, mentor others and bring fresh perspectives to the industry.

Balancing operational leadership with mentorship, succession planning and innovation, Gascon also manages life as a mother of two young children — proving ambition and family can coexist.

If that weren’t enough, Gascon serves on numerous nonprofit boards, some of which include her roles as former President of the Rotary Club of Ewa Beach and current VP of the Community Council of Maui. She is Chair for the Young Agents of Hawaii Independent Insurance Agents Association, leading efforts to support and attract young insurance talent. Gascon is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals (YP) and serves on the YP Wahine Committee, providing professional development and support for young professional women in business.

Looking ahead, she plans to expand her community involvement, inspire the next generation of insurance professionals and eventually launch a nonprofit that further benefits her community.