On Oct. 26, Robert Larios, the Club’s Chief Operating Officer, was promoted to Chief Executive Officer by the LACEA Insurance Services Board, the governing body over the Employees Club, effective immediately.
LACEA Insurance Services is the business name of the Employees Club. It’s a subsidiary of the overall Los Angeles City Employees Association, Inc. John Hawkins remains President and CEO of the overall association.
John Hawkins and Robert Larios will now be sharing corporate oversight.
“The legacy John Hawkins built is one that I pledge to maintain and nurture because it is the mother sauce for what makes this association one of the best in America,” Robert Larios said. “My first priority is to continue the expansion for growth so that Members and their families get the opportunities to experience good lives through our celebration and protection. To accomplish that, I look inward to the talented and gifted Employees Club of California staff. This is truly an exciting time to be a part of this growth journey, and the best part is that the Members and their families will gain the most benefit and value from it.”
Association CEO John Hawkins said, “Good things are happening at the Club, and I look forward to seeing the new generation of staff employees taking the helm, turning it into a force like no other and giving municipal employees more things to celebrate. At the same time we’re protecting their families with the utmost in care, dignity and efficiency.”
The overall LACEA is one of the nation’s largest voluntary employee benefit organizations.
“My first priority is to continue the expansion for growth so that Members and their families get the opportunities to experience good lives through our celebration and protection.”
— ROBERT LARIOS, CLUB CEO
Robert served as the COO for the Employees Club of California for nearly six years, during which he oversaw and drove record new expansion of its membership base increase by 66 percent and upgraded the customer service experience for its membership.
He brings more than two decades of experience with the association, where he was first hired as a Member Services Counselor in 1998 and quickly learned to leverage the execution of difficult strategic leadership decisions within a nonprofit organization and for-profit subsidiary.
Robert is the third CEO for the Employees Club of California and the first Mexican American. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish literature and linguistics with a minor concentration in business administration, both from the University of Southern California.
Robert will work closely with John Hawkins for a seamless transition. John was the CEO for the Employees Club of California since 2004 and Chief Operating Officer since 2001, when he created and implemented the Club subsidiary concept. He will now be the CEO of the overall association only.
Congratulations to Robert Larios on his leadership achievement.
