Some of us recall the thrill of catching that $1.50 hot dog and soda combo at the stadium. For Dave Keith — who is transitioning to CEO of Wellabe in January 2024 — this wasn’t just a tasty deal, it was part of his journey toward appreciating the art of the game.
Dave, a California native, spent his childhood hitching rides to Oakland Athletics double headers and attending 49ers games.
Dave’s love for the game instilled a knack for teamwork and strategy. These skills flourished while leading a development team in Silicon Valley, and were later honed further at Security Benefit, an insurance company in Topeka, Kansas. There, he founded SE2, a third-party administration annuity and life processing business derived from the insurance company's operations. Interestingly, his colleague at the time, Tom Swank, sponsored the venture.
This experience gave Dave his first taste of the insurance industry, ripe with opportunities for strategy, learning, and adaptation.
Then, in 2016, Tom brought Dave onboard at Wellabe.
Dave’s two guiding principles: 1) Be role focused, not title focused; and 2) Replicate success, acknowledge failure.
“We need to focus on our role and what we can bring to the team,” Dave shares. “Success is definitely gratifying, but failure is just a challenge waiting to be turned around.”
Away from the professional field, Dave is a family man.
He’s been married to his wife June for 36 years. They have three children, Matt, Marie, and Lucie; one grandson; and two pets, Mazie, a yellow lab, and a cat named Bandita. Their family enjoys karaoke, card games, and time together.
Dave also enjoys spending time in his woodshop, using his hands to build things and keep his creative juices flowing.
As Dave steps up to the plate as CEO in 2024, he’s looking forward to inspiring employees to rally at every inning, every play, every moment — regardless of the score — and helping them to play a strategic game with passion and tact. After all, for Dave, that’s the art of the game.
Wellabe offers life and supplemental health insurance plans to help you prepare for good days and bad. We’ll always be here to empower you to be well — well prepared, well protected, and well loved.
