Tony Nicely

Olza "Tony" Nicely started his career at Chevy Chase-based Geico Corp. as an endorsement clerk. Thirty years later, he rose to chief executive of the firm's largest insurance subsidiary, Government Employees Insurance Co. He also serves as president of Geico General Insurance Co. and is a member of Geico Corp.'s board of directors. Nicely, who received a college degree at age 44, attributes his rise to luck, family values, mentors and the products Geico sells. Nicely survived the company's near-collapse in 1975, when half of the firm's 8,000 employees lost their jobs. He later was named executive vice president in 1987, president in 1989 and chief executive in 1991.