Merritt Tongen (Lance) is a native of Haywood County. She is a graduate of Tuscola High School where she was involved in cheerleading and choir, as well as a shining star of Legacy Dance (formerly Angie’s Dance Academy) in Clyde. Merritt graduated from NC State University with a degrees in Social Work and Non-Profit Studies. After dedicating her senior year of college to working with juveniles and their families involved in the judicial system, she realized to pursue her dream of Social Work would require more time, education, and expense. Upon graduation, her parents casually suggested she apply to a few insurance companies. After all, what harm could it do? In spring of 2013, Merritt accepted a Commercial Underwriting position with Auto-Owners Insurance and moved to Charlotte shortly thereafter. In 2015, Merritt was promoted to Home Office Underwriter and moved to Lansing, Michigan, which is where she met her husband, Mark. In 2017, they took a leap of faith and moved to Boise, Idaho for Merritt to pursue a Marketing position with Auto-Owners. In 2019, after the birth of their first son, Merritt and Mark moved back to Waynesville to raise their family in the beautiful WNC mountains, and allow Merritt the opportunity to take over her family’s legacy.

She proudly represents the fourth generation in the family insurance agency and loves sharing her work day with her parents, husband, staff, and even sometimes her children (Calder, Hayes, and Hattie Katherine). She looks forward to continuing to grow in this industry and very much enjoys meeting and working alongside our community.  She believes in integrity above all else and strives to be a better person each and every day.

In her spare time, Merritt is an active Board Member of the Haywood County Schools Foundation, Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, and the Independent Agents of North Carolina Young Agents Committee. She volunteers for various non-profit organizations and loves spending time with her family camping, going to Hilton Head Island, and reading mystery books. She is an avid animal lover and has two “fluffs” named Tek (husky) and Gertrude (labradoodle).