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The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has named Deputy Secretary of Commerce David A. Sampson to serve as the association’s president and chief executive officer. Sampson takes over the reins on Sept. 4.

PCI represents more than 1,000 member companies that write almost 40 percent of the nation’s property and casualty insurance. PCI and its affiliates have a staff of 240 and a $40 million budget. It has offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C, seven regional offices, and has lobbyists in every state.

Sampson has served as the deputy secretary of the Commerce Department since July 2005. As the department’s chief operating officer he manages a $6.5 billion budget and 38,000 employees. Previously, Sampson served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development.

Prior to joining the Bush Administration in August 2001, Gov. George W. Bush had appointed him chair of the Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Development. Before beginning his career in public service, Sampson was the president and chief executive officer of the Arlington, Texas Chamber of Commerce.

Until Sampson takes over, June Holmes will continue to serve as the association’s interim CEO, a post she has held since Ernie Csiszar resigned as president and chief executive officer of the association effective Sept. 30, 2006. Csiszar was appointed to the position in September 2004. Holmes will return to her previous position of chief operating officer.

Sampson is a graduate of David Lipscomb University and Abilene Christian University. He completed the Program for Senior Executives at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1999.

Wholesale insurance broker Connecticut Underwriters has welcomed Tom Crawford as its new product development manager based in its Middletown, Conn. office. Crawford has 26 years experience in the insurance industry where he has held positions in management, business development and marketing. He is also the current president of the Connecticut Insurance Marketing Association. His focus will be on brokerage business and product development.

Connecticut Underwriters has also added Rita Hanebury as an account executive out of its Plymouth Meeting, Pa. office. She joins the firm with 35 years experience in underwriting, management and surplus lines production. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Surplus Lines board of governors. She will concentrate on commercial binding authority for new business.

Also, Jennifer Macik has been named an account executive in the Bedford, N.H. office. Macik has 13 years experience in the insurance industry where she has held positions in marketing, business development and underwriting. She began her career in New Jersey as an underwriter and marketing representative for a large managing general agency before moving to New Hampshire, where she worked as a retail producer and has been a surplus lines underwriter for the past eight years. Her focus will be on new commercial and personal lines business.

OneBeacon Insurance Group has named Ron Trahan as regional vice president of its Maine territory. Trahan will oversee all of OneBeacon’s business in the state, with particular emphasis on midsize and small commercial business and personal lines. Trahan was most recently with Acadia Insurance as branch manager for Maine; and prior to that he worked for Medical Mutual Insurance Company of Maine.

Munich Reinsurance America Inc. announced that John P. Phelan will retire as planned on Dec. 31, 2007, after serving nearly six years as its chairman and CEO. Anthony J. Kuczinski, who is currently president of Munich Re America’s Specialty Markets Division, will succeed Phelan as CEO on Jan. 1, 2008.

Phelan joined Munich Re in 1973. He was CEO of the group’s Canadian non-life reinsurance business for 16 years until 2002, when he became chairman and CEO of Munich Re America (then American Re) and was appointed to Munich Re’s board of management.

Kuczinski began his career with the company in 1989, holding a number of senior positions.

Kel Plasket has joined Marsh, Berry & Co. as vice president to coordinate the consulting firm’s new Agency/Broker Operations Division. Plasket has 25 years of experience in agency operations including sales manager, agency owner, CEO, and consultant for agents and brokers of all sizes.