People

Lockton Companies LLC appointed Frank Scardino as president of the company’s Dallas property and casualty operation. In his new position, Scardino is responsible for setting the vision and long-term strategies for the insurance broker’s risk management and consulting business.

The Dallas unit also added Scott Convery, Greg Larson and Ken Gould to senior insurance broker positions in the past three months.

Scardino assumes the role of president of Lockton’s Dallas P/C practice from Rick Schornack, who founded insurance broker’s Dallas office in 1997.

Scardino has more than 20 years’ experience in property and casualty risk management. Prior to joining Lockton in 2006, he was managing director of Wachovia/Palmer & Cay. His professional background also includes executive positions with the Stephens Group, Marsh Inc., Johnson & Higgins and Chubb.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) elected new officers during its annual meeting in Boston.

Robert Joyce, chairman and chief executive officer of Westfield Group, was elected as the association’s new chair; John Blackburn, CEO of Country Insurance & Financial Services was elected first chair, and Janice Abraham, president and CEO of United Educators Insurance, was elected second vice chair.

PCI also elected two new members to its board: Vincent Donnelly, president and CEO, PMA Capital Corp., and Darin Kath, president and CEO at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co.

Joyce has more than 25 years experience in the insurance industry and currently leads Westfield, a diversified financial services organization. Joyce’s experience includes serving as senior vice president and treasurer of Philadelphia-based Reliance Insurance Group, followed by senior vice president and chief operating officer of Reliance Surety before joining Westfield in 1996.

Blackburn has served as CEO for Country Insurance & Financial Services since August 2001. He is also chairman of the board of directors of three companies with which Country has strategic alliances: Holyoke Mutual Insurance Co., Salem, Mass.; Middlesex Mutual Assurance Co., Middletown, Conn.; and MSI Preferred Insurance Co., Arden Hills, Minn. Blackburn began his career with Country in 1982 as an agent in Christian County (Ill.).

Abraham joined United Educators Insurance as president and CEO in January 1998. She is also president and CEO of United Educators Management Co. Abraham has 14 years of experience serving the higher education community through her work as chief financial officer/treasurer at Whitman College, various senior positions at Cornell University, and at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. promoted James A. Lauerman to president of HCC’s Avemco Insurance Co. subsidiary.

Lauerman, who previously was executive vice president-Insurance Operations and chief underwriting officer of Avemco, has been in the insurance industry since 1991. He has held several positions, including vice president of Underwriting at Special Insurance Underwriters, a company acquired by HCC in 1997.

Headquartered in Frederick, Md., Avemco specializes in aviation insurance.

HCC also promoted Adam S. Pessin to president of the company’s American Contractors Indemnity Company (ACIC) subsidiary. ACIC is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Before joining the company in 2002, Pessin was a senior manager at KPMG LLP. Most recently he was executive vice president and chief operating officer, Western Region of HCC Surety Group.

ACIC is a surety company that specializes in court, specialty contract, license and permit and bail bonds.

Dallas-based managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. named Christopher Morris vice president of Brett Woods and Associates, a brokerage subsidiary of U.S. Risk that focuses on large, complex casualty accounts.

In this capacity, Morris will work closely with brokerage president Brett Woods in placing construction and controlled insurance programs (wrap-ups), both residential and commercial, as well as other property and casualty risks.

Prior to joining U.S. Risk, Morris served for 10 years as vice president of national program development and management with Aon Risk Services in Dallas. Prior to Aon, Morris was an assistant vice president and account executive for Sedgwick, primarily serving as a national resource focused on the risk management needs of construction and development clients.

Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Co. announced that John E. Lemoine, M.D., who currently serves as the chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, will retire at the end of this year. However, Lemoine will retain the position of chairman of the board, effective Jan. 1, 2008.

Lemoine has been associated with LAMMICO since shortly after the company’s founding in 1981. He has held various positions with the Metairie based company over the last 26 years, including senior vice president of LAMMICO’s Underwriting Committee, member and then chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, CEO and president.

Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., will succeed Lemoine as president/CEO. For the last two years, Grimstad has held a staff position at LAMMICO as senior vice president of Underwriting.

Gina Wallisa has joined State Auto Middle Markets’ (SAMMI) Texas office. Wallisa will serve as the zone underwriting manager responsible for executing regional business strategy and building a profitable commercial risk portfolio.

Wallisa’s insurance career spans 20 years and includes positions with Chubb, AIG, Cigna and Zurich North America. Most recently, she served as regional risk manager for Centex Homes, a Fortune 200 company in Dallas, Texas. Her corporate duties ranged from nationwide project initiatives to procurement of insurance.