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Terry Miller has been named president and chief executive officer at Bloomington, Minnesota-based SFM Mutual Insurance Co.
Miller has worked at SFM for more than 30 years, serving as the company’s original controller. He has served as vice president of accounting, vice president of finance, senior vice president and CFO. Since April 2016, Miller has held the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Miller, a certified public accountant, holds the chartered financial analyst designation.
He succeeds SFM President and CEO Bob Lund who steps down after leading SFM since May 2007. Lund has chosen to enter a private law practice that will allow him to perform pro bono work in the elder law area, among other services.
Before his 12-year stint as president and CEO, Lund was vice president and general counsel.
SFM provides Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota employers with workers’ compensation coverage.
Ohio’s Central Insurance Companies has appointed Evan Purmort chief marketing officer and Cindy Hurless chief operating officer.
As CMO, Purmort is responsible for the company’s regional operations, communications, distribution and industry relationships. He previously held the position of vice president – Northeast regional office manager.
Purmort also has served the company as commercial lines technician in the Southeast Region, commercial lines underwriter and marketing manager for Arizona. He was promoted to the Southwest management team in 2012 as a commercial lines supervisor and was then promoted to the position of personal lines manager in 2014.
He has earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associates in Claims (AIC) and Associates in Insurance Accounting and Finance (AIAF) designations.
As COO, Hurless’ responsibilities will include oversight of the company’s services, claims, underwriting and loss control operations. She joined central in 2002 as manager of the mail/supply and commercial lines services departments, and was promoted to vice president of customer services in 2004.
Hurless has earned the Associates in Insurance Services (AIS) and Associates in General Insurance (AINS) designations. She also serves as a member of the IIABA’s Agents Council on Technology, Van Wert City Schools Board of Education, VWAPF Board and YWCA Board.
The Central Mutual Insurance Co. is headquartered in Van Wert, Ohio, and operates regional offices in Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and Van Wert.
Apex Benefits, headquartered in Indianapolis, named Stan Jackson as chief innovation officer.
In this newly created role, Jackson will be responsible for leading the development of products, services and capabilities necessary for Apex to continue growing its long-term innovation strategy.
Jackson has an extensive background in data management, underwriting and financial analysis. For 30-plus years, he has worked in the health insurance industry and in leadership roles throughout several organizations, including Anthem, MPlan, Advantage Health Solutions and IU Health Plans.
Before joining Apex, Jackson served as vice president of Data Management & Underwriting for SIHO overseeing Account Management of the IU Health Plan’s groups.
Kansas City, Missouri-based insurance services firm, Lockton Companies, named Julie Gibson senior vice president, director of marketing, communications and external affairs.
Gibson has built a distinguished career as a communications consultant and entrepreneur, spending the previous seven years as client partnership director at Global Prairie, a global marketing firm, headquartered in Kansas City.
She brings a strong commitment to the community with her service as president of the Missouri Court Appointed Advocates Association Board of Directors and to the Shawnee Mission School District Committee for Excellence. Along with her husband, she is a volunteer and co-chair for the 2018 and 2019 Child Protection Center’s Cook for Courage event. Gibson is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurion’s Leadership Program and the Civic Council’s Kansas City Tomorrow program.
Appalachian Underwriters Inc. hired Joanna St. Clair as a garage underwriter.
She will be working remotely in the Austin, Texas, area, primarily underwriting garage risks for Midwest agents.
St. Clair comes to AUI with 15 years of experience in the insurance industry. Starting as an imaging processor in Scottsdale, Arizona, she quickly moved up to senior assistant underwriter and senior loan processor at a former employer.