People & Places
Camilla A. Marlowe was appointed vice president of Irvine, Calif.-based SullivanCurt-isMonroe Insurance Brokerage. Marlowe specializes in employee benefits consulting. She has 23 years of experience in the insurance industry. She previously spent six years with Calco in Orange, Calif. Prior to that, she was employed by HRH in Dallas.
Pasadena, Calif.-based Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers Inc. announced that Brian Manassero has joined the company as a broker. Manassero will be responsible for producing new business opportunities and overseeing an established book of business. His duties will include marketing new and renewal business, negotiating and enhancing relationships with new and existing clients. He began his career in 1997 in the Woodland Hills offices of Crusader Insurance Company. During his three and one-half years there he was responsible for the company’s excess & surplus products in Texas and the Eastern states. In 2000, he moved onto a wholesale operation in Los Angeles where he was responsible for production and management of a profitable commercial book of property business. He also assisted with its ISO 9001 certification. In 2003, he was lead P/C broker for the start up of Peachtree on the West Coast.
Fremont, Calif.-based Allied North America Insurance Brokerage has hired Michael R. Young as assistant vice president of production and Elizabeth Bryant as a claims manager.
Young has more than 10 years of experience and began his career with the St. Paul and then worked for Alexander & Alexander/Aon, where he was instrumental in developing the Painting & Decorating Contractors of America insurance program. He also specialized in workers’ comp when he served with Liberty Mutual. Young most recently worked for a regional insurance agency in Northern California. He will be responsible for developing new profitable business relationships for Allied and maintaining relationships with existing clients.
Bryant is responsible for managing the property/casualty claims department, including litigation management and other complex claims. Prior to joining Allied, she spent 19 years as a claims manager with ESIS, Travelers and Reliance. She has experience with all types of general liability, property and auto claims.
Atlanta-based Beecher Carlson Holdings Inc. announced the hiring of John J. Hayes as vice president. Hayes will focus primarily on the production of large property/casualty risk management business. Prior to joining Beecher Carlson, Hayes spent 12 years in the large corporate client group at Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company. He also built and managed start-up offices for Atlantic Mutual in Atlanta and San Francisco. In addition, Hayes spent two years as director of commercial insurance in the Atlanta office of Wachovia Insurance Services. Throughout his career, he has developed management expertise in staff recruitment and oversight, business planning, budgeting, financial management, operations and production. Hayes’ industry experience incorporates all aspects of exposure analysis, cost and coverage for large property/casualty clients.
Harvey Pierce, chairman and CEO of the American Family Insurance Group, has been elected chairman of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. Pierce began his career with American Family in 1963 as an agent in Minnesota. Pierce held various positions within American Family including district sales manager, state director, regional vice president and executive vice president of field operations. He assumed the position of president and COO in 1990 and served in that role for nine years before being elected chairman and CEO.
PCI members also elected Gerald Whitburn, president and CEO of Church Mutual Ins. Co., as first vice chair and Thomas Tierney, chairman, president and CEO of the Vermont Mutual Insurance Group, as second vice chair.
Whitburn joined Church Mutual Ins. Co. in 1996 as vice president, administration, and became executive vice president and was elected to Church Mutual’s board of directors in 1998. He became president and COO in January 2000 and CEO in 2001.
Tierney began his insurance career as an underwriter with General Accident Ins. Co. in 1971. In 1973 he joined Vermont Mutual as an underwriter and was promoted to field underwriter in the state of Maine in 1977. He served as account executive/producer, marketing representative and regional marketing manager of Campbell, Payson & Noyes/Commercial Union Insurance Companies in Portland, Maine.
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has selected Gary Smith, a long-time senior aide to Gov. Kempthorne, as the new director of the Idaho Department of Insurance following the announcement by Insurance Director Mary Hartung of her plans to retire on Nov. 30. Over the past 12 years, Smith has advised Kempthorne on insurance policy issues during his terms as Idaho governor and as a United States Senator. Most recently, while Kempthorne chaired the National Governor’s Association, Smith served as Idaho’s principal liaison to the NGA and Congress. Smith has served as Gov. Kempthorne’s deputy chief of staff for three-and-a-half years. Smith spent six years in Washington, D.C. as the senator’s deputy legislative director where he advised the senator on policy issues related to small businesses, as well as all financial and regulatory issues including insurance and banking. Smith began his service as director of the Idaho Department of Insurance on Dec. 1.
San Diego-based ICW Group announced that Kevin Prior has been promoted to president from the position of executive vice president. Prior has been with the company for 14 years, and served as executive vice president of actuarial, DIC underwriting and reinsurance services. He will be responsible for all of ICW Group’s operations and divisions, excluding the Independence Casualty and Surety Company.
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, based in Walnut Creek, Calif., announced the addition of Bonnie Delehoy as vice president of development and partner relations. In this new full-time position, Delehoy will be responsible for nurturing and growing existing relationships and focus on implementing creative strategies to engage new partners and increase fundraising and other forms of valuable involvement in community efforts. Delehoy spent more than 13 years with The Walt Disney Company and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. She held several managerial positions in public affairs, where she piloted an internal employee giving fund that succeeded in raising over $1 million in charitable grants for nonprofit organizations throughout Southern California. Most recently, she served as manager of executive communications.
San Diego-based Barney & Barney LLC announced that it has hired four new account executives: Eric Curry, Peter Holmes, Ruben Villegas and Suzanne Whitlock. They each have 16 years of experience in the insurance field and have previously held senior positions and developed new business and provided customized insurance solutions for both large and small insurance brokerage companies.
Curry will serve as an account executive in the commercial lines department. His major focus will be developing business in the areas of manufacturing and hospitality and with companies with more complex, higher risk profiles. Curry previously served as a senior underwriter with Zenith Insurance.
Holmes and Villegas joined Barney & Barney’s small business unit where they will specialize in bringing property/casualty insurance coverages to San Diego’s small business community.
Whitlock joined the employee benefits department as an account executive. Her major focus will be developing employee benefit and human resource solutions for companies in the life science and technology sectors and disseminating a new benefits program designed for middle-market employers. She joined Barney & Barney from the Talbot, Utah office where she was a vice president.
The Sacramento, Calif., office of Farmington Hills, Mich-based Burns & Wilcox has promoted Ken Lyon to underwriting manager. As underwriting manager, Lyon is responsible for all underwriting and personnel matters for the Sacramento office. In addition, he will continue as both an underwriter and broker with an assigned territory and agents. Lyon joined the company in 2003 as a commercial underwriter.
Portland, Ore.-based Venture Programs Inc. announced that it has named Teresa Pacelli to the position of risk manager for the company’s Western region. As a risk manager, Pacelli’s responsibilities include managing claims and loss control services for workers’ compensation insurance programs, monitoring the services and performance of loss control and claims service providers, and reviewing and analyzing loss control and claims data. She also troubleshoots claims and loss control issues and develops new account relationships with brokers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Pacelli comes to Venture with more than 10 years experience in the industry. Most recently, she served as client services consultant for Royal and SunAlliance, where she was the 2003 recipient of the company’s outstanding customer service award. She also worked for Aetna Life and Casualty and AIG Claims Services.
Heath Insurance Brokers, based in Dallas, announced that Katherine Schall has joined its Sacramento, Calif. office as a broker. She will be responsible for marketing and producing commercial property/casualty accounts. Prior to joining Heath, Schall was the MGA national program manager for beer and wine wholesalers. She began her career in Philadelphia where she worked for a variety of carriers including Northbrook, Firemen’s Fund, PMA, and CGU.
John Boyadjian has been promoted to the position of sales representative at Agoura Hills, Calif.-based Fiserv FSC Inc. In his new position, Boyadjian will be responsible for new agency product sales throughout California and Arizona with special emphasis on FSC’s desktop rating solution, FSC Rater. Most recently, he was responsible for the installation and training division of Fiserv FSC’s Customer Support Department where he streamlined the product fulfillment process. Prior to this role, he served as FSC’s lead research analyst where he assisted agents in resolving complex rate discrepancies between FSC Rater and issued policies.
The Washington, D.C.-based National African-American Insurance Association recently named Aubrey Branch, CEO of Branch, Olson & Hernandez agency in Las Vegas, as chairman. Branch is the former vice chair of NAAIA. He has more than 16 years of insurance experience and is treasurer of the Nevada chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors. He is a member of the Urban Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. In 2002, Branch received the prestigious Senatorial Recognition Award from the Nevada Minority Purchasing Council.