People & Places

Pacific Wholesale Insurance named Genia Walden as a company vice president. She will function both as a broker and an underwriter for the Dallas-based firm. Walden formerly served other leading MGA/brokerage companies in the Southwest. She has 21 years’ experience in this field.

Pacific Wholesale is a part of Insurance Specialty Group, a diversified insurance brokerage, agency and reinsurance organization with operations in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey and New York.

The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB) appointed Bill Henry to its Board of Directors. Henry is the chairman and CEO of Dallas-based McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P.

The Council represents large commercial U.S. insurance agencies and brokerage firms. Only the top one percent of all agents and brokers qualify for Council membership. The Council’s members in more than 3,000 locations place 80 percent–well over $90 billion–of all U.S. insurance products and services protecting business, industry, government and the public at-large, and they administer billions of dollars in employee benefits.

In 1996, Henry became chairman and CEO of McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P., a newly formed partnership between McQueary & Henry Inc. and Bowles, Troy & Associates.

Prior to becoming chairman and CEO, Henry was president of McQueary & Henry Inc., which was co-founded in 1983 by Henry and Joe McQueary. He served four years on the Board of Directors for the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas and also served as chairman for various insurance companies’ agents councils.

The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research recently announced three promotions within its management team.
Rodney Rezac was promoted to senior vice president of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors. Rezac joined The National Alliance in 1990 and manages the course content for all CIC and Certified Insurance Service Representative programs. Additionally, he is an educational consultant at CIC institutes and James K. Ruble Seminars and is the CIC editor of Resources magazine.

Danielle Janecka was promoted from assistant vice president to vice president of the Societies of CIC and CISR. She has been with the not-for-profit insurance education provider for 11 years, and her primary responsibility is the overall administration of licensee-sponsored CIC and CISR programs, and Ruble Graduate Seminars. Janecka works with the state education and program directors on licensee management, training and relationship development in 39 states.

Chris Ketcham has been promoted to executivevicepresidentof The National Alliance Research Academy. Ketcham is involved with researching the needs of National Alliance customers, both in the development of surveys and monographs related to industry business practices and in the creation of new educational programs.

The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, founded in 1969 and based in Austin, Texas, provides insurance and risk management education, and includes the Certified Insurance Counselors Program, the Certified Insurance Service Representatives Program, the Certified Risk Managers Program, Dynamics Sales Training, the School for Producer Development, and The National Alliance Research Academy.

Dallas-based U.S. Risk Brokers announced that Connie Hatch has joined the firm as a senior broker in the Austin office. Hatch will be responsible for the development of a book of professional liability business from retail agents. She has more than 30 years experience in this field, the last 15 of which were with a surplus lines broker in the Austin area.

Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that Donna Fink is the new underwriting and marketing manager for its Houston regional office. She will oversee the company’s Houston region underwriting and marketing operations.

Fink has worked in several positions in the insurance industry for large carriers in Dallas and Houston. She is also a past vice president of the American Business Women’s Association in Katy, and she serves on the board of directors for the American Heart Association.

Heartland Marketing Group hired George Van Horn as senior commercial underwriter with the responsibility of continuing the development of their large account program.

Van Horn has over 22 years of insurance experience including stops at CNA, Utica, Commercial Union and most recently Gulf where he held a senior underwriting position.

Heartland presently has standard mid-market access through Travelers, The Hartford, Safeco, Chubb and AIG. Heartland also has access to small commercial lines products through The Hartford, Travelers, Safeco, America First, CNA, Zurich and AIG.

Cunningham Lindsey U.S. Inc. (CLUS), based in Dallas, has added Gary Munsterman as assistant vice president and national account executive.

Munsterman will be based in Denver and will have sales and client liaison responsibilities for the Western U.S. He joins the firm with 27 years of experience in the independent adjusting business, and has an extensive background in both operations and sales.

CLUS is an independent insurance claims services company, providing a wide range of claims adjusting services including commercial property and liability, personal lines, catastrophe response, and environmental assessment and remediation.

Trident Insurance Services LLC, a member of San Antonio-based Argonaut Group Inc., announced that Thomas Murphy has been appointed senior vice president of underwriting.

As chief underwriting officer, Murphy is responsible for leading the overall underwriting function, including efforts in risk selection and pricing.

Prior to joining Trident, Murphy was the principal for Paladin Insurance Consultants. His career also includes executive positions with TIG Insurance Group, American International Group and The Hartford.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland named Craig Knutson to serve as her chief of staff at the Oklahoma Insurance Department. In his role as chief of staff, Knutson will be responsible for managing the internal operations of the agency. In addition, Holland has charged him with advancing the agency’s technical capabilities to improve services offered by the department.

Knutson is a member of several organizations including the Board of Governors of the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, Leadership Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, Oklahoma League of Economists and USA Today’s Forecast Panel of Economists.

Home State Insurance Group Inc.announced the promotion of two executives.

Michael G. Toole has assumed the position of chief underwriting officer. Since 1991 Toole has served the company as executive vice president and has been responsible for the production of the company’s book of commercial and non-standard automobile insurance.

Christopher A. McClellan has assumed the position of chief operating officer. Since 2001 McClellan has served as executive vice president and general counsel. From 1991 through 2001 he served as outside legal council of Home State.

Home State has offices in Austin, Dallas and Waco, Texas, and in Tulsa, Okla. The group includes Home State County Mutual, which is licensed in Texas and has been in business for more than 50 years, and Equity Insurance Company, which Home State acquired in 2001 and is licensed in 28 states.

Dallas-based nonstandard personal automobile insurance provider, GAINSCO INC., announced that Robert J. Boulware, president and chief executive officer of ING Funds Distributor LLC, was elected a director to fill the position recently made vacant by the previously announced resignation of Hugh M. Balloch.

ING Funds is a wholly owned subsidiary of ING Group and is engaged in the distribution of mutual funds through intermediary and affiliate channels. Boulware has been with ING Funds since 1992 and was previously a vice president with Bank of America Arizona. Boulware is also a director of Norwood Promotional Products Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind.

Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc. announced that Chuck Brady has joined the company as president of the professional liability division, located in Torrance, Calif. Brady joins Arrowhead from CalSurance/Brown & Brown Inc. where he was a member of the executive management team and had been vice president of underwriting and marketing for professional liability classes. Prior to CalSurance, Brady was on the technical team that launched ePolicy.com where he was vice president of underwriting professional liability; he managed the design and launch of 28 online products, including the interactive applications, pricing and policy issuance.