People & Places

Santa Ana, Calif.-based Yates & Associates announced that Rudy Mendoza has been promoted to manager of Stockton’s commercial transportation department. Mendoza came to the Yates organization in 2001 and started a transportation department. Mendoza began his insurance career in 1996 on the retail side and crossed over to the managing general agency side in 1998. His focus has primarily been in the commercial transportation arena.

HRH Insurance Services of Central California announced that James P. Garza has been hired as a commercial lines broker in its major accounts division. He has more than 24 years of insurance and brokers services experience. Garza began his career with Royal Globe Insurance Company as a risk consultant and specializes in property insurance and highly protected risks.

Ed Bordenave and Jeana Ramos have joined Lodi, California-based Continental Risk Insurance Services.

Bordenave has been involved in the wholesale end of insurance since joining IWest Insurance Mangers/Swett & Crawford in 1978. He has over 34 years of underwriting and brokerage experience.

Ramos has been involved in insurance since 1992. Prior to co-founding Continental Risk Insurance Services, she was a producer in another agency. She is the president of the Insurance Professionals of San Joaquin County.

Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies named Douglas McDonough regional president of its Mid Atlantic region. He will manage all aspects of sales and distribution for the companies’ commercial and personal lines operations in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. McDonough comes to Citizens and Hanover from St. Paul Travelers where he was vice president and regional executive of the company’s commercial lines operations for the Mid Atlantic region for the last year. McDonough also was responsible for distribution management and operations for all other business units in the region. From 1998 to early 2004, McDonough was the regional executive for the St. Paul Companies’ middle market business, responsible for distribution management and operations of the company’s Mid Atlantic region. Prior to this time, he held senior management positions with United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, the Home Insurance Company and The Hartford Group.

Los Angeles-based Brown & Riding Insurance Servicesannounced that Camille Anderson has joined the firm as director of production and client support services. Anderson has more than 30 years of insurance experience with wholesale brokers and insurance carriers. After beginning her career by spending more than 20 years at Stewart Smith West, she spent two years as brokerage services supervisor at Alexander Howden North America (now a part of AON), three years as manager of underwriting services with RSA Surplus Lines Insurance Services, and consulted with such companies as Willis and Axis Insurance Company.

ISU Insurance Services of San Francisco announced that Steve Pearson has been appointed vice president and client services manager. He will be responsible for managing the commercial, personal and group benefits departments. Pearson has served as a producer and agency owner. He has also served as an instructor for The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research’s CIC program.

Encino, Calif.-based NAS Insurance Services has appointed Robert T. Speak as vice president in charge of its new Miscellaneous E&O facility. Speak has more than 20 years of insurance experience. Previously he served as a vice president of Partners Specialty Group, a wholesale brokerage, where he was responsible for increasing the firm’s professional lines coverage. Prior to his position with Partners Specialty Group, he was vice president and professional lines underwriting manager with Royal Specialty Underwriting. He has also served as senior underwriting executive with Media/Professional Insurance, underwriting miscellaneous E&O and media perils coverage.

The Word & Brown Companies, based in Orange, California, have announced the promotion of Jeffrey Compangano to the position of vice president of strategic business development. Compangano will be responsible for identifying new strategic partnerships and products and implementing key business development initiatives. In addition, he will provide corporate legal counsel and oversee compliance and regulatory issues for Word & Brown Insurance Administrators Inc. and CHOICE Administrators. He previously served as the director of strategic business development. Compangano has a 17-year background that includes strategic product development, corporate law and operations management spanning the healthcare, insurance and financial services industries. Prior to joining Word & Brown in 2000, he was director of financial product lines for Autobytel.com where he developed revenue-producing initiatives with major financial institutions. He has held various management positions in product development, marketing and contract negotiation, and has practiced as a corporate law attorney.

Network E&S Insurance Brokers, LLC announced that Dina Zuger has joined the company as a partner and executive vice president. Her immediate responsibility will be to establish and staff an office in San Francisco. Zuger brings over 25 years of insurance experience to Network E&S. For the past 18 years she has been with Tri-City Brokerage in San Francisco where her specialty has been primary and umbrella/excess liability working on a variety of accounts encompassing those in the construction (including wrap-ups), products, and OL&T arenas. Prior to Tri-City Brokerage, she worked for two other wholesale firms, a reinsurance company and Aetna.

Pete Morrison has joined Crouse and Associates as a producer in its Sacramento office. He will be responsible for new business development for construction, wrap ups and earthquake products. He will also specialize in trucking, umbrella and professional liability. Morrison has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, particularly in underwriting and marketing. He most recently served in an underwriting position at Republic Western. Prior to that, he served at Royal, CIGNA, Financial Pacific and Sequoia.

Charles Nicholas joins Burns & Wilcox of Denver as a renewal underwriter. Nicholas will be responsible for renewal underwriting of commercial policies. With 10 years of underwriting experience, he served as senior farm lines underwriter with National Farmers Union P/C prior to joining Burns & Wilcox.

Robert Erburu was named the non-executive chairman of the board of directors of Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. Erburu has been lead director since 2004, and a member of the MMC board of directors since 1996. He was chairman of The Times Mirror Co. from 1986 until 1996.

Chicago-based wholesaler Noodle Specialty Brokers promoted Tom Neeley to senior vice president, and John Dunn to vice president.

Neeley served as product manager of NSB’s directors and officers underwriting unit and will now be responsible for underwriting, new product development and technology implementation, managing NSB’s Bloomfield, Conn., office. He was previously a regional manager for Chubb Specialty Insurance.

Dunn was a senior underwriter in NSB’s directors and officers program and will now underwrite issues such as regulatory and compliance. Prior to NSB, he was an underwriter at Chubb Specialty Insurance and Executive Risk.

Janet Warren was appointed senior vice president and practice leader of claims for Beecher Carlson Holdings Inc., in Atlanta. Warren will establish and manage Beecher Carlson’s claims practice and focus on providing brokerage claims services. Prior to joining Beecher Carlson, she served as vice president and claims manger for Willis of Georgia. Warren was also vice president and claims consulting team leader at Marsh Atlanta, after originally starting with Johnson & Higgins in 1996. She started her insurance career with Crawford & Co. in Michigan.