People & Places

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., has selected R. Steven Orr to serve as Maryland Insurance Commissioner. He succeeds Alfred W. Redmer, who resigned in October 2005 to join the private sector.

Orr, 53, most recently served as senior vice president and chief information officer for the Universal Underwriters Group (a member of Zurich Financial Services Inc.), a position he held from 2000. Between 1982 and 2000, he was involved in the start-up and operation of businesses specializing in information technology systems and project management. His early career experience also includes several years of work in commercial banking with Mercantile Safe Deposit & Trust Company. Orr is a graduate of Wake Forest University, and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia. He holds a chartered property casualty underwriter designation.

The appointment of Orr is for the balance of a four-year term from June 1, 2003. This is a recess action, subject to confirmation by the Maryland State Senate in the 2006 Session of the General Assembly.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. named M. Michele Burns executive vice president starting March 1, 2006, and chief financial officer no later than March 31, 2006. Burns succeeds Sandra S. Wijnberg, who announced in August that she plans to resign from the company.

Burns has been executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief restructuring officer of Mirant since 2004. Prior to Mirant she spent five years at Delta Air Lines Inc., last serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Before Delta, she was a senior tax partner at Arthur Andersen LLP.

James Hearn has joined MarketStance, the Middletown, Conn.-based business information and analytical services firm as director of business development. In the newly-created position, Hearn is responsible for growing revenues and advancing relationships with both new and existing customers. Hearn brings 25 years experience in the information and financial services industries to MarketStance, including executive positions with Continental Insurance, AMS Services, INSWEB and Citigroup.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners filled two key management positions in its office in Washington, D.C. Cheye Calvo and Brian Webb will represent NAIC members on financial and health policy and legislation before state, federal and international groups.

Previously, Calvo served as the National Conference of State Legislatures’ senior federal liaison on financial services and transportation issues. He managed the NCSL’s insurance program and directed state legislative efforts to modernize state insurance regulation.

Webb has worked in health policy in Washington, D.C., since 1988 when he joined the office of Congressman Bill Thomas as the health legislative assistant.

Markel Re in Richmond, Va., has named Peter Dunn as vice president-division manager Markel Re Excess. Dunn joined Markel in February of 2003 and was instrumental in launching the new Markel Re Facultative operation. He brought with him over 25 years of insurance experience, including service as product line manager for the SCOR casualty facultative business.

The company also appointed Scott Beall, former vice president Markel Re Facultative, to vice president division manager Specialized Markel Alternative Risk Transfer (SMART). Beall joined Markel in January 2003 in order to develop Markel Re Facultative as a new Markel operation, bringing more than 20 years of reinsurance experience to the job.

ACE USA has opened a branch office in Morristown, N.J., to serve the northern New Jersey area. Andrew Hurley has been appointed New Jersey branch manager and will lead the new office. Hurley will work to expand ACE USA’s local presence with brokers and clients in northern New Jersey. He will be responsible for the overall operating results of the branch. Hurley has 15 years of industry experience, primarily in commercial lines. He joins ACE USA from Chubb & Son.

W. R. Berkley Corp. in Greenwich, Conn., reported that Karen Horvath has been named to the newly created position of vice president for external financial communications. Her principal duties will relate to communications between the company and its investors, analysts and rating agencies. Horvath, most recently vice president of ratings development at A.M. Best Company Inc., has held positions in the property/casualty industry for more than 16 years.

W. R. Berkley also named James H. Crutchley president of Facultative ReSources Inc., which underwrites facultative reinsurance through the broker market on behalf of its affiliate, Berkley Insurance Company. Crutchley has been with Fac Re since it commenced operations in 1986, and has served as its senior vice president, Connecticut branch manager and chief casualty underwriting officer since 2004. He will continue to report to James W. McCleary, senior vice president of reinsurance operations of W. R. Berkley Corporation.

New Jersey Governor-elect Jon Corzine has nominated Rutgers Law School Associate Dean Ronald K. Chen to be public advocate to represent consumers on insurance rates and other issues before state government. Chen’s nomination will need to be approved by the state Senate. Chen, the law school’s associate dean for academic affairs, has argued numerous cases for the American Civil Liberties Union. The position of public advocate was revived last year, having been eliminated in 1994. The public advocate is charged with representing the elderly, the mentally ill and disabled, utility and insurance ratepayers, and those with grievances against state agencies.