People and Places
Swett & Crawford Group, based in Atlanta, Ga., has named Elizabeth Edelman, J.D., general counsel.
Edelman comes from RBC Centura Bank, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada, where for five years she had been general counsel, vice president and corporate secretary. Previously, she was general counsel for Security First Network Bank, the country’s first Internet bank, that was acquired by RBC Centura Bank.
Edelman previously spent 15 years as deputy general counsel and senior vice president, asset management/government relations for Heller Financial in Atlanta.
Debbie Shempert of Tupelo, Miss., incoming president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi, received the presidential gavel from Richard Davis, outgoing president during the 2006 IAM Convention and Trade Show in Destin, Fla.
Other IAM officers for 2006-2007 include: Keith Bills of Bills Insurance Agency in Grenada, Miss., president-elect; Angelyn Treutel of Treutel Insurance Agency in Bay St. Louis, Miss., vice president; Dickie Greenlee of Boyles Moak Brickell Marchetti, Ridgeland, Miss., treasurer and Randy Adams of Adams Insurance Agency, Gloster, Miss., state national director.
Mike Clark of Rome, Ga., was elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia during the association’s convention and trade show in Amelia Island, Fla. Clark, with Garner & Glover Co., received the presidential gavel from David F. Lewis, outgoing president.
Other IIAG officers for 2006-2007 include: Bernie Page of Copeland Insurance Agency, Albany, Ga., president-elect; Bryan Burke of Blount, Burke, Wimberly & Hendricks, Statesboro, Ga., vice president; Will Weston, Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance Agency, Savannah, Ga., secretary-treasurer and Jack Sherill, Sherrill & Co., Savannah, Ga., state national director. Lewis, with Love, Douglas & Pope, of Alpharetta, Ga., will serve as immediate past president.
Bloomfield, Conn.-based CIGNA HealthCare has appointed Michael Muchnicki Southeast regional vice president. He will be based in CIGNA’s Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta offices.
Muchnicki will support the strategic development and execution of business growth opportunities for continued membership retention and expansion in the Southeast.
The firm has realigned the Southeast region, which serves more than one million members, to include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
A 20-year veteran of the industry, Muchnicki returned to CIGNA HealthCare after first launching his career in 1984 as a sales representative with CIGNA’s operations in Ohio. In 2005, he became president and general manager for CIGNA HealthCare in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Iowa.
Prior to joining CIGNA HealthCare, for 10 years, Muchnicki served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Florida, Louisiana and Ohio markets. Before that, he was president and CEO of the MetLife Healthcare Network of Ohio and a senior vice president at Capital American Life Insurance Co.
Integro has opened a new Southeast Marine Practice in Atlanta headed by Timothy I. Rea, with Paula Hoots, associate and Erinn Donley, specialist.
Rea has 28 years of experience in marine brokerage with a specialty in cargo. He joins Integro from Marsh where he served as senior vice president and was the southeast Marine Practice leader. His tenure included six years of captive management in Bermuda.
Hoots has more than 20 years experience, with a specialty in marine, as well as a multi-line claims and management background. She was formerly with Marsh, where she was a vice president.
Donley was also with Marsh, where she served as a client representative in the Specialty Marine Division.
Montgomery Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets Company, has appointed Ralph LaSpina vice president of marketing and Bob Niebel as regional vice president for the Charlotte, N.C. region. Both appointments became effective June 5.
Since 2000, LaSpina has held several senior executive positions at Montgomery in marketing, agency management, underwriting, and sales staff management. For 14 years, prior to joining Montgomery, LaSpina was with several Mid-Atlantic insurers.
Previously, Niebel was responsible for the insurance operations of five states as a division sales manager. He was previously a regional manager. Niebel has 22 years of insurance experience, including a background in marketing, claims and management.
Crawford & Co. has named Stu Tucker branch manager of the Atlanta Claims Services Branch; Lester Rogers has been named director of Casualty Services in Atlanta; and Gary M. Sintes has joined Integrated Services.
Tucker takes the reins from Greg Hodson. Tucker joined the firm in 1986 in Fort Wayne, Ind., and has served most recently as manager of the Cincinnati, Ohio branch. He previously was adjuster-in-charge in the Marion, Ind., branch; supervisor for the Kansas City, Mo., branch; and manager for the South Bend, Ind., Saginaw, Mich.; and Louisville, Ky. branches.
Rogers developed Crawford’s casualty products and services; training; claim policies; practices and procedures; conducting diagnostic analyses of technical quality; and evaluating performance against established measures.
He also recently completed a major project, implementing an imaging initiative using technology-driven methodology for claim intake and process, creating a paperless claim environment.
Prior to joining Crawford, Rogers was assistant vice president of casualty products and services for a major insurance carrier. He has previous experience as a casualty claims manager and liability supervisor. Rogers has experience in product liability, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, subrogation, and no-fault claims handling and management.
Sintes has more than 10 years of experience in the industry. He has held positions as national sales manager for Mednet Connect Inc., in Irving, Texas; Southeast regional manager for E-Stellarnet Inc., in Concord, Calif.; and senior sales executive for The SSI Group Inc., in Clearwater, Fla.