People and Places

Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) hired William B. Bangs IV as vice president of agency relations. In this position, Bangs will plan, direct and coordinate agency relations with insurance agents throughout the state.

Bangs joins LWCC from Innovative Risk Management in Irving, Texas, where he was senior vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to that, he was regional underwriting and marketing manager for Texas Mutual Insurance Co., managing its operations for the Dallas region.

Bangs is returning to Louisiana, where he worked previously at CNA Insurance Company in New Orleans.

RSI International Inc. promoted Holly Ballard to commercial lines underwriting manager for their Texas offices. In this newly created position, Ballard will oversee the Commercial Lines Department, and will work directly with CEO Colin W. Rainey and President Paul W. Rainey focusing on growing the firm’s property and casualty business in the state.

Ballard began her insurance career in 1994 at J.D. Williams Insurance Agency in El Paso, Texas. She joined RSI in 2002 as a commercial underwriter, and has served as a senior underwriter with RSI for the past three years.

North Texas-based Legacy Texas Insurance Services added three new commercial lines producers.

Josh Bagert and Nick Paschal began with the agency in November 2006.

Insurance industry veteran Dan Hamiter joined the firm in January 2007. He will be dedicated to the agency’s homebuilders market.

Paschal works out of the company’s growing Austin office and will also commute to Houston and San Antonio.

Bagert and Hamiter are based in Legacy’s home office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Legacy Texas also announced that Tina Sparks achieved the Certified Insurance Counselors designation from The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Sparks is an account manager in the commercial Middle Market Department at Legacy Texas Insurance Services and has been in the insurance industry seven years.

Fred Lusk has joined insurance wholesaler PWIB Texas as broker/underwriter. Lusk previously was associated with other leading insurance wholesalers and has been involved that field since 1969.

PWIB Texas is part of Insurance Specialty Group.

Austin, Texas-based Guaranty Insurance Services Inc., announced the addition of Charles D. “Chuck” Sears to its Arlington, Texas, branch office.

Sears has been in the insurance industry for over 28 years and has professional experience in sales, marketing, underwriting and management services. His primary responsibilities for Guaranty will involve the production and maintenance of commercial property and casualty accounts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. announced that J. Robert Dickerson has been elected as chairman of its Board of Directors and lead independent director.

Dickerson, a retired tax attorney, has served on the Board since 1981. He is chairman of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

In announcing Dickerson’s election, CEO Frank J. Bramanti noted that the company had decided to separate the roles of chairman and CEO.

Annette J. Goodreau has been promoted to senior vice president and chief actuary and will have responsibility for all actuarial activities of HCC and its subsidiaries.

Goodreau has 20 years of experience and has been with the company since 1999, most recently as senior vice president and chief actuary of its U.S property and casualty insurance company subsidiaries.

Bliss and Glennon Inc., a managing general agency and surplus lines broker, announced its expansion into the Central and Southeast regions of the country.

Robert P. Abramson, director of Excess and Surplus Lines, said Bliss & Glennon Central, formerly Surplus Inc., will operate in Conroe, Texas, under the leadership of Regional Vice President Lyle Ashley. Ashley has been in the insurance industry for 41 years.

Bliss & Glennon Southeast, formerly Dominion Specialty Group, will continue to operate out of Lake Mary, Fla. Regional Vice President Jeff Dussault will lead the Southeast office.

Chris Yount has joined Dallas-based eInsurance Exchange, MarketScout, as accounting manager. The company said Yount will add additional strength to MarketScout’s finance and accounting functions, and will serve as general project manager for IT and other specialty projects.

Texas Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Albert Betts named Howard L. Smith, M.D., as medical advisor for the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation.
Dr. Smith has been a practicing physician since 1985, specializing in brain and spinal surgery. He has served as a designated doctor in the Texas workers’ compensation system since 2005 and previously was certified as an independent medical examiner. Dr. Smith also has been a practicing attorney since 2002.

As medical advisor for the Division, Dr. Smith will review complaints on quality of care received through the TDI Complaint Resolution and Customer Services section and serve as chair of the Medical Quality Review Panel (MQRP).

The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission added Communications Liaison Deana Graves to its Support Services Division. Graves will coordinate AWCC activities such as issuing bulletins, advisories, rules, and forms; helping produce the annual educational conference; preparation of material for the Internet; teaching educational courses; and providing public information and training.

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