People and Places

Oklahoma City, Okla.-based BMSI Holdings, the holding company for BancInsure Inc., announced a number of promotions and appointments.

Rodney N. Sargent was appointed president of BMSI Holdings and chief executive officer of the companies, and was elected a director of the company.

Barbara A. Ewing was appointed president and chief operating officer for BancInsure. She was also elected as a director of BMSI Holdings.

Cynthia F. McInerney was appointed executive vice president, chief financial officer, secretary, and treasurer for BMSI Holdings and all subsidiary companies. McInerney was also elected as a director of the company.

Sargent joined the company in December 2006 as president of BMSI Marketing Inc., the sales and marketing arm for BancInsure. His experience includes executive management with several national insurers, including executive roles with Seattle-based Safeco as corporate marketing officer and corporate e-commerce officer. Sargent was also the vice president of Marketing for the property/casualty companies of United Services Automobile Association (USAA). Prior to joining BancInsure, Sargent was corporate vice president and chief marketing officer for Argonaut Group.

Ewing was most recently the vice president of Bond and Professional Liability Underwriting for BancInsure, joining the company in May 2006. She has held a number of leadership roles with Zurich North America Financial Enterprises (formerly The Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland).

McInerney has been with BancInsure since its founding in 1985, serving as secretary, treasurer and chief financial officer since 2003.

Texas-based Insurors Group named William (Bill) Hertel as its new president. Hertel has been a member of the Insurors Group since 2001. Insurors Group was recently ranked as the 26th largest independent insurance agency in the nation by Insurance Journal (April 2006).

As president, Hertel will be responsible for setting and reaching goals that help advance the overall direction of the organization.

He is the owner of Hertel Insurors Group LLP with offices in Austin, Fort Worth and Lubbock, Texas.

David Henson joined McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P. in its Dallas office as vice president in the property and casualty group.

Henson has spent 20 years in the insurance business. Prior to joining MHBT, he served as vice president and national accounts regional manager for AIG. Before that position, Henson was AIG’s regional excess casualty manager, with responsibility for handling middle-market, commercial and national accounts. Henson has also served as regional vice president for CNA Re.

MHBT also added Tommy Hitzfeld in its Dallas office as vice president and director of worksite marketing in the employee benefits group.

An insurance industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience, Hitzfeld most recently served as regional vice president of Summit Alliance Financial. He also held general manager and sales director posts in Summit’s Houston office, assuming responsibility for product and brokerage services for transactional and high-end sales.

Previously he was at Transamerica Worksite Marketing, where he developed proprietary products for specialized markets and implemented high-tech enrollment systems.

Insurance industry veteran J. John Wortman, was selected to take over Louisiana’s state-controlled Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Wortman is CEO and owner of Wortman Capital Associates, which consults with insurance companies. He is president and a board member of Fortune Financial Inc., which manages a company that provides workers’ compensation insurance in Oklahoma and Florida.

Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon said Wortman was divesting himself of his interest in those companies and will work full-time at Citizens. He takes over from former CEO Terry Lisotta.

Gina A. Wood joined The Republic Group, a Dallas-based regional insurer, as its new auto product manager. In this newly created position, Wood will focus on product development, ease-of-doing-business, and growth and performance of its personal auto line.

Wood began her career with Allstate Insurance Co. in Texas as a personal lines underwriter. She eventually transferred to Allstate’s home office in Chicago.

Specialty insurance and brokerage provider Burns & Wilcox promoted Jennifer Shumate to underwriter in the company’s Arlington, Texas, office. Previously, Shumate was a production assistant in commercial lines. She joined the company in 2003.

All Risks Ltd., a national independent wholesale broker and managing general agent headquartered in Hunt Valley, Md., added Elaine Garner and Julie Arsuaga to its Dallas, Texas, office.

Garner brings 20 years of experience in the property/casualty industry, both retail and surplus lines. She most recently worked as a senior marketing representative for medium to large accounts.

Arsuaga joins All Risks as a professional liability broker. She brings 24 years of insurance and related industry experience, the last 11 years working as a senior broker for a multi-state professional liability brokerage firm.

Southwest Business Corporation (SWBC) announced that SWBC Insurance Services account executive, Erin Dunham, has been nominated for Young Agent of the Year by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. Dunham is one of two women on the list of 10 nominees and is also the youngest. She has been with SWBC for nearly four years.

San Antonio-based SWBC also announced that that, Tony Bruns, employee an benefits account executive, has received his Insurance Counselor license. Bruns’ certification means he can handle fee-based consulting. Bruns has worked in the employee benefits field for 12 years, and has been with SWBC for 6 years.

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