People

FARA Insurance Services, a Mandeville, La.-based provider of claims administration and risk management solutions nationwide, appointed Laura Tarantino to the company’s board of directors. As FARA’s senior vice president and general counsel, Tarantino oversees the firm’s Healthcare division.

Before joining FARA, Tarantino served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for a national private equity backed company which experienced extraordinary growth during her tenure.

Dallas-based MHBT, one of the largest privately owned insurance and risk management firms in the United States, named Ryan Bowles, Dan King, Jim Moss and Travis Sartain as partners in the agency. Bowles, Moss and Sartain are based in the firm’s Dallas office, and King operates in the Austin office.

Bowles, a vice president of property/casualty in the Dallas office, works with legal firms and nonprofit organizations, as well as a variety of commercial clients, to develop and implement risk management programs that address complex issues such as professional liability and loss prevention. In 2008, Bowles was recognized by the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas (IIAD) as Young Agent of the Year.

King, a vice president of health risk management for the Austin benefits team, has more than 25 years of experience in health care finance, underwriting and consulting. Before joining MHBT, he was director of underwriting for a national insurance company, controller for a physician start-up group and a consultant with a national brokerage.

Moss, a vice president with MHBT’s Dallas property/casualty group, produces and services risk management styled accounts. His clients typically operate in both the U.S. and foreign locations. Moss has worked extensively in the London, Bermuda and European reinsurance marketplace. Prior to joining MHBT, Moss worked for a national broker and also as a large accounts casualty underwriter with a major mutual insurance company.

Sartain, an account executive with the Dallas benefits team, brings more than a decade of experience with a myriad of industries, including technology, construction and hospitality clients. His expertise includes fully insured and partially self-funded medical programs, as well as Section 105, HRA and HSA benefit programs. Prior to joining MHBT, Sartain served as PPO contract specialist with Preferred Plan of Georgia and an account executive with Athens Area Health Plans in Georgia.

MHBT is based in Dallas with offices in Fort Worth and Austin.

Texas Associates Insurors added Grace Jaen as its newest Employee Benefits analyst. Jaen focuses on developing and implementing solutions that help businesses attract and retain the right employees. Jaen graduated from The University of Texas — San Antonio with a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and Economics with a minor in public policy.

Texas Associates Insurors was founded in 1954, and offers insurance, employee benefits and risk management services. Texas Associates Insurors has offices in Austin, San Antonio, and Smithville, and its affiliate NewFirst Insurors operates in El Campo and Rosenberg.

MarketScout, a Dallas, Texas-based electronic insurance exchange, announced that Lesa Blaser has joined the company as managing vice president of Affluent Personal Lines. Blaser previously served as Central Region operations officer at Willis Private Client Group for five years where she was responsible for the Personal Lines unit.

MarketScout’s Affluent Personal Lines will work with MarketScout Wholesale by offering services to agents in offices which were opened in the last year. Those offices include San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Austin, Tampa, Memphis, Portland, New York and Oceanside, Calif.