People – South Central

Workers’ compensation insurance provider Texas Mutual Insurance Co. has named Bill Huckaby as its new general auditor. Huckaby previously served as the company’s senior manager of finance and operations auditing.

In his new role, Huckaby will report directly to Texas Mutual’s board of directors.

Huckaby joined Texas Mutual in 2005 as senior manager of finance and operations auditing, where he was instrumental in creating the company’s MAR initiative framework. He also helped develop an enterprise risk management program and restructured the finance and operations auditing process to a SOX-based methodology.

Prior to joining Texas Mutual, Huckaby spent 21 years as the director of internal control for a major health insurance company in Arkansas.

Huckaby is a certified internal auditor, a certified control self-assessment auditor and a certified public accountant.

Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corp. (LWCC) has filled two key management positions. Brent Toups is the company’s new business unit manager for large accounts and U.S. Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act coverage. Jody Horton is the new agency relations manager.

Toups, who was previously agency relations manager, has also worked as an associate premium auditor, premium auditor, senior premium auditor and agency relations representative since joining LWCC in 1998.

Horton, who was previously a senior underwriter, has also served as an associate underwriter and underwriter since going to work for LWCC in 2004.

Southwestern Insurance Information Service (SIIS) has named Monica Vigil-McDonald as its new communications coordinator.

Vigil-McDonald will report directly to SIIS President Sandra Helin and the SIIS board to create and implement the organization’s overall communications strategy.

Vigil-McDonald joins SIIS from KVUE News in Austin, Texas, where she produces the midday newscast. Prior to KVUE, she worked as a public relations consultant for the Catholic Diocese of Austin and as the communications director of the Texas House of Representatives.

Founded in 1953, SIIS represents insurers writing in excess of 85 percent of the property and casualty premiums in Texas and Oklahoma.

LevelFirst, a wholesale broker and managing general agency based in Dallas, Texas, announced three new staff additions.

Rebecca Verastigui and Dorothy Martinez both join LevelFirst as senior underwriters/producers. Shirley Ann Waldon-Gilder joins the firm as assistant underwriter.

Verastigui brings 13 years of insurance experience, with the past seven in an excess and surplus production role.

Martinez has served in production positions in the surplus lines industry for the past 14 years.

Martinez and Verastigui will handle property/casualty business in both a brokerage and underwriting capacity.

Waldon-Gilder brings more than 18 years of insurance experience to LevelFirst.

HCC Insurance Holdings Inc., headquartered in Houston, appointed William N. Burke to serve as executive vice president and chief operating officer of HCC effective March 24, 2012.

HCC also said it expects Burke will be appointed to serve as president on or before May 31, 2013.

As previously announced, HCC’s succession plan calls for its current president, Christopher J.B. Williams, to be appointed chief executive officer when John N. Molbeck, Jr. retires on or before May 31, 2013.

Burke most recently served as chief operating officer for Aon Risk Solutions. He began his insurance career in 1977 with the Home Insurance Co. and has been with Aon Corp. and its successor company for almost 30 years.

The Texas Insurance Automobile Insurance Plan Association (TAIPA) has announced the election of officers for 2012-2013.

Fred Strauss, with Allstate Insurance in Northbrook, Ill., was elected to head the association’s governing committee. Strauss formerly served as vice-chair.

Thomas Rolling, with Farmers Insurance Group will serve as vice-chair. Bill Brooks, Texas Farm Bureau Cos., will serve as second vice chair and Richard Lonquist, public member, was elected secretary.

The association was created by statute and is subject to regulatory supervision of the Department of Insurance. The purpose of the association is to make automobile bodily injury and property damage liability insurance required by the Texas Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act.

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. has appointed Karen Mondshine to the position of personal insurance territory sales director. She will be based in Texas.

Mondshine has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry with the majority of her experience dedicated to high net worth personal insurance and consulting expertise on agency management systems.

Prior to joining Fireman’s Fund, she worked for PLI Brokerage, formerly a subsidiary of the Chubb Corp., Alexander & Alexander, and Applied Systems Inc.