People – Midwest
Merrill, Wis.-based Church Mutual Insurance Co., an insurer of religious organizations, named Bob Buckley as vice president – underwriting and policyholder services and Cheryl Kryshak as vice president – risk control.
Buckley moved into Kryshak’s former role, while Kryshak’s position is a new one within the 116-year-old property/casualty company.
Kryshak joined Church Mutual in 1998 as a senior underwriter in its long-term care unit. She also has served as long-term care underwriting coordinator, assistant vice president – underwriting manager and vice president – underwriting. Kryshak has the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Certified Professional Insurance Woman (CPIW) designations.
Buckley joined Church Mutual in 1988 as a regional representative in New York. He was promoted to division manager in 1997 and eastern regional sales manager in 2005. Buckley also has served as assistant vice president – new markets and product research and development; vice president – corporate pricing, products, line services and new markets; and vice president – organizational planning and process management. His designations include CPCU and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).
Craig Johnson joined St. Paul, Minn.-based PCG Agencies Inc. as a personal risk manager and insurance producer. Johnson has an extensive sales background.
Founded in 1982, PCG Agencies also has three locations in the Twin Cities, a location in Kansas City, and three locations in Southern California.
As associate agency owner, Gary Silverman opened a new location for Brightway Insurance in Chesterfield, Mo. Silverman previously owned Insurance Solutions of Missouri.
Brightway plans to open 20 Missouri stores in the next five years.
Georgia Puls has been appointed president of Iowa Mutual Insurance Co.
Puls has 27 years of experience in the insurance industry, including 17 years at Iowa Mutual in the personal and commercial lines divisions. She joined Iowa Mutual as a commercial lines underwriter and was promoted to commercial lines supervisor and then vice president of the division. She also served as vice president of both commercial and personal lines underwriting.
Puls holds the Associate in Commercial Underwriting, Associate in General Insurance and Associate in Insurance Services designations, and is pursuing her CPCU designation.
Lockton hired John Wasilchuk as an account executive in its Chicago office focusing on environmental risk management. He is responsible for placement of environmental insurance coverage and maintaining relationships with environmental underwriters and carriers.
Wasilchuk previously worked at Marsh, where he focused on designing, negotiating, placing, and servicing environmental insurance programs. He has also worked as an environmental scientist and project manager at several environmental services firms across the country.