People – Southeast
Heidi Strommen, president of ProHost, has been elected to serve as president of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association (TMPAA) following the completion of current President David Springer’s term in January.
Strommen began her insurance career as a policy analyst at the Minnesota Department of Commerce in 1986. During her career at the Commerce Department she also served as executive director of the Minnesota Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association and the Minnesota PetroFund.
In 1990, she joined ProHost USA, Inc., a national program administrator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in restaurant insurance, as vice president of operations. In 1994, she joined the board of directors of ProHost and its parent company. In 2008, Strommen was named president of ProHost.
TMPAA is an organization for insurance program administrators.
The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) has named attorney Jennifer M. Webb as counsel and director of regulatory affairs.
Webb is the former director of legislative affairs for Nolan Associates, where she managed legislative relations for the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) and the National Conference of Legislators from Gaming States.
In her new position, Webb will develop working relationships among PIA state and regional affiliate staff counterparts and work with PIA’s national legislative, regulatory and communications team in developing and executing PIA’s public policy positions.
She will be PIA’s representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, NCOIL, the National Conference of State Legislatures and other industry groups.
Webb succeeds David M. Eppstein, who resigned to accept a position as legislative counsel for the American Bar Association in Washington, D.C.
Insurance broker Marsh has appointed Todd Batson as its new head of office in Nashville. Batson brings 15-years of experience working in the Tennessee insurance market to his new role, most recently serving as area vice president for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in Nashville.
IFG Cos. has hired Steven M. Mills as managing director in its Submit unit in its Atlanta office. In this capacity, Mills will be a member of the IFG’s Submit leadership team that continues to build out brokerage capabilities primarily for property and liability risks below $50,000 in annual premium, particularly those in conjunction with IFG’s binding authority producers.
Mills joins IFG after 13 years with AIG where, most recently, he served as a regional casualty executive for the Great Lakes region. He also previously served as vice president/public entity industry practice leader where he had product line management responsibility for Lexington Insurance’s public entity casualty portfolio.
Prior to AIG, Mills worked at CNA Re where he was a casualty facultative underwriter, according to the announcement.
Based in Burlington, North Carolina, IFG provides property/casualty insurance on both a non-admitted basis and an admitted basis. Coverages are underwritten by IFG’s affiliated insurers: The Burlington Insurance Co., First Financial Insurance Co., Alamance Insurance Co. and Guilford Insurance Co.
Trinity Underwriting Managers Inc. (TUMI), a Georgia-based program administrator, announced the hiring of Don Oxidine as senior underwriter responsible for managing the company’s fleet intermodal trucking portfolio.
He has 25 years of experience within the industry and has served on the retail, wholesale and company side of the business. Oxidine began his career with Liberty Mutual and has held management positions with K&K and Swett.
He joins TUMI from Maxum Casualty Insurance Co., where he was as a senior underwriter in the Transportation Division.
TUMI underwrites niche transportation programs on a nationwide basis through retail agents.
Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance and State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney has promoted Deputy Fire Coordinator Brad Smith to the position of state fire coordinator.
The state fire coordinator works with volunteer and career fire departments to improve fire protection capabilities throughout the state, particularly in rural areas. In addition, the coordinator administers the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program, which provides matching grants up to $70,000 for fire truck purchases in rural areas.
Smith joined the fire marshal’s office in November, 2009 as the deputy fire coordinator. Prior to joining the fire marshal’s office, he served as the county fire coordinator and emergency management director for Chickasaw county for 20 years and was a member of the Houston Fire Department from 1983- 2009.