People – Midwest

The St. Louis, Mo., office of independent insurance broker, Lockton, has promoted Diane Fischer to vice president, unit manager of risk management.

Fischer joined Lockton in 2007, with more than 20 years of national account underwriting and broking experience.

Todd Hlasney has been promoted to director of Lockton Health Risk Solutions for Lockton’s Kansas City, Mo., benefits operation.

Hlasney joined Lockton in 2013 as a Health Risk Solutions consultant, partnering with client leaders and Lockton account teams to establish the cultural, financial, and operational framework needed for claims cost management for Lockton’s clients.

Prior to joining Lockton, Hlasney spent 14 years in various executive roles at Corporate Fitness Works.

Lockton added David Dennis as unit manager and senior vice president in its Chicago employee benefits operation.

He joins Lockton with more than 22 years of experience in health and welfare and employee benefits consulting.

Dennis is responsible for providing guidance and developing comprehensive benefit programs to address the risks that employers face.

Dennis’ industry experience includes five years of national account underwriting with two national carriers: Aetna and BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois. Before joining Lockton, Dennis was a practice client lead and account executive within the health and benefits practice at Aon Hewitt in Chicago.

Timothy Zepnick has been appointed regional vice president for business insurance in Liberty Mutual Insurance’s upper Midwest region.

Zepnick is based in Waukesha, Wis., and is responsible for the profitable growth of business in the six-state territory that includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Employed with Liberty Mutual since 1992, Zepnick most recently was vice president and managing director for the national insurance operation’s West division. He has also held senior management and distribution positions for the company’s commercial operations in California, Wisconsin and Texas.

Lansing, Mich.-based insurer Accident Fund Holdings Inc. appointed Jaime Dibean as director of the business liaison office.

Dibean has been with Accident Fund Holdings for nearly 12 years in a variety of key roles, including serving as help desk and applications manager and as strategic planning advisor.

The Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana Inc. (Indiana Big “I”) has installed its slate of officers for 2015, including Hugh M. McGowan of the McGowan Insurance Group in Indianapolis as president.

In addition to McGowan, the members of the executive committee leadership team for the Indiana Big “I” for 2015 are: President-Elect Michael D. Gilbert, Old National Insurance, Indianapolis; Vice President-Treasurer Vickie Wolcott, M.J. Schuetz Insurance Services, Indianapolis; Vice President – Secretary Gregory Easley, RMD Patti Insurance and Financial Services, Richmond; Immediate Past President Michael Anton, Jr., Anton Insurance Agency, Inc., Chesterton; and National Director Todd Jackson, Jackson McCormick Insurance, Lebanon.

These individuals assumed their offices on Jan. 1, 2015.

Peoria, Ill.-based specialty insurer RLI Corp. announced several leadership promotions.

Dennis Drees was promoted to vice president, casualty brokerage. Drees will lead RLI’s primary and excess/umbrella surplus lines business units.

Drees joined RLI in 1994 and held various roles in the casualty division until being promoted to assistant vice president, casualty, in 2009. Drees has more than 33 years of experience in the insurance industry and extensive expertise in umbrella, excess and surplus lines general liability insurance and regional underwriting management.

Todd Bryant, vice president and controller, has been promoted to vice president, finance and controller.

Bryant joined RLI in 1993 and held various positions in the accounting department prior to being promoted to vice president, controller, in 2009. Bryant has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience and extensive expertise in finance and accounting.

Aaron Diefenthaler, vice president, chief investment officer, has been promoted to vice president, chief investment officer and treasurer.

Diefenthaler joined RLI in 2012 as vice president, chief investment officer. He has more than 16 years of investment and operations experience and extensive expertise managing investment portfolios for insurance companies.

Jean Stephenson, assistant vice president, corporate secretary, has been promoted to vice president, corporate secretary.

Stephenson joined RLI in 1995 and held various compliance and corporate secretary roles until being promoted to assistant vice president, corporate secretary, in 2007. She has 19 years of insurance industry experience and extensive expertise in insurance compliance.

Ronald A. Rascia has been appointed acting chairman of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC).

Rascia first joined the commission in 2011 as general counsel, and later added the duties of commission secretary. Assistant Secretary Brendan O’Rourke now will serve as acting secretary.

Former Chairman Michael Latz resigned on Nov. 30.

Schaumburg, Ill.-based Zurich North America appointed Terry McCafferty as head of group captives, a key strategic business unit of Programs & Direct Markets, effective Feb. 1.

McCafferty replaces Rod DeMaso, who recently moved to a new role as director of technical underwriting for Zurich Product Underwriting.

McCafferty will relocate from Zurich’s offices in Overland Park, Kan., to the company’s North American headquarters in Schaumburg.

McCafferty has 27 years of experience in the insurance industry. He joined Zurich in 1998 as assistant vice president of product development for Zurich Personal Insurance.

Portage, Mich.-based wholesale insurance specialist, J.M. Wilson, promoted James Reincke to brokerage manager for the newly formed brokerage department.

Reincke is responsible for developing and strengthening new and existing agency and company relationships, as well as growing the brokerage book of business for 21 states.

Reincke began with J.M. Wilson in 2006 as a commercial underwriter, before being promoted as Wisconsin branch manager. He has nearly 14 years’ experience in the insurance industry, including 10 years working in a managing general agency.

Reincke has earned designations of Associate in Insurance Services (AIS) and Associate in Commercial Underwriting (AU).

Omaha, Neb.-based Mutual of Omaha Chairman and CEO Dan Neary announced that he will retire in 2015. He will retain the role of chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Executive Vice President James T. Blackledge has been appointed president of the company and picked to succeed Neary as CEO upon Neary’s retirement.

Named chairman and CEO in December 2004, Neary joined Mutual of Omaha as an actuary and went on to hold a number of key management positions within the group insurance area. He was appointed president of Mutual of Omaha in August 2003.

Blackledge, who joined Mutual as an actuary in 1989, most recently served as executive vice president and chief information officer/chief risk officer, where he had responsibility for the company’s technology applications and systems infrastructure as well as enterprise risk management.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America named Hilary Segura to its state government relations team.

Segura will take over regional staff duties overseeing states in the Midwest and the Southeast.

Previously, Segura worked for Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn’s office, where she served as the associate director of government services, legislative affairs. Prior to that Segura served as senior policy advisor for the director of the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. announced the retirement of Robert Lindemann, president and chief operating officer of the company’s commercial property/casualty business – CNA Commercial – effective Dec. 31, 2014.

Pending the appointment of a successor, Dave Rutkowski, senior vice president, commercial underwriting, will assume certain of Lindemann’s responsibilities, including day-to-day operational duties. Rutkowski’s insurance career has spanned more than three decades. He joined CNA in 2009. Rutkowski previously was with Zurich North America.

Additionally, CNA appointed Bruce Dmytrow to vice president of aging services, national programs underwriting for the company’s healthcare segment.

Dmytrow brings more than 29 years of healthcare industry experience and 22 years of insurance experience to his new role.

Most recently, he led CNA Specialty Risk Control where he was responsible for the strategic leadership of the risk control organization for all of the Specialty customer segments in the United States, Canadian and European markets.

Accident Fund Holdings Inc., based in Lansing, Mich., named Patrick Walsh the company’s new alternative markets leader. Walsh will be responsible for continuing non-traditional and innovative business solutions and generating new and creative opportunities in response to agent and customer needs. He takes on this new role while maintaining his current position as Accident Fund Holdings’ senior vice president and chief claims officer. He has been with the organization since 2010.