People – Southeast

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater has appointed Sha’Ron James as the state’s Insurance Consumer Advocate effective August 3. The role of Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate is to independently and ardently represent the needs of policyholders when insurance decisions are made. James enters the role with a history of dedication advocating for Floridians on insurance-related matters.

“Sha’Ron’s experience holding insurance companies accountable and her in-depth understanding of the insurance industry raises the bar for Florida’s advocacy efforts,” said CFO Atwater. “Sha’Ron has fought to ensure that the interests of consumers come before profit and special interests, and I am confident she will carry her passion for the people of Florida into this role.”

A Tallahassee resident, James most recently served as the director of the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Rehabilitation & Liquidation, which oversees litigation proceedings if a Florida insurance company faces financial failure. In this role, James represented Florida’s families in handling the impact the collapse of a carrier has on its ability to provide coverage.

James has guided thousands of Florida policyholders in navigating property coverage to protect a home, life insurance to protect a family legacy, or health coverage to ensure loved ones receive necessary medicines or medical attention.

James will work on solving problems facing Floridians, calling attention to questionable insurance practices, and ensuring that the market responds to residents needs.

James replaces the recently retired Steve Burgess in the ICA role. Toma Wilkerson, who currently serves as assistant director of the Division of Rehabilitation & Liquidation, has been named director.

James received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Florida A&M University, her master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University, and her juris doctor from the University of Florida.

Betsy K. Olson was appointed chief executive officer of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia after a unanimous vote of its Board of Directors on July 29, 2015. Olson will take the reins on September 1.

“Betsy is intimately familiar with IIAG’s operations and immensely qualified to help organize and grow our association,” said IIAG President Andy N. Siegel of Siegel Insurance in Atlanta.

Olson completed a five-year term on IIAG’s Executive Committee in June of this year and served as president in 2013-2014. Prior to election on the Executive Committee in 2010, she was chairman of IIAG’s Education Committee and has served on the Board of Directors for the Ted Carleton Education Foundation.

Executive Vice President of Rhodes Risk Advisors in Atlanta, Olson has worked in the insurance industry for over 30 years. Prior to Rhodes Risk Advisors, she was VP of marketing for Tanner, Ballew, and Maloof in Atlanta.

Gulfstream Property and Casualty Insurance Co., a regional property carrier providing homeowners, condominium, renters, dwelling fire and flood coverage with operations in five states, has announced the appointment of David N. Block as chief financial officer and treasurer. Block is a certified public accountant and has three decades of financial leadership experience in the insurance industry.

Block joined Gulfstream after an eight-year stint at QBE Insurance where he provided executive leadership and oversight for financial planning and analysis. Prior to that position, he served at Nationwide Insurance in financial roles for 17 years and worked at the accounting firm of Ernst & Young, where he specialized in property and casualty insurance. In his roles at Nationwide and QBE, Block’s national oversight responsibilities included leading the financial planning and analysis functions, supporting growth and profitability initiatives and developing an expense infrastructure to support expense management.

“His expertise in financial planning for multi-billion dollar insurance operations, along with his extensive experience in the property and casualty industry, will be beneficial as Gulfstream continues its expansion into Gulf and Atlantic coast states,” said Doug Reynolds, president and CEO of Gulfstream.

Gulfstream Property and Casualty Insurance Co. is headquartered in Sarasota, Fla.

Willis North America has appointed Ben Norris as managing partner, Willis of Alabama, effective immediately. In this role, he will be responsible for Willis’s operations across its offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery, Ala., and Rogers, Ark.

Based in Birmingham, Norris will be responsible for business development and expanding Willis’s footprint in the marketplace, while overseeing a team of 85 risk and insurance professionals serving local and national clients. In addition, he will work to align resources from across Willis’s global platform to deliver risk management services to clients. Norris will report to Hiram Marrero, national partner – South Region, Willis North America.

Norris joined Willis in 2007 and most recently served as senior vice president, Willis of Alabama, providing risk management to large national and multinational organizations across the region.