People – South Central

LevelFirst, the Dallas-based wholesale broker and MGA binding facility owned by IIAT Services Co., has promoted Kate Innocent to vice president.

Innocent joined LevelFirst in 2014 as associate underwriter and most recently served as assistant vice president.

She holds the designations of Commercial Insurance Counselor and Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist.

LevelFirst also appointed Mary Travis as vice president. She is based in Houston and will service new and existing clients in the surrounding region.

Travis comes to LevelFirst with more than 25 years in the insurance industry as an excess and surplus lines underwriter. Her experience includes work with IMS/London American and RPS/Leicht General Agency.

She is a member of Houston Insurance Professionals, Insurance Professional of Galveston County, Houston Association of Insurance Professionals and serves on the Membership Committee for the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston.

IIAT Services Co. is owned by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT).

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) honored two agents from South Central states with awards at the annual Big “I” Legislative Conference.

Lee Schilling of Louisiana is the 2016 recipient of the Sidney O. Smith Award and Robert W. Shepard of Texas received the 2016 Bernard J. Burns Award.

Schilling is president of Schilling & Reid Insurance in Amite, Louisiana. Shepard is the board chairman of Shepard Walton King Insurance Group in Harlingen, Texas.

The Sidney O. Smith Award is bestowed annually by the Big “I” and the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia upon an individual agent or broker for outstanding service to his or her peers and the national association in the field of government affairs. It is named in honor of an IIABA past president and Georgia agent who was instrumental in focusing the association and its members on legislative advocacy.

The Bernard J. Burns Award is named after former Big “I” President Barney Burns, who founded InsurPac in 1975 and served as chairman of its board of trustees until 1983. During his tenure, Burns worked tirelessly to educate agents about the importance of being politically active.

Tracy Lovelace, lead personal lines relationship manager for Giddings, Texas-based The Nitsche Group, has been named a Five Star Home & Auto Insurance Professional for 2017. This is her second consecutive year to be awarded this honor.

The Five Star Home & Auto Insurance Professional award selects honorees for their commitment to professional excellence and overall client satisfaction. This group of outstanding Austin, San Antonio and Central Texas professionals represents fewer than 7 percent of all professionals in the market. Lovelace was nominated and hand-selected for this award out of 18,000 home and auto agents in Central Texas.

Among other qualifying factors, Five Star Professional candidates are measured using an in-depth research process with a sharp focus on customer feedback and overall satisfaction. The award is not based on numbers, sales, or statistics, but instead is based around the feedback, commentary, and services as experienced by clients.

MarketScout, the national electronic insurance exchange and specialty MGA headquartered in Dallas, has expanded its national private client practice with the addition of Chris Hatt as managing executive.

Hatt, who is based in Dallas, has more than 30 years of underwriting and broking experience in the London and Lloyd’s market.

Prior to joining MarketScout, Hatt worked at Shepherd Compello as a director, building and expanding the binding facility business in North America. Previously, he was chief executive officer at Decus Insurance Brokers Limited.

Venture Programs, national insurance program administrator based in West Chester, Pa., has hired Diane Baker as regional underwriter for the company’s U.S. south and central regions.

As regional underwriter, Baker will be responsible for writing new business and renewals as she promotes the company’s SUITELIFE program.

SUITELIFE, administered by Venture Programs, is an all-lines insurance and risk program for upscale hotels and resort properties.

Before joining Venture, Baker was marketing underwriter for FCCI Insurance in Lake Mary, Fla. She also served as a commercial lines underwriter for CNA Insurance in Maitland, Fla.

Baker began her career as a commercial lines underwriter for Erie Insurance in Erie, Pa.