People
Anna Alexopoulos Farrar has joined the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) as Communications director, according to a statement by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. In this capacity, she will oversee the communications strategy for the department.
Farrar has more than 10 years of experience in public and private communications. She joins the department after nearly three years at Florida public relations firm On 3 Public Relations (On3PR). She served there most recently as vice president of accounts, where she led communication strategy and message development for major companies and organizations.
She previously served as press secretary for DFS under former CFO Jeff Atwater and managed media relations for a national disaster safety nonprofit.
Patronis said Farrar’s experience and her knowledge of the department will help DFS advance its efforts to connect with Floridians on top issues that impact them.
Farrar succeeds Ashley Carr who recently announced her resignation to accept a position with the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation.
Paragon Insurance Holdings, LLC, a national multi-line specialty program manager, has added Justin Schmidt to the Paragon team as Program underwriter. He will be based in Orlando, Fla.
According to Ron Ganiats, Paragon managing partner, Schmidt will lead Paragon’s Pest Control program, enhance the company’s product offerings and expand its distribution network.
Prior to joining Paragon, Schmidt was director of Underwriting for Capital Risk Underwriters, Inc. (CRU), a managing general underwriting firm for pest control insurance.
In addition to his underwriting duties, he assisted in writing many of the manuscript forms, which cover each aspect of the various categories of the pest control industry.
Premier Assurance Group (PA Group), headquartered in Coral Gables, Fla., has named Karen Cordero-Fleites as its director of marketing and communications. Cordero-Fleites has more than 10 years of experience in the international insurance industry.
In her new role, Cordero-Fleites will be responsible for leading PA Group’s brand unification by consolidating all of the company’s products and services under one corporate image. She will also manage the planning and budget for the company’s marketing initiatives.
Cordero-Fleites was previously the senior marketing manager of Global Benefits Group Inc., where she led the company’s rebranding efforts and improved the positioning of its brand and product image throughout Latin America.
Her experience also includes serving as marketing specialist at Best Doctors Insurance, where she supported the growth of the brand in Latin America, and subsequently in Canada and Europe.
Consulting Actuary Legare W. Gresham has established Pinnacle Actuarial Resources Inc.’s presence in Charleston, S.C., as the firm continues to grow both domestically and internationally.
Gresham has more than 10 years of experience in the property/casualty practice area. Gresham has worked extensively with traditional insurers, captive insurers and self-insureds, including public entities.
Her expertise includes loss reserving, pricing and product management, proforma financial modeling and regulatory support.
Gresham is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, Inc. is an independent, full-service actuarial firm focused on the property/casualty insurance industry. Headquartered in Bloomington, Ill., the firm also has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis and San Francisco.
Pinnacle is owned by its professional staff and ranks among the largest property/casualty actuarial firms in the United States.