People

Independent insurance broker ONI Risk Partners (ONI) has hired Mike Loveless as a commercial risk adviser in ONI’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, office.

Loveless most recently worked for JPMorgan Chase as a branch manager. He brings an established track record of educating and advising clients about a wide range of products and then customizing a plan to protect their most valuable assets and manage their risk effectively.

At ONI, Loveless focuses on the identification, assessment, and management of the overall impact and cost of risk to his mid-to-large commercial clients to help improve their bottom line.

ONI Risk Partners became part of the Prime Risk Partners family in 2016.

St. Louis, Missouri-based Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), with 100 independent insurance agency members in Missouri and Illinois, recently hired four new employees.

Clinton Mudd and Michael Thornton will serve as sales development coordinators. Their responsibilities include working with alliance members to maximize profitability and promote growth within their own independent agencies. This assistance includes everything from coordinating training and hiring to developing policies and procedures.

Prior to joining VIAA, Mudd served as a commercial lines producer at a local insurance agency. He has more than 15 years of financial and insurance experience at various insurance agencies and banks.

Thornton has 15 years of industry experience. He previously owned his own insurance agency and has worked at multiple insurance agencies. Thornton has an extensive sales, development and management background.

Susan Fitzgerald was hired as a processing specialist. She will manage carrier downloads, as well as input information into the alliance’s management system. Fitzgerald will also process client and policy changes created by the company’s carriers.

Kate Murphy was hired as an administrative assistant. She will field and direct telephone calls, maintain office quality and standards, and coordinate training events and schedules. Prior to joining VIAA, Murphy worked in the bond department of an insurance company.

Founded in 2006, VIAA is the regional founding member for the Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA).

Lockton Benefit Group (LBG) added Jay M. Kirschbaum to its Compliance Services team. He is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kirschbaum has more than 30 years of experience as a tax attorney specializing in employee benefits. Previously he led the employee benefits compliance team at Willis Towers Watson for 16 years, most of those years with Willis before its merger with Towers Watson. He will provide primary employee benefits compliance support for Lockton’s offices in St. Louis, Nashville, Memphis, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Kirschbaum is a past chair of the American Benefits Council’s board of directors and is a frequent lecturer nationwide on employee benefits matters.

An attorney, Kirschbaum’s most recent prior experience includes leading the compliance review process for Aon’s merger and acquisition practice. At Willis, Kirschbaum directed a team of employee benefits attorneys and paraprofessionals who provided technical and marketing assistance to employee benefits account service teams and producers in Willis offices worldwide. The team provided guidance on all employee benefits programs under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and all other statutory and regulatory provisions.

Matthew C. Wilcox has been hired as executive vice president of personal lines at Columbus, Ohio-based Motorists Insurance Group.

Wilcox has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience. He most recently served as a senior vice president with MAPFRE USA. He has also held leadership positions with Travelers of New Jersey and USAA Insurance Co.

Wilcox holds the CPCU designation.

Janet Selnes has been named assistant vice president – broker distribution for Merrill, Wisconsin-based Church Mutual Insurance Co.

Selnes joined Church Mutual in 2003 as a regional representative and was promoted to division manager in 2012. Five years later, she was promoted to regional sales manager. During her time in sales, she earned her Certified Insurance Counselor, Certified Risk Manager and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designations and has played a pivotal role in the company’s sales growth and market expansion.

Church Mutual Insurance Co., founded in 1897, offers specialized insurance for religious organizations of all denominations, as well as schools, camps, denominational offices and senior living facilities.