People
PIA Management Services Inc. has hired Bradford J. Lachut as director of Government and Industry Affairs for the five PIA state affiliates managed by the Glenmont, N.Y.-based group.
Lachut previously served as PIA’s government affairs counsel prior to working as a senior manager in government affairs and economic development for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.
As PIA’s director of Government and Industry Affairs, Lachut will be responsible for strategic planning and association public affairs in multiple states, tracking relevant case law for the insurance agent and drafting legislation and position statements and testimony. He will lead a team of experts and attorneys as the primary legislative contact for PIA members.
Lachut’s previous experience includes work as an attorney for Steven J. Baum P.C. in Amherst, N.Y., and an associate attorney for the law office of James Morris in Buffalo, N.Y. He also previously worked as an intern for Erie County Legislature Chief of Staff and the Honorable John F. O’Donnell within the New York Supreme Court.
Erie Insurance, based in Erie, Penn., has promoted Sheryl Rucker to senior vice president of Erie Insurance’s Law Division.
In this role, Rucker will have oversight of compliance, special investigations, agency operations and marketing, claims legal, insurance operations and legal support areas.
Rucker joined Erie Insurance in 2003 as associate general counsel. In 2010, she was promoted to senior counsel within insurance operations.
Prior to joining Erie Insurance, she served as a judicial law clerk for a U.S. Magistrate Judge and as an associate attorney and later partner with Lamp, Bartram, Levy, Trautwein and Perry in Huntington, W.V.
Markel Corporation has named Brian Kenny managing director of strategic customer growth.
Kenny is based in Markel’s headquarters in Richmond, Va., and reports to Markel Assurance President Bryan Sanders.
In this role, Kenny will work across the Markel Assurance division to coordinate resources and build capabilities to meet the business needs of current and new customers, Sanders explained in a company press release. Additionally, Kenny will identify growth opportunities with strategic customers, develop and execute business strategies and build a pipeline of business across the Markel Assurance product lines. He is responsible for managing broker relationships and risk management accounts, including Fortune 500 companies.
In his previous role at Markel, Kenny led its small commercial efforts, including initiatives to simplify and automate underwriting, grow digital partnerships and expand ventures in the U.S. Prior to joining Markel, he served in a variety of senior sales roles at Zurich Insurance Group.
Arthur J. Gallagher in Jericho, N.Y., (AJG) has added four professionals from SterlingRisk in Woodbury, N.Y., to its Construction Practice Group for Long Island.
Joseph A. Santospirito Jr. has been named area senior vice president within AJG’s Construction Practice Group. He has worked in the insurance business for more than 32 years and has held various underwriting positions in the construction divisions of the Travelers Insurance Company, General Accident Insurance Company, CNA Insurance Company and Crum & Forster Insurance Companies. Prior to joining AJG, Santospirito was the president of Sterling Risk Construction Services of New York.
Carmine D’Angelo has been named area vice president within AJG’s Construction Practice Group. He has been involved in the construction insurance business for more than 35 years, and he began his career as an underwriter at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. He then worked at CNA Insurance Company before moving into the retail brokerage field, in which he worked for companies such as Contractors Planning Group, Willis Corroon Construction Services, Armitage & Co., USI and Sterling Construction Practice Group. He most recently served as a senior vice president at SterlingRisk.
Maegan R. Carley was hired as a client service manager within AJG’s Construction Practice Group. She began her career in the insurance industry at John Paterno Inc. in Great Neck, N.Y., and continued her career at Millennium Alliance Group LLC. In May 2013, she joined SterlingRisk in its Construction Division, most recently serving as an associate account executive.
Matt Stein was hired as a senior client service manager within AJG’s Construction Practice Group. He began his insurance career 10 years ago as an account specialist and underwriter for SterlingRisk’s Specialty Programs Department. He was a founding member of SterlingRisk Construction Services of N.Y. and served there until joining Gallagher in early 2018.