People

Cassie Brown has been appointed Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation.

She succeeds Ryan Brannan, who left the division on May 1. Brown’s term expires Feb. 1, 2019.

TDI’s Division of Workers’ Compensation regulates the workers’ compensation system in Texas, ensuring injured workers receive the necessary benefits to quickly return to work, and that workers’ compensation costs are kept at a reasonable level for Texas employers.

Brown formerly was deputy commissioner for Regulatory Policy at the Texas Department of Insurance, where she has served since 2011.

Austin-based workers’ compensation carrier, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., appointed Jeanette Ward as the company’s new chief operating officer (COO) and Kim Haugaard as its new senior vice president of policyholder services, the role previously filled by Ward.

As COO, Ward will oversee the company’s policyholder services, underwriting, information technology, digital innovation and solutions, and marketing and customer engagement areas.

In his new role, Haugaard is responsible for claim operations, network operations, safety services and the information services center.

Ward joined the company in 1993 after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and has since served in a variety of roles throughout the organization.

Ward has been responsible for a broad range of business units, including the call center, process and system management operations, safety services, statewide claim offices, claim intake unit and imaging unit.

Additionally, she provided leadership for several major company initiatives, including a new enterprise claim system; WorkWell, TX, the company’s health care network; and Texas Mutual’s first injured worker mobile app.

Haugaard joined Texas Mutual in 2004 and was responsible for overseeing the development of the first medical network in the Texas workers’ compensation system, as well as overseeing the recent implementation of WorkWell, TX. Haugaard also managed the company’s medical cost containment strategies along with numerous claim training, process, and system initiatives.

North Texas-based insurance broker, RHSB, has expanded its Employee Benefits practice with the addition of three experienced professionals: Dirk Hansen, Shannon Hansen and Cindy Gonzales.

Dirk Hansen joins as senior vice president, principal and employee benefits practice leader. He has 37 years’ experience in the employee benefits industry serving in a number of sales and management positions. He will continue to serve as an employee benefit advisor assisting employers in the design and implementation of competitive benefit programs, as well as leading the Employee Benefits sales team for RHSB.

Shannon Hansen joins as vice president, benefit services and compliance director. She has over 12 years’ experience managing compliance services in the insurance industry and is a Certified Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act Professional. Shannon assists clients with compliance and legislative review, educating them about changes and updates in health care, insurance, and HR services.

Gonzales joins as an account executive and is an accredited customer service representative. She has extensive experience servicing Employee Benefit clients, working with insurance carriers and supporting service vendors implementing overall group plan components and addressing day-to-day client service needs.

RHSB, with offices in Dallas and Fort Worth, is a member of risk management and insurance brokerage group Assurex Global.

Austin, Texas-based Combined Agents of America (CAA) added A.J. Lovitt to its leadership team as chief executive officer.

Lovitt comes to CAA with extensive experience working in the insurance industry and is already familiar with CAA. Lovitt will report directly to CAA’s board.

Prior to joining CAA, Lovitt was a P&C Sales director with Nationwide in Arizona. Having roles in both underwriting and sales allowed him to partner in several states across the Midwest and West.

In his role as CAA’s CEO, Lovitt will develop and manage CAA member needs and facilitate a formal, organized sales/growth culture within the group. In addition to performing visioning and strategic planning functions for value-added services and programs within the CAA group, he will recruit and vet new members.

Founded in 1997, CAA is a privately held agency partnership group with 59 independent insurance agencies located throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.

The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) named Sarah Greenwalt as the agency’s new general counsel, effective June 25.

Greenwalt most recently served as senior counsel to the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington D.C. She also has served as a law clerk at the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, and assistant solicitor general and general counsel in the office of Oklahoma’s attorney general.

As WCC’s general counsel, Greenwalt will act as a legal advisor to the agency’s three commissioners and will report directly to Commissioners Mark Liotta, Jordan Russell and Megan Tilly.

In addition to providing legal advice to leadership and all divisions of the WCC, Greenwalt will advise regarding the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act and process open record requests, oversee and advise on all contracts, and support the agency’s regulatory functions including permitting services and the compliance division.

Appalachian Underwriters Inc. added Armando Duran as external marketing representative for Texas.

He is based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and will focus on agent relationships throughout the state.

Duran comes to AUI with over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, including former positions as an agent, territory and agency development manager.

He is also bilingual in English and Spanish which will allow AUI a much broader target audience within the state.

Appalachian Underwriters Inc. is a full service managing general agency (MGA) and wholesale insurance brokerage.

Dallas-based independent insurance agency, CoVerica, added Paul Reissner as senior vice president to head up a new and expanded sales effort.

Reissner’s focus is expanding organic sales using automated methodologies. His charge is to gain a larger geographically diverse customer base while delivering a unique and distinguishably customer buying experience.

Reissner has significant property/casualty industry experience having served in executive roles at national insurance companies including Safeco, Progressive, AIG and most recently Kemper Insurance.

Ryanne Smith has joined London-based insurance broker, Miller, to further strengthen its energy capabilities for North American intermediaries and clients worldwide.

Smith specializes in onshore energy. At Miller, she will be working with Daniel Nicholls and Graeme Valentine, focusing on North American oil and gas, midstream, power and utilities and renewable energy.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Smith has strong experience of both the U.S. and London markets, having worked as a retailer and marketer in energy for both Marsh and Lockton in Houston; and for the Onshore Energy and Structured Credit & Political Risks teams at RKH Specialty in London.

Smith will work closely with Miller’s other North American specialists across its breadth of specialist areas.