People Moves: Couchman to Succeed Long as President of Western National

As the next step in a long-term leadership succession plan developed with its Board of Directors, Jeff Couchman will succeed Rick Long as president of the Western National Insurance Group’s pooled companies on January 1, 2027.

Long, who has served as President since 2020, will retain the role of Chief Executive Officer for a six-month transition period, after which he plans to retire and Couchman is expected to become CEO.

Couchman currently serves as Executive Vice President of Underwriting and Sales. He joined Western National’s management team in 2008, initially leading its Seattle operation while working on corporate risk management and business development.

He later took on responsibility for marketing and joined the senior leadership team in 2012 as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Agency Sales. He assumed responsibility for the Group’s underwriting operations in 2022, and has worked closely with leaders throughout the Group on strategic priorities and initiatives affecting the Group’s companies.

Before joining Western National, Couchman spent more than a decade in the insurance industry as a commercial lines underwriter and reinsurance broker. He earned a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.B.A. from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas. He holds the CPCU, AU, and ARe designations from The Institutes.

Western National Insurance Group, headquartered in Edina, Minn., is a super-regional group of property-and-casualty insurance companies.