North Carolina FAIR, Beach Plans Get New Board Members
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced the appointment of five new members to the N.C. Joint Underwriting Association and the N.C. Insurance Underwriting Association, better known as the FAIR and Beach plans, respectively.
The commissioner is responsible for naming seven public members for each 14-member board; the insurance industry names the remaining seven members on each board. The new appointees’ terms run through November 2010.
The FAIR and Beach Plans provide property insurance to North Carolinians who are unable to purchase it through traditional insurance markets. The FAIR Plan provides coverage throughout the state except for the barrier islands, and the Beach Plan covers 18 coastal counties and barrier islands. During the 2009 legislative session the N.C. General Assembly renamed the Beach Plan to the “Coastal Property Insurance Pool.”
New board members named by Goodwin to the FAIR Plan are:
Jimmy Goins is the current owner and operator of North Carolina Insurance Services in Red Springs. He has more than 20 years experience in property and causality insurance to businesses and individuals in the rural eastern part of North Carolina.
Richard Heckle is currently the chairman of Dean, Heckle & Hill, Inc, an independent insurance agency in Matthews. He served as president of Independent Insurance Agents of Charlotte/Mecklenburg from 1981-1982, served as a director for IIANC from 1983-1991, and was named North Carolina Independent Agent of the Year in 2006.
Murray White III, is vice president of Murray M White Inc., an independent insurance agency in High Point. He is the past president of Professional Insurance Agents of North Carolina and the Triad Rotary Club, and White currently serves as the chairman of Crimestoppers of High Point.
Melanie Cook is the executive director for the Coastal Carolina Tomorrow, Inc. in Wilmington where she works with development professionals and other public and private entities to promote economic development and environmental protection throughout the Cape Fear region. She previously worked with the Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builders Association as the director of governmental affairs.
New board members on the Beach Plan are:
Donald Hornstein is the Aubrey L. Brooks Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. A former associate dean for faculty at the law school, he teaches courses in insurance law, administrative law, and environmental law. Professor Hornstein also served as a member of the N.C. General Assembly’s Legislative Study Commission on Hurricanes and Coastal Insurance.
Rod Evans is the chief executive officer and senior partner of Evans & Associates Insurance Agency, an independent insurance agency with three locations throughout eastern North Carolina. Evans is a past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina and recipient of the 2002 Agent of the Year Award. Prior to his appointment to the Beach Plan board, Evans served for eight years on the FAIR Plan board.