People

Dayton, Ohio-based Norman-Spencer Agency Inc. named Mark Yearn national program director for its recreational marine division.

Yearn will oversee Norman-Spencer’s H2O Headings Program, which serves boat dealers and marina operators across the country.

Yearn brings nearly 30 years of insurance experience to his new position. Prior to joining Norman-Spencer, Yearn owned a marine insurance services agency. He currently serves as a board member of the Association of Marine Industries, where he chairs the U.S. Legislative Affairs Committee. The author of Marina Dockage Magazine and an editorial advisor, Yearn is a frequent speaker at the International Marina and Boatyard Conference, Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Bankers Association, and Kentucky/Tennessee Marina Operators Association.

Colemont Insurance Brokers promoted Todd Brejcha to assistant vice president of Colemont’s Chicago office.

Brejcha joined Colemont in 1999 and has over 14 years in the insurance industry. He specializes in excess transportation, primary auto, construction and product liability.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc. announced that Cynthia Shafer has joined its National Cross-Sell Practice Group as Midwest regional business development officer. She will be based in Chicago.

Shafer will manage business development and cross-selling initiatives between Wells Fargo Bank business units and Wells Fargo Insurance Services. She will develop goals, objectives and sales strategies for the cross-selling efforts of all regional business units and team members.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services also named John Grotts a senior vice president and business development manager for the company’s San Francisco Bay Area region. He will be based in the firm’s San Francisco office.

In his new role, Grotts will be responsible for cross-selling Wells Fargo Insurance Services in the Bay Area region. Additionally, he will lead a team of account executives in the San Francisco Commercial Lines Department.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Grotts was CEO of Willis Insurance Services of California. He also served as a regional director for Aon Risk Services and was responsible for 11 middle market offices in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana.

The board of directors of Western National Mutual Insurance Company promoted Leon Smith to chief financial officer and Kevin J. Christy, vice president – chief actuary.

Smith has been with the company 11 years, most recently serving as treasurer. He is responsible for all accounting functions, in addition to premium billing and investment activities.

Previously he spent 25 years with American Hardware and three years with Motorists Mutual in various and progressively more responsible accounting roles.

Christy began his insurance career at Capitol Indemnity. He joined Western National in 1999 as an actuarial assistant. Since then, and he has served as the manager of the Research and Development Department for all Western National companies. With this promotion, he will retain the ratemaking and policy form duties of his current position, as well as his duties in reserving and reinsurance.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) named Robert Gordon senior vice president of policy development and research.

Gordon most recently served as the parliamentarian, senior counsel, ethics compliance officer for the Committee on Financial Services in the U.S. House of Representatives. Through his work, Gordon provided strategic counsel on the Non-admitted and Reinsurance Reform Act, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, the State Modernization and Regulatory Transparency Act, and the Risk Retention Act. In addition, he has contributed to policy issues such as data security, privacy, liability reform, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act amendments.

While with the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Gordon developed and negotiated legislation on issues ranging from banking to health care to consumer safety, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Joseph Ziegler has been named chief operating officer for Lockton Affinity, a specialty insurance program administrator for associations, franchises and affinity groups. In his new role, Ziegler is responsible for the daily operations of the firm, including sales, marketing, client solutions, underwriting, accounting, claims and program management.

Ziegler succeeds Marianne Sears who will continue as executive vice president of operations. Sears has been with Lockton for over 20 years and will continue to oversee information technology, rating and processing.

The Travelers Cos. Inc. named Joan Kois Woodward executive vice president for public policy.

Woodward, who will be based in Washington, D. C., joins the company from Goldman Sachs & Co., where she was the founding executive director of the company’s Global Markets Institute.

Woodward also has served as deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, and as Senior Economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget.

At Travelers she will report to Vice Chairman and Chief Legal Officer Alan D. Schnitzer and will serve on the company’s management committee.

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