People and Places

The Insurance Information Institute has promoted Dr. Robert P. Hartwig to president; named Dr. L. James Valverde Jr. as vice president of Economics and Risk Management; and announced the retirement of Gordon Stewart, president.

Hartwig, currently senior vice president and chief economist, was elected executive vice president by the organization’s and will become president Jan. 1.

Stewart joined the III in July 1989 after a career in politics, business, theater, music and teaching. From 1982 to 1989, he was vice president for public affairs at the American Stock Exchange. Before joining the Exchange, Stewart served in the White House as deputy chief speechwriter to President Carter. Earlier, he was chief speechwriter and executive assistant for programs and policies to New York City Mayor John Lindsay. Stewart focused the III’s work on improving public understanding of insurance, primarily through the global media, and increasingly through the organization’s commanding position on the Internet and its strengthened research and analytic capabilities.

Hartwig came to the III in 1998 as a vice president and economist. In 1999 he was promoted to chief economist, and in 2002 he became senior vice president and chief economist. Hartwig previously served as director of economic research and senior economist with the National Council on Compensation Insurance in Boca Raton, Fla. He has also worked as senior economist for the Swiss Reinsurance Group in New York and as senior statistician for the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C.

Valverde joined the III in August 2005 as director of Economics and Risk Management, focusing on several topics where risk and uncertainty are pervasive and problematic concerns, including enterprise risk management, global climate change and extreme weather, natural catastrophes and terrorism.

In recent years, Valverde has held senior executive positions in several international consulting firms, working extensively with senior-level decision-makers in the energy, financial services, insurance and pharmaceutical industries, on a broad array of strategic and operational issues.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has appointed Dr. Genio Staranczak as its chief economist. Staranczak will be responsible for economic analysis on the full range of public policy issues facing the industry. In particular, he will be working immediately to incorporate analyses of the industry’s financial results and performance into public policy issues. He will have an important role in PCI’s work on such critical issues as natural catastrophe exposure, terrorism reinsurance, regulatory reform and open markets, and rating/rate-of-return regulatory proposals.

Staranczak has a background in macroeconomic analysis and forecasts, microeconomic studies, policy analysis and regulatory research. Before joining PCI, Staranczak was the principal economist for the Telecommunications Division of the Illinois Commerce Commission. His primary responsibility was filing and directing the testimony of all division analysts.

He also served as director of long-term forecasting for WEFA Group, a macroeconomic forecasting and consulting firm based in the Philadelphia area, where he directed the work of the division and authored numerous special studies on economic issues of the day such as changes in the minimum wage and the impact of a stock market crash on the economy.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) has expanded its Capitol Hill staff by hiring Thomas C. Koonce as assistant vice president for federal government affairs, effective July 17.

Koonce, previously the manager of government relations for Accenture LLP since May 2005, is also an attorney with extensive Capitol Hill and private sector experience. He joins two fellow assistant vice presidents, Brendan Reilly and John Prible, in the Big “I” Capitol Hill office.

Prior to working at Accenture, Koonce was legislative director for Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.) from 2003-05, where he oversaw Rep. Miller’s legislative agenda and served as the congressman’s top aide on House Financial Services Committee matters. Prior to that, Koonce worked on the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee. It was his second stint on Capitol Hill, where he previously staffed Rep. Stephen Neal (D-N.C.).

Susan Mack has joined Main Street America Group as senior vice president, general counsel. She will head the firm’s legal department and be responsible for determining the organization’s legal posture, will be a member of its senior management team and based at its corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., reporting to Tom Van Berkel, president and CEO.

Mack will be responsible for ensuring that Main Street’s business practices, policies and other dealings meet state and federal regulatory requirements. She will also oversee all aspects of governance to ensure Main Street America is managed in the best interests of its policyholders.

Previously, Mack was senior vice president and general counsel with Transamerica Reinsurance of Charlotte, N.C. With Transamerica, Mack managed all legal affairs for the third largest U.S. life, accident and health, and annuity reinsurer. During her seven-year tenure at Transamerica, Mack also served on the CEO’s executive committee and as secretary to its reinsurance management board.

Prior to joining Transamerica in 1998, Mack was vice president, claims, general counsel and corporate secretary at St. Paul, Re Inc., New York, N.Y. Her industry experience also includes several senior legal roles at Aetna Life and Casualty, Hartford, Conn. Mack began her legal career as an attorney in the law firm of Gassett, Perry and Frank, San Jose, Calif.

Integro has appointed Paul Lazar as principal for its Atlanta office. He will report to Frank Kinnett, managing principal and head of the office.

Lazar has 19 years of progressive financial management experience, most recently serving as senior vice president and Southeast zone finance director for Marsh Inc. He was previously assistant treasurer, insurance manager and director of compliance for Per-Se Technologies.

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