People and Places

Dallas-based global insurance and reinsurance broker, Colemont, added Catherine L. Wall as assistant vice president and associate legal counsel.

In this newly created role, Wall will assist in overseeing the company’s overall domestic legal needs, including monitoring and managing litigation matters, corporate governance issues, and licensing and regulatory compliance.

Prior to joining Colemont, Wall was an associate attorney at Strasburger & Price in Dallas, Texas, where she handled bankruptcy, environmental, employment, and product liability matters.

Calabasas, Calif.-based Countrywide Insurance Group, a member of the Countrywide Financial Corporation, named Myron Hendry as managing director and chief operating officer of Countrywide Insurance Group.

Prior to this appointment, Hendry was responsible for overseeing Countrywide Insurance Group’s central operations, claims and information technology. He has more than three decades of experience in the insurance industry and an extensive background in multiple lines of business, such as personal, commercial, life, health and accident insurance. He also has held senior management positions and worldwide responsibility at some of the industry’s most-respected insurance companies, including Safeco and CNA.

Insurance education provider, The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, has selected Beverly A. Messer as vice president, in charge of National Business Development for the not-for-profit organization.

Messer began her insurance career in 1975 when she joined her family-owned insurance agency located in Northwest Indiana. Her responsibilities included all aspects of sales and agency operations.

She has been honored twice as the Insurance Agent of the Year by the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana (IIAI), and is also an instructor for Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) institutes and Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR) courses.

Matthew D. Nickerson was appointed senior vice president and manager, Personal Lines, for Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a business unit of Liberty Mutual Group that distributes products and services primarily through independent agents and brokers. Nickerson will be responsible for personal lines management and development for seven Agency Markets’ regional companies. Nickerson will report directly to Gary Gregg, president and chief executive officer, Liberty Mutual Agency Markets.

Nickerson is a Liberty Mutual veteran who most recently served as president and chief executive officer of Liberty Northwest, based in Portland, Ore.

State Auto Financial Corporation, Columbus, Ohio, appointed James A. (Jay) Yano as vice president, secretary and general counsel.

Yano replaces John R. Lowther, who announced his retirement in November 2006. Lowther remains with State Auto as a senior advisor after serving as acting general counsel during the search for his successor.

Before serving the past two years as senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Yano spent 28 years with the Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease law firm of Columbus. He led their insurance, corporate and regulatory practice, including work in mergers and acquisitions, state department of insurance regulation, and the formation and liquidation of insurance companies and agencies.

National Specialty Underwriters Inc.(NSU) hired Dianne O’Donnell as sales executive, and Meghan Hamilton as account manager for NSU Healthcare, a division of the company that specializes in the wholesale of medical professional liability to retail brokers nationwide.

O’Donnell spent the past 14 years focused on medical malpractice insurance — initially in a retail brokerage capacity and most recently as a wholesale broker. She will report to Leslie Miller, senior vice president. O’Donnell earned her B.S. from the University of Illinois and holds the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation. She has served as an adjunct professor at Rosary College, River Forest, Ill., and has been published in Healthcare Financial Management Magazine.

Hamilton has a background in wholesale insurance in the Chicago area, including account management of over 600 professional and management liability insurance accounts. She will report to O’Donnell and Sales Executive Jim Stewart. Hamilton earned her B.A. from Loras College of Iowa in 2004.

Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Burns & Wilcox promoted James Griffith to director of personal lines for the specialty insurance company. He is responsible for the growth and profitability of personal lines in partnership with Burns & Wilcox’s carriers.

Previously, Griffith was deputy director, personal lines, a role he’s had since July 2002. Griffith joined Burns & Wilcox in 2001 as personal lines product manager.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.reports that Judith A. Patterson has been named president of First State Management Group (FSMG), a Hartford subsidiary that primarily underwrites surplus lines insurance for high risk accounts and distributes this coverage through licensed wholesalers.

Patterson, who is currently the executive vice president of FSMG, will assume overall responsibility for the Boston-based operations effective May 1. In her new role, Patterson will replace Ralph J. Palmieri, who is retiring after a 31-year career with FSMG and The Hartford.

Patterson started her career with The Hartford in 1975 In 2001 she became an executive underwriting manager and was promoted to senior vice president of FSMG in 2003. Patterson assumed her present position in 2004, where she is responsible for directing underwriting operations, business systems, office services, communications, ceded reinsurance, and regulatory and compliance matters.

To submit information for ‘People’ e-mail smckenna@insurancejournal.com