People and Places

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has named Thomas M. Marra to the newly created position of president and chief operating officer. Marra, currently a member of the company’s board of directors and president and chief operating officer of Hartford Life, will assume his new role effective immediately. In his new role, Marra will oversee both The Hartford’s life operations and The Hartford’s property/casualty operations.

Ramani Ayer, will relinquish his position as president but will continue as chairman and chief executive officer of The Hartford.

Also, David K. Zwiener, currently the president and chief operating officer of its property/casualty operations, is leaving the firm. He has accepted a position as managing director of The Carlyle Group’s newly formed Financial Institutions Group.

Marra joined The Hartford in 1980 and has held a progression of senior leadership roles in The Hartford’s life operations. In 1994, he was named senior vice president and director of Individual Life and Annuities and in 2000 was promoted to chief operating officer of Hartford Life, becoming president in 2001.

The Hartford has appointed as president and COO of property-casualty operations Neal S. Wolin, until now the company’s executive vice president and general counsel. Wolin joined the company in 2001 after 11 years with the U.S. government in the White House and, most recently, at the Department of the Treasury as general counsel.

Replacing Wolin as executive vice president and general counsel is Alan J. Kreczko, currently the company’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel. Also, Eileen Whelley, was named as executive vice president, human resources.

Finally, with Marra moving to The Hartford’s world headquarters to assume his enterprise-wide role, leadership at Hartford Life will be shared by John C. Walters and Lizabeth H. Zlatkus, presidents, respectively, of Hartford Life’s U.S. Wealth Management businesses and its International Wealth Management and Group Benefits businesses. Walters and Zlatkus will serve as co-chief operating officers of The Hartford’s life operations.

Workers’ compensation administrator First Cardinal LLC announced the hiring and promotion of several employees at its Latham, N.Y., headquarters.

Justin Gray has been promoted to director of marketing. He joined the company in 2006 as marketing communications manager. In his new role, Gray will oversee the development of the company’s corporate communications efforts, including advertising campaigns, internal newsletters, marketing collateral materials and public relations initiatives.

Christine D. Bentsen has joined the accounting department as a senior accountant. Prior to joining First Cardinal, Bentsen was employed with PIA Management Services in Glenmont, N.Y.

Stacey DeJesus has joined the claims department as a claims representative. DeJesus was most recently employed as a claims adjuster at the Albany office of Special Funds, a New York City-based workers’ compensation carrier.

Andrea DiScanio has joined the sales department as a broker sales assistant. DiScanio was most recently employed as an account executive with HSBC in Albany, N.Y.

Julie Pettit has joined the claims department as a recovery claims representative. Pettit was most recently employed as a customer service assistant for State Farm in Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Steve Podlucky has joined the sales department as an insurance representative. Podlucky was most recently employed with Capital Bauer as a sales executive located in Albany, N.Y.

Sabra T. Venezia has joined the marketing department as a marketing assistant. Prior to joining First Cardinal, Venezia was employed as an administrative assistant with Stulmaker Kohn and Richardson LLP in Albany, N.Y.

Mark S. Worobey has joined the claims department as trust manager. Prior to joining First Cardinal, Worobey was employed by the Liberty Mutual Group as a claims team manager.

Cary Schneider, senior vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, has been elected executive vice president by the organization’s board of directors. Schneider assumes new responsibilities for directing the internal operations while continuing to manage the III’s Internet activities, provide support to state insurance associations and supervise the organization’s subscriber services division, an in-house public relations agency which provides communications services to other industry groups.

Following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Schneider was part of the team that managed the first Hurricane Insurance Information Center, which served as a model for industry communications efforts in the aftermath of major disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.

Prior to joining the Institute in 1977, Schneider was assistant news secretary to Illinois Gov. Dan Walker. He also has worked as a reporter and feature writer for Chicago Today and the Peoria Journal Star. Articles by Schneider have appeared in Actuarial Review, Catastrophe Risk Management, Film Comment and ESPN The Magazine.

One of the founding fathers of Rotisserie League Baseball, often referred to as Fantasy Baseball, he and his colleagues were recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005.

James M. McGlennon has been appointed vice president and chief information officer for Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a strategic business unit of Liberty Mutual Group. McGlennon is responsible for the overall information technology and architecture of Agency Markets. He will oversee strategy, planning, application development, maintenance, and support of the Agency Markets technology.

Prior to joining Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, McGlennon was with BellSouth Corp.

Paul V. Halter has joined The Rockingham Group of Harrisonburg, Va., as assistant vice president for research and development to develop new property/ casualty insurance products and markets for the company.

Halter served as sales manager for a national insurance company and as a vice president for a national broker. Most recently, he was president and CEO of Commerce Casualty, Tarheel Insurance Management and Guarantee Insurance Co., all of which were located in Charlotte, N.C.