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The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has named Deputy Secretary of Commerce David A. Sampson to serve as the association’s president and chief executive officer. Sampson takes over the reins of PCI on Sept. 4.

PCI represents more than 1,000 member companies that write almost 40 percent of the nation’s property and casualty insurance. PCI and its affiliates have a staff of 240 and a $40 million budget. It has offices in suburban Chicago and Washington, D.C, seven regional offices, and has lobbyists in every state.

Sampson has served as the deputy secretary of the Commerce Department since July 2005. As the department’s chief operating officer he manages a $6.5 billion budget and 38,000 employees in 13 operating units. Previously, Sampson served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development.

Prior to joining the Bush Administration in August 2001, Gov. George W. Bush had appointed him chair of the Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Development. Before beginning his career in public service, Sampson was the president and chief executive officer of the Arlington, Texas Chamber of Commerce.

Until Sampson takes over, June Holmes will continue to serve as the association’s interim CEO, a post she has held since Ernie Csiszar resigned as president and chief executive officer of the association effective Sept. 30, 2006. Csiszar was appointed to the position in September 2004. Holmes will return to her previous position of chief operating officer.

Sampson is a graduate of David Lipscomb University and Abilene Christian University. He completed the Program for Senior Executives at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1999.

TAPCO Underwriters Inc., in Burlington, N.C., reported that Ken Schneider and Bill McCord have joined the company as vice presidents of marketing and underwriting.

Schneider and McCord join TAPCO with decades of experience in the insurance industry. As vice presidents, the two will focus on expanding TAPCO’s reach into Texas and California markets and aid in cultivating the company’s aggressive and strategic growth strategy.

Most recently, McCord served as senior vice president and director of the personal lines division of Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Burns & Wilcox. During his time there, McCord directed the large-scale expansion of the division from three branches to 31.

Schneider served as vice president and director of product development with Burns & Wilcox, where he was responsible for directing programs to identify new and emerging areas of excess and surplus lines insurance products and coverages.

Insurance broker Marsh Inc. has named five senior insurance brokerage executives to lead the firm’s Middle Market operations in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, and the Carolinas.

Henry N. Watkins Jr. will lead Marsh’s Middle Market operations in New York; Kevin Daley takes charge in Los Angeles; Samuel D. Daume, Jr., in Boston; Mark Freeman, in San Francisco, and James P. Breeney, in the Carolinas.

Breeney, who will be based in the Charlotte, N. C. office, has more than 25 years of experience in insurance. Most recently, he was executive vice president of U.S. regional operations for Aon Risk Services.

Montgomery Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group, announced the recent addition of Virginia personal and commercial field underwriting specialists, territory managers, and underwriting staff in Central and Southern Virginia to support its appointed agents and targeted growth in that region.

Jeremy Giard was named assistant vice president, Commercial Underwriting for the Southeast Region; and Mark Dedrick was named manager, Commercial Underwriting for Virginia. Don Waterhouse is the new territory manager for Central Virginia; and Bryan Van Vranken is now territory manager for Southern Virginia appointed agents.

A personal lines field specialist and three commercial lines field specialists were also added to the territory to increase local presence.

“We are emphasizing our commitment to grow profitably in this state by quadrupling the size of our team devoted solely to our Virginia agents,” said Nancy Newmister, regional vice president, Montgomery Insurance.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Montgomery Insurance employs more than 300 people and operates in Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia with additional offices in Georgia and Maryland.

Munich Reinsurance America Inc. announced that John P. Phelan will retire as planned on Dec. 31, 2007, after serving nearly six years as its chairman and CEO. Anthony J. Kuczinski, who is currently president of Munich Re America’s Specialty Markets Division, will succeed Phelan as CEO on Jan. 1, 2008.

Phelan joined Munich Re in 1973. He was CEO of the group’s Canadian non-life reinsurance business for 16 years until 2002, when he became chairman and CEO of Munich Re America (then American Re) and was appointed to Munich Re’s board of management.

Kuczinski began his career with the company in 1989, holding a number of senior positions. Under his guidance, Munich Re America’s Specialty Markets division has continually increased its contributions to the value of the group.

Crump Insurance Services announced the return of Ron Lanning to its Memphis, Tenn., branch. Lanning will be vice president and manager of the Memphis office, overseeing all brokerage and administrative operations there.

Lanning brings 30 years of insurance experience, including 10 years at Crump where he begin his career. He most recently managed the Memphis office of M.J. Kelly Co. He was also a manager at the Memphis branch of The Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland from 1985 to 1998.

Kel Plasket has joined Marsh, Berry & Co. as vice president to coordinate the consulting firm’s new Agency/Broker Operations Division. Plasket has 25 years of experience in agency operations including sales manager, agency owner, CEO, and consultant for agents and brokers of all sizes.

Topics Texas Agencies Underwriting Virginia Maryland