People

February 8, 2009

Former Iowa Insurance Commissioner Therese M. Vaughan, Ph.D., has been named chief executive officer of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), effective Feb. 18, 2009.

Vaughan replaces Catherine J. Weatherford, who left the NAIC in July 2008. Andrew Beal, who served as acting executive vice president and CEO in the interim, has been promoted to chief operations officer. Beal also will continue to serve as the NAIC’s chief legal officer.

Vaughan will serve as the association’s primary representative and chief spokesperson in Washington, D.C. Her responsibilities will include outreach to federal governmental entities and state government associations, as well as consumer and insurance industry representatives.

She will also launch of the association’s new Center for Insurance Information, which will make the NAIC information and resources more accessible to Congress and other federal agencies.

Prior to joining the NAIC, Vaughan was the Robb B. Kelley Distinguished Professor of Insurance and Actuarial Science at Drake University, a position she held since January 2005, following 10 years as Iowa insurance commissioner. She is the co-author of two college textbooks on insurance.

The selection was based on the recommendation of a search committee formed last summer, which was chaired by 2008 NAIC President and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger.

While the majority of staff members will remain in Kansas City, Vaughan’s office will be in the association’s Washington, D.C., headquarters, where some 16 NAIC staff members work.

The Target Markets Program Administrators Association has introduced Bill Kronenberg as its new president. Kronenberg comes to the position of president as Greg Thompson, chairman and CEO of Thomco, steps down after completing his two year term.

Kronenberg’s early insurance career began with American International Group. He joined ECS in 1985, transforming the company from a small insurance underwriting agency into XL Environmental, Inc., a leading provider of integrated environmental risk management solutions. Kronenberg also established ECS International, now known as XL Environmental, Ltd, a London based subsidiary and the first exclusive environmental insurance underwriter to enter the UK.

In July 2004 Kronenberg purchased Professional Underwriters Co., a program administrator writing public entity business, and became its CEO. Recently that company was sold to the Glatfelter Insurance Group.

Jennifer M. Wilson has joined wholesale insurance broker AmWINS Brokerage of Florida as vice president and casualty broker. Wilson comes to AmWINS from Florida Risk Specialists (Lexington), where she was a casualty manager for two years. Earlier in her career, she worked for Southeastern Risk Specialists and American Safety Insurance Group in management roles. She has extensive experience in employee leasing, products liability, public entity and higher education risks.

Aon Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Gregory C. Case has been named “2008 Insurance Leader of the Year” by St. John’s University School of Risk Management. The award, which has been presented annually since 1995, recognizes the outstanding contributions of individuals whose leadership in the worldwide insurance and financial services industry sets them apart from their peers. Last year’s recipient was James J. Schiro, chief executive officer of Zurich Financial Services

Eleanor Barnard has been named chief distribution, sales and marketing officer for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co.

Most recently Barnard served as chief marketing officer and head of distribution for Zurich North America. Her background also includes senior positions at Safeco Insurance, where she was senior vice president for sales and distribution, and at CNA where she served as senior vice president of sales and marketing. In addition, Barnard was president of Hilb Rogal and Hamilton’s New Jersey operation.

Worcester, Massachusetts-based The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. named Helen Ryan Savaiano as vice president, management liability, for the company’s commercial lines business.

In this capacity, Savaiano will develop a business unit that builds on The Hanover’s current employment practices liability (EPLI) offering, to include nonprofit and private company directors and officers, as well as other related coverages. She will work out of The Hanover’s office in Itasca, Illinois.

Savaiano joins The Hanover from W.R. Berkley Corp. in Chicago, where she held numerous senior-level management positions.

Marsh has named David L. Eslick as chairman of Marsh & McLennan Agency, its new agency for small and emerging growth U.S. companies.

Eslick most recently was chairman, president and CEO of USI Holdings. He led USI’s rapid expansion during the past five years to become the ninth largest insurance brokerage in the U.S., negotiating more than 50 acquisitions. He became president and chief operating officer in 1999, and chairman, president and CEO in 2002. He began his insurance career with Ohio National Life in 1979, and held positions with Prudential Insurance and Acordia (now Wells Fargo Insurance) before joining USI.

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Insurance Journal Magazine February 9, 2009
February 9, 2009
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