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Andrew Fotopulos has joined Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. in Providence, Rhode Island as senior vice president. Fotopulos will lead the brokerage’s financial institutional practice. He will focus on providing specialized risk coverage designed for insuring financial institutions and personnel. He most recently worked with Theodore Liftman Insurance, a financial institutional risk specialist firm in Boston.

Crump Insurance Services’ Tri-City Brokerage has hired James Baettcher as senior vice president-national property director. The 25-year veteran of the property and casualty industry has served his entire career on the retail side of the business. Baettcher, who will be based in New York City, joins Crump from Integro Insurance Brokers, where he served as a managing principal of its property practice. Prior to Integro, he was chief operating officer Aon’s national property practice, and served in senior level roles with Frenkel, and with Alexander & Alexander.

Corinne R. Simon has joined McAuley Woods and Associates in its Charlottesville, Virginia office as legal counsel and producer for the firm. Most recently, Corinne worked as an attorney for Holland & Knight, where she specialized in civil litigation. Prior to law school, she worked as a media consultant for a boutique crisis management firm in Washington, DC. McAuley Woods is a national wholesale insurance brokerage firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Professional Insurance Wholesalers Association of New York State Inc. has appointed Maya Cruz to its board of directors. Cruz, who is vice president of All Risk/CESI LLC in New York City, has served on a number of professional committees and boards including the New Jersey Chartered Property/Casualty Underwriters, New Jersey Surplus Lines Association and the New Jersey Young Insurance Professionals.

The Hartford, Connecticut office of Colemont Insurance Brokers has assigned new management responsibilities for several key members of its personnel.

Michael O’Brien, vice president, has been named Financial Services Team Leader. He will oversee the office’s team of brokers and coordinate its Broker Development Program.

Bob Drohan, assistant vice president, has been named Financial Services Marketing Manager. He will coordinate the carrier relationships for the Hartford office’s financial services team, managing the team’s new and renewal marketing process and developing new programs and facilities for the office.

Gary Grindle, vice president, has been named sales manager. He will oversee sales activities for all brokers and will also serve as National Retailer Coordinator, working to oversee the development and maintenance of the Hartford office’s relationships between national retail agents and Colemont’s brokers.

Mike Cassidy, senior vice president, will coordinate the office’s casualty market relationships, and Larry Kessler, broker, will coordinate the office’s property market relationships.

JoEllen Flatt, assistant vice president-manager, operations and administration, will take on the responsibility of coordinating the office’s involvement with industry associations and government entities.

Property-casualty insurance company Zenith National Insurance Corp. said board member Leon Panetta has resigned to become director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. President Barack Obama chose Panetta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and a former Democratic congressman from California, to head the agency. Panetta had served as a member of Zenith’s audit committee and its nominating and corporate governance committee.

Zenith named Jerome L. Coben, a partner at Zeughauser Group, as Panetta’s replacement. Coben will serve on the audit committee and the health care committee.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. announced its management team for the combined insurance businesses of Wells Fargo and Wachovia Corp. Reporting to Dave Zuercher, group head of International and Insurance Services, are Neal Aton, head of Wells Fargo Insurance Inc.; Randy Tronnes, head of Rural Community Insurance Services; Bruce Basso, vice chair of Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc.; Fred de Grosz, vice chair of Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc.; and John Cay, Wachovia Insurance Services Inc. Zuercher continues in his role as chairman of each insurance entity, and as head of Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc.

Reporting to Zuercher from Wells Fargo Insurance Services are Anne Doss, head of sales strategy and partnerships; Scott Isaacson, chief marketing officer; Deb Broderick, operating officer; Andy Paterno, head of the company’s third-party administration businesses and head of the new brokerage delivery team; Kevin Kenny, head of the brokerage’s Eastern Area; H. David Wood, head of the brokerage’s Western Area; and Dan Goldapp, head of mergers and acquisitions.

Brad Gow has joined Zurich North America as head of the insurer’s E&O group, part of its Specialities business unit. He will lead a nationwide team delivering professional liability protection to markets including engineering, media, technology and real estate. The 20-year industry veteran most recently served as vice president of professional liability insurance at ACE Insurance.

Topics New York Agencies New Jersey Property Property Casualty