People

Neal S. Wolin has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In February, Wolin was named deputy assistant to the President and deputy counsel to the President for Economic Policy.

Wolin served as general counsel of the Department of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001 and as deputy general counsel from 1995 to 1999. He previously served as executive assistant to the National Security Advisor, Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Legal Advisor to the National Security Council.

From 2001 to 2008, Wolin served at The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., most recently as president and chief operating officer for Property and Casualty and previously as general counsel. Earlier in his career, he also worked in private law practice at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C.

Tom Elder has joined the All Risks’ National Specialty Programs unit as the lead financial institutions underwriter for the new nationwide REO/Foreclosure and Lender Placed Property Insurance Program. At All Risks, he will target commercial banks, credit unions, savings and loans, mortgage banks, and financial institutions that service and/or invest in mortgage loans.

Previously, Elder worked for MetLife Bank as a regional reverse mortgage consultant. Prior to that, he owned a mortgage company for six years.

Vanessa Tipton has joined managing general agency J.M. Wilson as a property and casualty underwriter in its Westerville, Ohio, office. Tipton will quote and service P/C accounts.

Prior to joining J.M. Wilson, she was an underwriting assistant for Century Insurance Group.

J.M. Wilson also has added Erin Herson as a property and casualty underwriter in its Portage, Mich., location. In this position, Herson will quote and service commercial P/C accounts.

Previously, she was a commercial lines account manager at Keyser Insurance Agency for the past three years.

J.M. Wilson provides independent insurance agents access to markets for both personal and commercial lines. It has branch and affiliate offices in eight states.

American Specialty Insurance & Risk Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brown & Brown Inc., has named Tony L. Wittwer president of the Roanoke, Ind.-based sports, motorsports and recreation specialty insurance company.

Wittwer joined American Specialty in September 2006 and previously served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. He brings 20 years of specialty insurance and senior executive expertise to American Specialty, including serving as president and CEO of K&K Insurance Group Inc.

American Specialty’s senior vice president of Client Services, Drew Smith, will be assuming Wittwer’s previous role as chief marketing officer. Smith joined American Specialty in May 1997 as an account executive and has held a number of positions of increasing authority over the last 12 years.

Smith, who holds a Sports Marketing degree from Indiana University, is responsible for managing corporate marketing initiatives, recruiting and training of the marketing staff, and is charged with achieving corporate growth objectives.

Don Burdolski and Bill Castans have joined Kansas-based Bukaty Cos. Property and Casualty division as account executives. Burdolski and Castans have more than 45 years of combined experience in commercial lines sales. As producers, both Burdolski and Castons will service commercial accounts in the middle market arena.

Prior to Bukaty, Burdolski was an account executive at the Kansas City Insurance Agency.

Castans previously held an integral position at one of the world’s leading risk insurance firms.

Omaha, Neb.-based Preferred Professional Insurance Co. (PPIC), an Omaha-based Catholic-owned medical liability insurance firm, has added Jan Packard as claims assistant. Packard will be responsible for administrative duties within the Claims Department. She has extensive experience in the legal field. The last several years she has worked as a legal assistant or paralegal.

Loss adjusting and claims management services provider GAB Robins North America Inc. has promoted Chicago-based Greg Giel to executive general adjuster, the highest adjusting level in the company.

Giel joined GAB Robins in 1999 as an international claims specialist and has more than 32 years of industry experience. A year after joining the company, he was promoted to national general adjuster.

He specializes in the areas of product liability, ocean marine, inland marine and international claims program management.

Liberty International Underwriters, a division of Liberty Mutual Group, named Tim Kania as senior vice president of construction for its North and South America operations. An insurance executive for more than 20 years, Kania is also a licensed professional engineer.

His experience and technical approach help him develop programs and underwriting protocols that address clients’ needs. In his new position, Kania will focus on the energy and heavy industries segments as well as construction all-risk projects.

Topics Claims Excess Surplus Underwriting Property Property Casualty