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Edward J. Maucere, former owner of London American General Agency Inc., a San Diego-based wholesale brokerage and underwriting manager for commercial transportation business, passed away unexpectedly on June 12, 2009, at Palomar Hospital in Escondido, Calif.

Maucere’s commitment to professionalism, determined underwriting, his service to his customers and markets, as well as his emphasis on innovation, contributed to London American’s steady growth within the specialty insurance marketplace. Most recently, he was executive vice president for AmWINS Transportation Underwriters Inc.

Maucere is survived by his father, Casper, wife, Joan, daughter Marie and her husband Joseph Pospichal; daughter Kristin and her husband Ermanno Maccarrone, son Mark and his wife Kelly; and his grandchildren, Joey, Liddy, Nick, Jack and Sam. He is also survived by: brothers Cas (Joan); Jeff (Gail); Ray (Cheryl); and sister Pam (Kurt) Metzler and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He is also survived by his Brazilian exchange son Rodrigo Zulian.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Ed Maucere Memorial Fund for Culture of Life Family Services Inc. (www.colfs.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization where Maucere served on the board of directors and held a great passion for its services.

Signature Select, a retail insurance broker subsidiary of The IMA Financial Group Inc., hired Deena Garinger as account manager/account executive for its Denver employee benefits practice; Howard Kohler as a Denver business development executive focused on property and casualty insurance lines; and Phillip Chavez as employee benefits director.

Garinger has more than 12 years of employee benefits insurance industry experience including account management, sales and set-up of new insurance accounts for self-insured employee benefits plans. She previously worked for CIGNA HealthCare.

Kohler was chosen to establish Signature Select’s property and casualty sales presence in the Denver marketplace because of his brokerage experience and his background as a risk manager on the client side. He has nearly a decade of experience as an insurance agent and as an in-house risk manager for a Metro area retirement community.

Chavez will be responsible for developing Signature Select’s Denver employee benefits practice and client service platform. He has nearly a decade of insurance sales and marketing experience, and he has a track record establishing offices in new markets.

Charles B. Whittaker joined insurance broker Lockton in San Francisco as a senior vice president. This appointment expands Lockton’s expertise in property and liability insurance, especially for commercial real estate clients. Whittaker will have a lead role in expanding the company’s presence in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the western region. He has held business development and management roles during his career. Previously, he was a senior vice president at Willis.

E.P.I.C. (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center), a California-based retail property, casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage, appointed Denise Vance principal in its San Mateo, Calif., office and appointed Scott Gaddy principal in its San Francisco office.

Vance brings 23 years of insurance experience specializing in the technology, financial institutions, retail and biotechnology sectors. In her previous role as an account executive for Marsh Inc. and as a producer for Willis, Vance acquired expertise in group health underwriting, customer relations, sales and marketing. Her new position with E.P.I.C will focus on employee benefits.

Gaddy brings more than 22 years of experience in the insurance industry specializing in new business development and client relations in the surety sector. He started his insurance career with Cresap Tillinghast, and also worked in the Management Consulting division of Towers Perrin. After investing 10 years in the consulting industries, Gaddy began his surety career. He initially worked as an underwriter at the Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland and then founded Gaddy Ward & Co. Insurance Brokers.

The Mt. Diablo Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society elected its new officers for 2009. New officers are: President Darcena Shears of BB&T Tanner Insurance Services; President-Elect Susan Bohan of Dealey, Renton & Associates; Vice-President Renee Rupe of Civil Service Employees Insurance Co.; Treasurer Harry Lindstrom of Golden Eagle Insurance Co..; Secretary Gary Duckworth of Stanley M Davis and Co.; Director Linda Grace of Centurion Insurance Agency; Board member Bob Lewis; Director Kendra McKeen of Liberty Agency Underwriters; and Ex-Officio Robert Pick of Civil Service Employees Insurance Co.

Ogden, Utah-based The Buckner Co. added Brian Stromberg as an Employee Benefits/Corporate Wellness account executive. Stromberg previously worked as a carrier representative for both Humana Group Health and Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield in Utah. He was also a sales executive for eight years with Utah’s Workers’ Compensation Fund.

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner appointed Michael Joseph Murray to the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau Governing Committee. Since 2001, Murray has been CEO of The Forma Group, a manufacturing company based in the Bay Area, and has served on the Contra Costa County Planning Commission since 2004. He has also was the president of Design to Build, a software services company.

Topics Agencies Underwriting Property