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Ryan Brown

Kansas City-based insurance broker Lockton Companies expanded its St. Louis, Mo., office with the addition of Ryan W. Brown as producer. Brown, a mining and energy expert, comes to Lockton from Peabody Energy, where he served as director of Insurance and Enterprise Risk Management. Other previous positions include director of Risk Management & Fleet Operations for Raben Tire Co. and safety director at GE Plastics.

Lockton also promoted two within its Kansas City Employee Benefits Agency. Previously unit managers for health and welfare clients, Tracy Musolf and Mark Seely, will now service Lockton clients as practice leaders. Ê

With more than 21 years of combined client service experience at Lockton, Musolf and Seely will now mentor unit managers and provide direction and strategy to help them oversee the deliverables and performance of other benefit consultants. The new practice leaders will also more closely manage current insurance carrier relationships.

Sandy Praeger

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger named a new general counsel, a new consumer assistance director and made title changes for two staff members at the Kansas Insurance Department (KID).

Praeger named Zachary J.C. Anshutz general counsel. Anshutz was KID assistant general counsel from July 2008 to June 2010, and was a staff attorney for the department from 2006-2008. He replaces John Campbell, who accepted a position in the Kansas Attorney General’s office.

Kevin Davis, government affairs officer, was named director of Consumer Assistance and Government Affairs. Davis has been with the department since September 2010. Davis worked as senior attorney and government affairs counsel for American Family Insurance Co. for more than 20 years prior to joining KID. He replaces Jim Welch as director of Consumer Assistance. Welch accepted a position in the Kansas Attorney General’s office.

Cindy Hermes, who has worked with both consumers and legislators while at KID, has been named the department’s Health Care Consumer Ombudsman and director of Public Outreach. Hermes has been with the department since 2003.

Linda Sheppard, KID Accident and Health Division director, was appointed project manager for implementation of Kansas guidelines for the federal Affordable Care Act. Sheppard has been accident and health director for the department since 2008.

Praeger also named Mark Birdsall the chief actuary for the department. Birdsall has 31 years’ experience as an actuary. His experience includes product development, financial reporting, asset-liability management and strategic planning. Birdsall most recently was an external consultant and former full-time actuary for Security National Life Insurance Co. in Salt Lake City.

He replaces Larry Bruning, who took an actuarial position with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in Kansas City, Mo.

Farmers Insurance appointed Dan Lewis as Ohio state executive director and John Muscolino as executive director for Wisconsin.

Lewis formerly was Farmers’ Pacific Zone agency manager, and Muscolino was Farmers’ marketing manager for the Midwestern states.

The Iroquois Group named Terry Brown regional manager for Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.

Brown has more than 28 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. He was a regional manager for a captive insurance and membership-based company for more than 27 years, as well as a producer prior to sales management.

The Iroquois Group is a network of property and casualty insurance agencies with more than 1,800 member agents in 37 states.

Topics Kansas