People

Joe De Poo

Dallas-based RISC Inc. added Joe de Poo as vice president in its Transportation Department.

De Poo has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, most of which has been dedicated to Commercial Transportation. He began his insurance career with International Bankers Co. in Coral Gables, Fla., where he supervised an underwriting department. De Poo most recently served as vice president of Transportation at Capstone Underwriters. He also has served as vice president/director of Operations at Barrett and Associates in Dallas, and as a truck underwriter at Texas All Risk.

Rod Bordelon

Texas Gov. Rick Perry reappointed Rod A. Bordelon Jr. of Austin as commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2013.

Bordelon has served as commissioner of Workers’ Compensation at TDI since his appointment in September 2008. He is former public counsel for the Office of Public Insurance Counsel and a past advisory member of the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission. He is also a board member of the Workers’ Compensation Self Insurer Guaranty Association, and a member of the State Bar of Texas and the American and Austin Bar associations.

This appointment is subject to senate confirmation.

John Doak

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak formed a catastrophe response task force to coordinate efforts of the department and the industry in the aftermath of the recent winter storm.

Paul Wilkening, deputy commissioner of Administration, represents the Oklahoma Insurance Department on the task force, Doak said. Wilkening is a master exercise practitioner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a member of the instructor cadre at FEMA’s National Emergency Training Center, Emergency Management Institute.

Kim Decker, Oklahoma Government Affairs senior representative with Farmers Insurance Group, and John Wiscaver, Oklahoma Public Affairs director with State Farm Insurance, will co-chair the response task force.

Before he left office, former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry made two appointments to leadership positions with the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court.

Judge Michael J. Harkey was named presiding judge of the court, effective Jan. 1, 2011. He succeeds Judge Kent Eldridge. Judge Harkey selected Judge Eric W. Quandt as the vice presiding judge.

Michael Clingman was appointed court administrator, effective Jan. 12, 2011. Before this appointment Clingman served as the director of the Oklahoma Office of State Finance. Clingman also has served as secretary of the Oklahoma Senate, CEO of the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission, commissioner of the State Insurance Fund and, from 1985-1991, served in the court administrator position. He succeeds Marcia Davis who retired July 1, 2010.

Iroquois of Texas added Jerry Blessing as regional manager in North Texas.

Blessing has more than 30 years’ experience in the insurance industry and is a graduate of North Texas State University (now The University of North Texas).

He has held various management positions in underwriting, marketing, program development, and risk management with several insurance carriers. Blessing also worked with a national independent risk management firm as the program development manager assisting agents in the development of insurance programs on a first-dollar or captive-insurance platform.

Iroquois Texas is part of Allegany, N.Y.-based Iroquois Group, one of the oldest and largest networks of property and casualty insurance agencies in the country, with more than 1,800 member agents in 37 states.

Topics Texas Workers' Compensation Oklahoma