People – West

Jessica Word has been named president of Word & Brown General Agency.

The appointment is effective immediately. Word has been serving as the company’s executive vice president of operations since 2007.

Word has been with The Word & Brown Cos. since 2000. For the past six years she has managed small and mid-sized group underwriting, broker services, customer care, program management and plan maintenance, while also providing oversight on all information technology initiatives.

Word & Brown General Agency is part of The Word & Brown Cos.

Edgewood Partners Insurance Center named Kelly Kyle as a senior account manager in its Los Angeles, Calif., office.

Kyle’s responsibilities with EPIC will include benefits planning and program design support.

Kyle has 12 years of experience in the healthcare and wellness insurance sector. Kyle’s experience includes three years with VCA Antech Inc. as a benefits manager, and nine years with ABD Insurance and Financial Services and Wells Fargo Insurance Services as an account manager. EPIC has California offices in Los Angeles, Irvine, Ontario, Fresno, Folsom, San Francisco, San Mateo, Petaluma and San Ramon.

Heffernan Insurance Brokers named Jennifer Mahoney chief operating officer.

Mahoney will oversee corporate governance, contracts, property and facilities management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate communications, philanthropy and wellness and internet strategy.

Mahoney has been with Heffernan for seven years, most recently as vice president, office of the CEO.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Nautilus Insurance Group named Wendy L. Markham senior vice president and chief underwriting officer.

Markham joined Nautilus in 1986. Most recently Markham served as vice president-underwriting general liability and Pacific region. She has more than 25 years of industry experience, specializing in underwriting and product development.

Nautilus Insurance Group is an excess and specialty lines carrier, and is comprised of Nautilus Insurance Co. and Great Divide Insurance Co., member companies of W. R. Berkley Corp.