People – Midwest

POWERS Insurance and Benefits, headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., promoted Amy Simkins to commercial account manager. Simkins previously served as POWERS Insurance and Benefits’ accounting specialist.

POWERS Insurance and Benefits provides personal and business insurance, surety, risk management and employee benefits.

J.M. Wilson, based in Portage, Mich., has promoted Kristy Galecka to senior property/casualty underwriter and garage specialist. Galecka was hired in 2012 as transportation and property/casualty technician, and was promoted to assistant underwriter in 2013 and underwriter in 2014.

The company hired Josie Richards as marketing and communications coordinator. She will assist in planning and executing marketing efforts for eight J.M. Wilson offices. Richards previously worked for Allegan County United Way as a community impact officer.

J.M. Wilson also added Erin Moloney as property/casualty underwriter. Prior to J.M. Wilson, she worked at Maximum Independent Brokerage for 12 years as assistant broker and customer service manager. Moloney is also a licensed property/casualty producer in Illinois.

J.M. Wilson is a managing general agency and surplus lines broker with branch and affiliate offices in eight states.

Advisor Nattalie Rolland-Vath of North Risk Partners – C.O. Brown Division in Red Wing, Minn., has been named the 2016 Outstanding Customer Service Representative (CSR) of the Year for the state of Minnesota by the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

Rolland-Vath began her career in 1996 working in both personal and commercial lines at Poncelet Insurance Agency in Bellechester, Minn. In 2011, Rolland-Vath joined North Risk Partners – C.O. Brown Division in a service role focused on commercial accounts. She has attained her Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation and is currently working toward her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation.

North Risk Partners has four core divisions: St. Cloud-based Apollo; Rochester-based C.O. Brown; Johnson McCann in St. Paul; and Thief River Falls-based Thune.

Ron Hallenbeck, who has served as president of Des Moines, Iowa-based EMC Reinsurance Co. for nearly 22 years, is retiring on Aug. 19.

Vicki Freese, assistant reinsurance manager, will assume the position of president of EMC Reinsurance upon Hallenbeck’s retirement.

Hallenbeck has been with EMC Insurance Cos. for more than 42 years. He took over as president of EMC Re in 1994.

Freese has been with EMC for nearly 40 years and in reinsurance for about 30 of those years. Freese is currently assistant vice president of Employers Mutual Casualty Co. and vice president/secretary of EMC Reinsurance Co. She will continue to serve on the board of directors.

Freese has earned her CPCU and ARe designations.

QBE North America appointed Jeff Lange senior vice president, regional executive – Midwest region. He is based in Chicago.

Lange will lead QBE’s go-to-market activities in the 13-state region consisting of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Lange has more than 20 years of industry experience. He joined the company from Hartford Financial Services Group, where he spent 14 years in leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, he served as division executive of The Hartford’s Midwest Division. Lange also has held leadership and client relationship roles at CONSECO, Channelpoint Inc., Deloitte & Touche, Hewitt Assoc. and Marsh & McLennan Inc.

QBE North America is part of QBE Insurance Group Limited.

Hub International Midwest, a division of global insurance brokerage Hub International Limited (HUB), added Edward W. McConnell and Clint W. Anderson in Chicago.

McConnell joins as senior vice president, national staffing practice leader, responsible for employee benefits brokerage and consulting services with a national focus on the staffing and PEO industry.

Anderson joins as president, specialty practices.

McConnell has more than 10 years of experience in the insurance industry servicing middle and large market employers. He is active with the Northern Illinois Association of Health Underwriters.

Anderson has more than 19 years of experience in the insurance industry. He previously owned his own insurance agency and third-party administration service.

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