People

National

CRC Group, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, added three new professionals to its CRC Specialty division.

•

Ryan Degale rejoins CRC Specialty as a broker based in Orlando with the Boca Raton, Florida office, with experience placing complex risks associated with residential buildings, hospitality, and office properties.

•

Jim Phillipp joins CRC Chicago as a senior underwriting team leader. Phillipp has over 10 years of experience in casualty underwriting and brokerage.

•

Will Valentine joins CRC Specialty’s Philadelphia office as a broker specializing in healthcare and life sciences.

Howden US, headquartered in Miami, Florida, made several executive appointments.

•

Ben Hanback was named executive vice president. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Hanback supports operations in Tennessee and the broader Mid-South region. He has over 34 years of experience, including leadership roles with Aon, Regions, and Unum Life.

•

Ron Borys was appointed head of its financial lines group in the U.S. Based in New York, Borys joins Howden from Alliant, where most recently he led the financial institutions industry practice. He has worked for other brokerages in the U.S., including Marsh and Aon.

•

Joe Clark was appointed president and Dale Krupowicz as head of operations for its private risk solutions business in the U.S. Clark and Krupowicz will lead the development of Howden’s U.S. private client operations.

Clark joins Howden from The

Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, where he served as president of Liberty Select, and previously held the role of chief growth officer at Aon Private Risk Management.

Based in New York City, Krupowicz has over 30 years of experience, previously serving as COO and partner at a boutique personal insurance agency.

Novatae Risk Group, the wholesale business of leading insurance brokerage World Insurance Associates, headquartered in Dallas, hired Kimberly Jenkins as the firm’s chief operating officer.

Jenkins has over 25 years of leadership experience, most recently serving as the head of strategic planning and formerly chief M&A officer at DUAL North America. Before that, she was the operations leader for large accounts at Willis Towers Watson.

Everest Group Ltd., headquartered in Dallas, appointed Anthony Vidovich as executive vice president and general counsel, effective January 2026.

Vidovich succeeds Ricardo Anzaldua, who is retiring. Vidovich has nearly 30 years of experience, most recently serving as global head of insurance legal at AIG. He previously held executive leadership roles at XL Group/XL Catlin and The Hartford.

Nationwide tapped Joe Chamberlain to lead its small commercial operations and service solutions organization.

Chamberlain has over 30 years of experience, most recently serving as chief administrative officer at Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group. He’s also held leadership roles with Alliant, CNA, and Lamb Insurance Services.

Duck Creek Technologies, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, named Hardeep Gulati as CEO. Gulati most recently served as CEO of PowerSchool. Mike Jackowski, Duck Creek CEO since 2011, will transition to a new role as vice chair of the board of directors.

East

Acrisure Re, the reinsurance division of global fintech leader Acrisure, appointed Dan Morrison as senior vice president. Based in New York, Morrison joins Acrisure Re from Millennial Specialty Solutions, where he served as director, capacity solutions, since 2021. Before that, he was a senior program underwriter and financial analyst at Trisura Insurance Co.

AHJ Miller, the reinsurance division of Miller, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, appointed Marlon Williams as a senior broker in its Bermuda office. Williams previously spent five years at Hiscox Re & ILS as a senior underwriter and 15 years in the catastrophe practice at Markel Bermuda.

Plymouth Rock Assurance, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, appointed James Foxx as chief of agency marketing for Massachusetts and New Hampshire within the company’s independent agency group. He previously served as regional senior vice president for New England at Utica National and held leadership roles at The Hanover Insurance Group.

Midwest

The Baldwin Group, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, added Mike Campo as a partner in its construction practice. Based in Kansas City, he previously led construction practices at IMA and Lockton.

Burns & Wilcox, headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, hired Tim Pasik as senior vice president of commercial products. Based in the New York City office, Pasik previously served a decade at Markel as product line leader for commercial wholesale excess and then regional president. His career also includes leadership roles at Gen Re and AEGIS Insurance Services.

The Mutual Group LLC named Tom Troy as CEO, effective January 5, 2026. Troy has over 30 years of experience, joining The Mutual Group from USAA, where he served as chief transformation officer. He previously served at CSAA Insurance Group, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Safeco Insurance.

Recoop Disaster Insurance announced the appointment of Greg Bailey as CEO and Charlie Turri as chief technology officer.

Bailey founded and served as CEO of Rivet Co. and Denim. He also co-founded Insure.vc and has held senior leadership roles with Athene, Pacific Life, and TruStage.

Turri most recently served as CTO of Lenders Cooperative. Previously, he was CTO for Denim and ITPeopleNetwork and held senior IT leadership roles at Athene and AIG.

Southeast

Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, appointed Kevin Burchett as regional sales director for North Carolina and South Carolina within its distribution department. Burchett has over 31 years of experience, having held leadership and sales roles at Harleysville Life Insurance, Colonial Life, Aflac, and Mutual of Omaha. He most recently served as owner and operator of his own agency, Burchett Insurance Services.

The MEMIC Group, headquartered in Portland, Maine, expanded its Southeast underwriting team with the addition of Kevin Eaves, who joins as a production underwriter. Eaves previously served as an associate underwriter at Eastern Alliance.

South Central

Alliant Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, California, expanded its nationwide transportation specialty platform and made key senior-level hires in Texas: Nader Dabboussi in Dallas and Jordan Lewis in McAllen. Both are cross-border specialists.

West

Cowbell, headquartered in Pleasanton, California, appointed Jessica Klipphahn as head of North America mid-market and Stephanie Hewerdine as director of claims.

Klipphahn most recently served as North America middle-market cyber leader at WTW.

Hewerdine previously served as claims counsel at Coalition and in senior positions at Sedgwick.

Alliant Human Capital, a division of Alliant Insurance Services headquartered in Irvine, California, appointed Drew Steinhoff as first vice president. Steinhoff previously led executive compensation at Lockton Companies LLP.

Alliant Human Capital also appointed Amy Heinze as first vice president. She has over 25 years of experience in strategic HR and total rewards, supporting colleges and universities in aligning talent investments with institutional priorities.

Melissa Koontz joined Alliant Insurance Services as senior vice president within its employee benefits group team in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Spokane, Washington, Koontz most recently served as senior vice president with INSHRM.

Starwind Specialty Insurance Services, a CRC Group company, named Charles Pyfrom executive vice president, sales and distribution, for Starwind Cannabis, Pyfrom was previously chief marketing officer at CannGen Insurance Services LLC.

Golden Bear Insurance Company hired Jack Witherspoon as lawyers professional liability team lead. Witherspoon has 35 years of experience, he most recently served as program director for the lawyers professional liability program at Mercer Benefits. His career includes leadership roles at CAMICO Mutual Insurance Company, Interstate Insurance/Fireman’s Fund, and Alexander & Alexander (Aon).

Physicians Insurance A Mutual Company appointed David Carlson as president and CEO. Carlson previously served as chief physician officer at MultiCare Health System in Washington, at Hospital Sisters Health System in Illinois, and at Conemaugh Health System in Pennsylvania. He currently serves as chief medical officer and vice president of medical operations at King County at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Washington.

James Cohill joined LP Insurance Services LLC as part of its employee benefits team. Based in the Las Vegas, Nevada, office, Cohill has more than 25 years of experience, including leadership roles at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nevada, UHC/UMR, Accolade and Quantum Health. He most recently served as director of large group at Anthem.