People

RISC Inc. in Dallas, announced the appointment of Pat Mulady, to the position of vice president in the Brokerage Department. Mulady’s focus will primarily be tough casualty risks.

Mulady joins RISC with over 12 years of insurance experience, primarily on the reinsurance side. He began his insurance career as a casualty underwriter for Aetna. His career moves took him to both National Re and CNA Re as a vice president before joining Guy Carpenter & Co. as a reinsurance broker.

Founded in 1968, RISC specializes in hard to place property, casualty, energy, program and transportation risks.

Higginbotham & Associates added group health plan broker Kenneth Rassi to its Dallas Employee Benefits operations.

Rassi was most recently a financial advisor for Harris Financial Group/Mass Mutual, where he earned National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) Series 6 and Series 63, as well as Group 1 insurance licenses. He has also managed sales and customer relations for the Sport Supply Group, Techone Trading, AT&T Wireless and Unicel.

He completed one year of undergraduate study at California’s Fresno State University and in 1998 received a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a minor in business administration from the University of New Hampshire.

Standing at 6 feet, 10 inches, Rassi played professional basketball in Germany after college, where he was a member of the Fresno State and University of New Hampshire teams. In recognition of his talent, leadership and character, he received the Jim Hatch Award in 1998 and Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 1993.

North Texas-based McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP announced that Executive Assistant Britna Savarese has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Executive Women International’s (EWI) Dallas chapter.

In this role, Savarese will serve as director of the chapter’s Ways and Means Committee, assuming responsibility for scholastic, philanthropic and fundraising efforts. The installation occurred at the Renaissance Hotel in Dallas by EWI’s incoming Corporate President Debbie Taylor, representing Dallas member firm Siemens Power Generation.

Formerly Executives’ Secretaries Inc., EWI is a nonprofit organization of leading noncompetitive business, service and professional firms that strives to promote member firms, enhance personal and professional development and encourage community involvement.

Austin, Texas-based The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research announced that two outstanding customer service representatives have received its National Outstanding CSR of the Year Award for 2005: Miranda M. Wescott, and Misty L. Kriskovich. This marks the first time since the inception of the award in 1991 that two CSRs, rather than one, were chosen as recipients.

Wescott is a personal account manager working with special personal lines account coverages at Chandler-Frates & Reitz Inc., in Tulsa, Okla.

Kriskovich, manages the commercial insurance department for Hobson Insurance in Hobson, Mont.

The National Alliance said its blue-ribbon panel of judges narrowed the field of 36 state winners to five finalists but was unable to fairly eliminate one of the top two.

The judges evaluated the finalists based on their individual contributions to the insurance community and the strength of their essays written on the topic, “The Four Most Constructive Things a Producer Can Do Now to Help CSRs.” To be considered for this award
the candidate must be an insurance customer service

representative, or have primary responsibility for insurance customer service duties.

Wescott and Kriskovich each receive a cash award of $1,000, a gold and diamond lapel pin, and their names will be inscribed on a sculpture on permanent display at National Alliance headquarters in Austin, Texas. A scholarship will be awarded to both of their employers for participation in any National Alliance program.

In addition to the selection of Wescott and Kriskovich as national award recipients, three national finalists were chosen from a particularly competitive field of applicants: Cathy M. Cassetta, with BB&T/Iler Wall & Shonter Insurance Inc., of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Diane L. Hodas, with Loesel Schaaf Insurance Agency Inc., in Erie, Pa.; and Carol “Cricket” Mitchell, with Premier Insurance in Twin Falls, Idaho. They each receive a gold and garnet lapel pin, and publicity in a national trade journal.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry named Albert Betts Jr. of Austin as commissioner of the Division of Workers’ Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2007. Betts was appointed to lead the division as it implements the House Bill 7 workers’ comp reform.

Betts currently serves as chief of staff and senior associate commissioner of operations at the Texas Department of Insurance. He previously served as general counsel for the State Office of Risk Management, assistant general counsel for the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission and assistant attorney general for the Office of the Attorney General.

Florida-based American Strategic Insurance Corp. announced that David P. Rowe was appointed to the position of vice president with responsibility for ASI’s Texas business.

The company said ASI Lloyds has become one of the top providers of homeowner’s insurance in Texas since its inception in 2000. Rowe will focus on the continued growth and development of ASI’s products, which are currently distributed by over 500 agencies throughout Texas.

Rowe began his insurance career in 1983 as a property claims adjuster. He has since held various marketing and management positions within both insurance companies and agencies in Texas.

To submit information to this department, e-mail sjones@insurancejournal.com.

Topics Texas Agencies Workers' Compensation