Watkins Insurance Group, one of the largest full-service, locally owned independent insurance agencies in central Texas, added agent Andy Webb to its sales team. Webb began his career in the insurance industry in March 2002 and now brings a strong background in contractor’s insurance and risk management.
Experienced in sales and business development, Webb enjoys showing clients how to recognize and develop relationships with peers, competitors, customers and prospects. Webb is council chair of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas Young Agent Advisory and a committee member of the Texas Leadership Forum.
Independent agent Brian Bartosh, president of Alpena, Mich.-based Top O’ Michigan Insurance, was elected to serve as 2011 chair of Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the users group for Applied Systems agency management technology.
Maureen Boeing, vice president at Landmark Insurance Agency, in Cincinnati, was elected 2011 vice chair. Also elected to the group’s 2011 officers’ team were: Secretary Phillip Tilley, with Tilley Insurance Agency LLC in Monett, Mo.; Treasurer John Warn, with Rue Insurance, Trenton, N.J.; and Immediate Past Chair Lisa Parry Becker, with William B. Parry & Son Ltd., Langhorne, Pa.
The elected leaders assume their posts Jan. 1, 2011.
Bartosh joined Top O’ Michigan Insurance, his father’s agency, in 1979 as a sales representative. Today he serves as president and shareholder. His son, Tyler Bartosh, recently joined the agency as a third-generation agent. Top O’ Michigan Insurance operates from 10 locations, providing personal, commercial and life services.
Boeing manages a staff of 18 at Landmark Insurance, an agency she helped to start in 1998. In addition, she services a large commercial lines book and handles the agency accounting and system administration. She has 15 years of industry experience, all as an Applied Systems agency management software user.
Parry Becker, a fifth-generation independent agent at her 100-plus-year-old agency, served as 2010 ASCnet chair. She is responsible for sales and marketing, and handling personal and commercial accounts at her agency, which this year re-qualified as an Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) Best Practices Agency.
The Insurance Marketing and Communications Association (IMCA) elected Linda J. Collins president of the association for a two-year term.
Collins is currently vice president, corporate communications at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., where she is responsible for strategic communications, media relations, and internal and external communications activities. She has 30 years of insurance industry-related experience in a variety of roles, including reporter, editor, speech writer and corporate communications management.
Other appointed IMCA officers are: Executive Vice President Robert Martin, The Co-operators; Executive Vice President Madeline Johnson, The Cincinnati Insurance Companies; Vice President Gary Kimball, Kimball Communications; Treasurer Krista Winters, American Modern Insurance Group; Past President Richard Look, Vertibrands; Past President at Large Reg Pierce, Bailey Brand Consulting; and Past President at Large Ron Rice, Association of Washington Cities.
IMCA appointed four new board members: Sandra Collins of The Co-operators, Emily Hathcoat of CNA, John Coombe of Liberty Mutual and Lauren Knapp of Insurance Journal.
Returning board members include Mark Friedlander of Main Street America Group, Randall Clinger of SwissRe, and Thomas Wetzel of Thomas H. Wetzel & Associates Inc.
Wilson Smith Group announced that Gary Cooper joined the group’s Texas operation, WSG Specialty Underwriters, as senior vice president.
Cooper brings an extensive insurance background in retail and wholesale management to WSG. He served as president and CEO of Texas’ second-largest independent retailer and held leadership positions with a prominent national wholesaler. Working with Rob Arnold, executive vice president and divisional leader of WSG Specialty Underwriters, Cooper will focus on program design, marketing, cluster development and key employee recruitment.
Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. appointed Mark W. Callahan executive vice president and HCC’s chief actuarial officer.
Callahan was previously the chief risk, underwriting and actuarial services officer for XL Insurance. During 12 years there, he also held the positions of senior vice president and underwriter for XL Financial Solutions and executive vice president and chief actuarial officer for XL Insurance. Callahan also previously worked for Milliman, managing offices in Dallas and Bermuda.
Dallas-based MarketScout Wholesale (MSW) added Kari Luttrell as vice president of operations, and Frank Giarratano as a broker in its Dallas office. Paige Bryant also joined the company as underwriter in MSW’s Dallas office.
MSW also established a new Austin, Texas, office, where Tiffany Way will serve as a new general casualty and professional lines broker.
Previously, Luttrell worked at Crump for 11 years, followed by a brief tenure at Arch.
Among other positions, Giarratano worked with Southwest Risk for almost four years as a vice president and broker, prior to joining MarketScout Wholesale.
Bryant worked with Crump Insurance Services of Memphis Inc. and Fox-Everett Inc., prior to joining MarketScout Wholesale.
Way previously worked with Swett and Crawford for two and half years and with U.S. Risk for six years, specializing in casualty coverages.
Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry appointed two new judges to the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court. Judge David Reid of Tulsa will fill the Office 6 position previously held by Mary Black, and Judge Owen Evans of Tulsa will fill the Office 7 position previously held by Tom Leonard.
Reid has worked in private law practice in Tulsa for almost 20 years, in addition to serving as a mediator for the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court and a legal clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Evans has practiced law in Tulsa for the past 25 years.
The Hartford named Grace Figueredo as vice president of diversity and inclusion. Figueredo previously served as director of workforce diversity for United Technologies Corp.
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