California Surplus Lines Association Elects Ciardello Chairman of the Board

The members of the Surplus Line Association of California have elected Tom Ciardello, senior executive vice president of Worldwide Facilities LLC, as the chair of the SLA board of directors.

Ciardello’s election was finalized after the SLA tallied the final ballots from authorized voting representatives who were unable to attend the SLA annual meeting, which took place Feb. 7, and Feb. 9, 2017, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.

Ciardello succeeds Chris Houska, California managing director of R-T Specialty LLC, who completed his 2016 term as chair and was elected to a seat on the board.

Also elected to leadership were Robert Gilbert, underwriting director at Markel West Insurance Services, as vice chair; and Terri Moran, senior vice president, Western region executive and construction practice leader at Vela Insurance Services, as secretary/treasurer.

Additionally, SLA members elected Tim Chaix of R.E. Chaix and Associates Insurance Brokers Inc., and Hank Haldeman of The Sullivan Group, to the board.

Completing the 13-member board are the following who were reelected after serving on the 2016 board:

• Janet Beaver, Tokio Marine HCC
• Denis Brady, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage
• Rupert Hall, M.J. Hall & Company, Inc.
• Davis Moore, Worldwide Facilities, LLC
• Pam Quilici, Crouse & Associates Insurance Services of Northern California, Inc.
• Les Ross, Wholesale Trading Insurance Services, LLC
• Gerald Sullivan, The Sullivan Group

SLA members also reelected as mediator Hon. Harry Low, a former insurance commissioner and retired presiding justice of the California Court of Appeal.

All individuals elected to the 2017 board will serve until balloting is completed following the next SLA annual meeting in February 2018.

Based in San Francisco, the SLA operates as a self-governed private organization. Appointed by the Commissioner in 1994, the association serves as the statutory surplus line advisory organization to the California Department of Insurance and facilitates the state’s capacity to monitor and direct surplus line brokers’ placements of insurance with eligible nonadmitted insurers.

Topics California Excess Surplus