People and Places

Dale Hammond

Florida-based Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) reported that its Board of Directors elected Dale Hammond as chairman.

Hammond is president and COO of Kemper Auto and Home, a Unitrin Company, based in Jacksonville, Fla. He was previously chair of the IBHS Board’s executive committee. Hammond succeeds Lawrence Lange, Ph.D., vice president and chief underwriting officer with the Auto Club Insurance Association, who will remain on the IBHS Board as immediate past chairman.

IBHS is a national, nonprofit trade association of the property/casualty industry that works to reduce commercial and residential losses and associated costs caused by extreme weather events and natural disasters. These include hurricanes, hail storms, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, winter storms and
wildfires.

IBHS is also expanding into new, everyday property loss areas like household and commercial water damage. IBHS counts among its members more than 125 of the country’s property-casualty insurers and reinsurers.

Mary Lou Blackmer

Florida-based Insurance Office of America (IOA) named Mary Lou Blackmer corporate benefits manager.

In her new position, Blackmer will provide client sales and service, and manage the employee benefits department corporate wide, supervising a staff of 25.

Blackmer’s career most recently includes her position as district sales manager for Excelsior Benefits (formerly know as the Principal Financial Group), writing insurance policies and employee benefits for Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United Healthcare. Her industry career began 18 years ago at MetLife.

IOA also named Bruce Berthelsen as COO effective immediately.

Berthelsen’s professional background includes 32 years of industry experience, most recently as senior vice president of Commercial Lines with The St. Paul Companies, where he also oversaw the southeast region.

He has held executive positions in underwriting, claims, field operation, and has in depth agency /brokerage experience.

Ernest Thomas

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) reported that Ernest Jeffrey Thomas of LaGrange, N.C., was honored with the InsurPac Young Agent Recognition Award bestowed annually upon the young agent or broker making the most significant impact on fundraising efforts for InsurPac, the political action committee of the IIABA.

Thomas, vice president and area supervisor for LaGrange-based Evans and Associates, exhibited outstanding dedication as Young Agent InsurPac chairman for the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC). Of the state’s $33,845 total in InsurPac contributions, nearly $10,000 came from 121 young agents.

Thomas began his insurance career when he joined Evans and Associates in 1998. Prior to that, he worked seven years for Lenox China in Kinston, N.C. after a six-year stint in the U.S. Air Force.

Since becoming an independent agent, he has been actively involved in the industry. Currently, he is IIANC Young Agents Committee vice-chairman, and he also serves on the IIANC PAC Committee and the IIANC Eastern Agents Committee, and previously serving as an IIANC committee member. For his efforts and involvement, he was named the 2003 IIANC Young Agent of the Year.

William Donnell

GE’s Employers Reinsurance Corp. announced that William Donnell will assume a new role inside the organization as head of the Global Casualty team for Global P&C Re.

Donnell joins Global P&C Re from Commercial Insurance, where he was the president of P&C Select.

Donnell has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry. He joined ERC in 1998 and since then has held marketing and sales leadership positions within the Commercial Insurance division.

Bonnie Haase

Allmerica Financial Corporation announced that Bonnie Haase was named vice president and chief human resources officer.

In this capacity, Haase will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s employee development, benefits, staffing and performance management programs. Haase also will serve as a member of the company’s Operating Committee.

Haase comes to Allmerica from General Electric, where she worked for the past 13 years. Most recently, she served as human resources leader for the Global Sales and Marketing organization of the General Electric subsidiary, Industrial Systems.

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley named Pamela Thorpe Young of Cary to serve as vice chair of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Easley appointed Young to the commission in May of 2003.

Young was the deputy secretary for the arts and libraries, and legal counsel for the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources from 2002 to 2003. Previously, she served as a deputy commissioner on the N.C. Industrial Commission. She has also worked as a policy analyst for the N.C. Governor’s Office of State Planning and an assistant county attorney for Travis County in Texas.

The Industrial Commission administers the Workers’ Compensation Act, Law Enforcement Officers’, Fireman’s Rescue Squad Workers’ and Civil Air Patrol members, Death Benefits Act, Tort Claim Act, and Childhood Vaccine-related Injury Compensation Program.

Alea Group Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd., a global reinsurance and specialty insurance company, named Mark Ricciardelli as group president and COO. As president and COO, he will have oversight for Alea Group’s operating units.

He joins Alea after serving as president and CEO, Global Casualty, of General Electric’s Employers Reinsurance Corporation (GE ERC).