People and Places

William Miller

William R. (Bob) Miller, Jr. was named a principal in Houston-based Barmore Insurance Agency Inc. Miller has been with Barmore since June 2000 as vice president and sales manager.

Barmore has been in business in the Houston area since 1952. The firm specializes in property and casualty insurance and employee benefits for middle market businesses.

Neal Hennegan

Insurance services provider Gilsbar Inc., based in Covington, La., added Neal Hennegan to its management team as director of Information Systems. In this position, Hennegan is responsible for the management of information systems resources and processes throughout the corporation. Hennegan brings over 25 years experience in technical business systems. Most recently, he served in progressive roles including manager of technical services, business systems and applications delivery and support for the Shell Companies.

Gina Abramson

Gina Abramson joined San Antonio-based wholesale insurance broker, Vista Insurance Partners, as senior underwriter. Abramson has over 14 years in the insurance industry, 12 as an underwriter for commercial transportation risks.

Abramson joins a growing transportation team at Vista, a result of the company’s expansion of its transportation division to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Vista’s transportation division primarily covers regional “for hire” trucking risks with 15 to 150 power units located in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Lines of coverage provided include auto liability (guaranteed cost) and APD.

Glen Curley

Markel Corporation announced that Glen Curley is joining the company as president of its Investors Underwriting Managers subsidiary. Curley has been involved in the insurance industry for over 20 years in various capacities. He has extensive experience in specialty casualty, professional liability, property coverages and various reinsurance segments. He most recently served as senior vice president for the direct reinsurance operations of American Reinsurance.

Cynthia Young

The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies named Cynthia H. Young president of the companies’ personal lines divisions. As president, she will be responsible for all aspects of personal lines operations and will be a member of the companies’ operating committee. Young comes to Citizens and Hanover from The Hartford Insurance Company, where she served the last two years as vice president of Product Management for the company’s South Central Region. In this capacity, she was responsible for auto, homeowners and umbrella coverages sold through agency and direct distribution channels in 22 states.

Tony Boyd joined the Dallas/Ft Worth office of Duncan, Fraser & Bridges, a member of Combined Agents of America, as a commercial producer. In his new position, Boyd will be focusing on middle market commercial lines accounts. Previously, he was a successful producer with Personal Lines Insurance Agency (PLI) in Dallas, writing high value personal lines accounts, such as high value homes and autos.

Greg Howard joined the Houston office of national specialty insurance wholesaler, underwriter and managing general agent Burns & Wilcox Ltd., as a commercial lines underwriter. In this position, Howard is responsible for quoting, placing and servicing the branch’s commercial risks. Prior to joining Burns & Wilcox, Howard served as commercial lines marketing manager with Dean & Draper Insurance Agency.

Vesta Insurance Group Inc. elected Tambra L.G. Bailie as the non-executive chairman of its Board of Directors. In addition, Kevin Tierney was elected to Vesta’s Board.

A resident of Birmingham, Ala., Bailie has been a Vesta director since January 2003. A certified public accountant, she retired in 2001 following a 21-year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Tierney, who resides in Falmouth, Maine, has been in private legal practice since 2000 following 23 years with UNUM Corporation, where he served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. His legal practice focuses on insurance, reinsurance and corporate law, reinsurance arbitration and mediation.

Joseph J. Beneducci was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. Beneducci was formerly executive vice president and chief administrative officer. Reporting to Beneducci in his new role will be the company’s four business segments—Personal, Commercial, Marine and Interstate/Agribusiness—as well as Distribution Management and Marketing, Brand Development and Enterprise Operations. Beneducci joined Fireman’s Fund in 1998 after a 10-year career at Chubb & Sons in increasingly responsible positions in commercial underwriting, commercial marketing and management. Initially serving as assistant vice president of commercial insurance at Fireman’s Fund, he was promoted to vice president and then senior vice president before being named chief administrative officer in 2002.

Venture Programs (www.ventureprograms.com) named Louis Snage Jr. senior vice president for its southeast and south central regions. Based in Atlanta, Snage will be responsible for overall management, underwriting and marketing for existing business lines, as well as new company initiatives in these regions. Snage has 33 years of insurance experience, including senior leadership roles for property/casualty companies in field operations, underwriting management and sales management. Most recently he served as vice president of St. Paul Insurance Company in Atlanta, where he was responsible for a 13-state territory in the southeast and south central United States for small commercial lines of business.