People and Places

Margie Bishop

Vista Insurance Partners, based in San Antonio, appointed Margie Bishop as senior broker/underwriter. Bishop will work with current and new Vista agents to develop new business and retain existing accounts and will locate in Vista’s San Antonio office. Bishop has more than 19 years experience in the insurance industry in commercial and personal lines. Prior to joining Vista, Bishop was a commercial property and general liability underwriter for Litchfield Special Risks Inc. in El Paso, Texas.

Earlier this year, Vista announced it plans to add 100 independent agents that specialize in property/casualty, professional liability and commercial auto to its Select Agent program in Texas, Oklahoma and several Southeastern states.

Tresa Parker

Caliber Collision Centers, an operator of collision repair facilities in California and Texas, named Tresa Parker as its director of Client Services for Texas Operations, a new position designed to help strengthen new and existing relationships with insurance clients and customers in Caliber’s Texas markets. Parker is a 19-year veteran of State Farm Insurance, where she most recently served as strategist for State Farm’s “Service First” program, a preferred provider network for approved auto collision repair facilities. As director of Client Services for Texas Operations, Parker will assume responsibility for executing Caliber’s Client Services strategy in Texas, including all of Caliber’s service commitments to consumers, insurance clients, dealers and fleets.

Benjamin McKay

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) appointed Benjamin J. McKay III, former chief of staff for U.S. Representative Katherine Harris (R-Fla.), as the new director of federal affairs in its Washington D.C. office. Before working for Rep. Harris, McKay served for over a decade as senior staff in both the Florida House and Senate. His tenure included service to legislators on the insurance committees of both chambers, including the vice chair of the Banking and Insurance Committee in the Senate and a member of the Property and Casualty Subcommittee in the House. He also served as deputy secretary for International and Legislative Affairs at the Florida Department of State under the Harris Administration and was promoted to chief of staff for the agency where he presided during the 2000 election.

Glen Curley

Richmond, Va.-based Markel Corporation hired Glen Curley as president of its Investors Underwriting Managers subsidiary. He has been involved in the insurance industry for over 20 years in various capacities. Curley has 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.

Dawn Smith

Dawn M. Smith joined the Denver, Colo. office of Palmer & Cay Inc. as a vice president in the firm’s risk consulting practice. In her new role with Palmer & Cay, Smith will provide risk control services for Palmer & Cay clients on a national basis. She has more than 16 years experience in risk control, with particular expertise in the manufacturing, education, and service sectors. Prior to joining Palmer & Cay, Smith served as a vice president with Marsh Inc. in Denver, where she was responsible for loss control.

Pamela J. Penny, CPA, joined Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. as senior vice president of Finance. Penny has over 27 years of accounting experience including 12 years with KPMG where she became an audit partner. In 1991 she joined American General Corporation and served as senior vice president and controller from 1999 to 2003. Most recently she was senior vice president and controller for Aegis Mortgage Corporation.

ACE USA announced two appointments in the U.S. operations of the ACE Global Energy division.

Edwin Duffy was named senior vice president and Houston branch manager for Houston’s newly established regional energy branch office. Frank Pedicini was named senior vice president, Global Energy and New York branch manager.

Based in Houston, Duffy will be responsible for overseeing underwriting operations in the Houston branch office. He joins ACE from Liberty International Underwriters, where he served as vice president of its Onshore Energy Division. With more than 30 years experience in the energy insurance arena, he has held a variety of senior underwriting and engineering management positions at a number of organizations, including Reliance National Insurance Company and Petroleum Insurance Inc.

New York City-based Pedicini joined ACE in 2003 as vice president, Underwriting, ACE Global Energy. He will be responsible for overseeing underwriting operations in the New York City branch office. Pedicini has more than 30 years of extensive experience in energy insurance and has held a variety of senior underwriting and specialty chemical and energy positions with several companies, including Liberty International, American Underwriting Managers Inc. and Reliance National Insurance Company.

David Repinski was promoted to the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer for Cunningham Lindsey U.S. Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Toronto-based Lindsey Morden Group Inc. Repinski will continue to operate out of Cunningham Lindsey U.S.’s corporate offices in Dallas. Repinski has spent 10 years with the company in various positions of increasing responsibility, the most recent being senior vice president – Operations for Cunningham Lindsey U.S.’s claims adjusting services unit.

Through subsidiaries, Lindsey Morden Group Inc. provides a wide range of independent insurance claims services. It has a worldwide network of branches in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, the Far East, Latin America and the Middle East.

Topics USA Texas New York