Dianne Morris of Austin, Texas, has been elected president of the Association of Fire and Casualty Companies in Texas (AFACT) for 2006-2007. Morris is president of the Association Casualty Insurance Company. She succeeds as AFACT president, Robert Ramsower, president and CEO of Employers General Insurance Group Inc.
Greg Vanek, president of National Lloyds in Waco, was elected vice president. Craig Sparks, president of Union Standard Insurance Co. in Dallas, was elected secretary/treasurer.
Ramsower, James Langford, assistant vice president of Compliance, Regulation and Government Affairs, Texas Farm Bureau in Waco, and Lyndell Haigood, president of Beacon National Insurance Company in Wichita Falls, were appointed to the Executive Committee.
Morris began her career in Dallas in 1967 with Continental Insurance Company. She spent five years in commercial underwriting at Northwestern National Insurance Company and transferred to Austin in 1970 where she joined Austin Surplus Lines for three years.
In 1977, Morris joined the Association Insurance Agency and helped start Association Casualty Insurance Company in 1978. She held numerous positions in commercial underwriting and became vice president in 1984.
Her responsibilities were expanded to include claims and loss control when she was named chief operating officer in 1995. Morris became president of Association Casualty in 2001.
Kyle Stevens was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers Inc. effective Jan. 1, 2006.
Previously vice president/branch manager of the Dallas, Texas, office, Stevens will now oversee all offices of the company and report directly to Richard L. Polizzi, president of WSS, which is headquartered in Pasadena, Calif.
In his new position, Stevens, who is based in Dallas, will be responsible for the overall production and progress of the WSS branches.
WSS also has offices in Roseville and Los Alamitos, Calif.
Independent insurance agency Higginbotham & Associates, based in Fort Worth, Texas, added brokers John Huggins and Mark Vann to its managing director team to recognize their individual sales production of $1 million revenue in 2005.
Huggins was named a managing director within Higginbotham’s Commercial Property and Casualty Department, where he specializes in risk management consulting and insurance broking.
Before joining Higginbotham in 2001, Huggins worked with Safeco Insurance Company, Corporate Insurance Agency of Texas Inc. and AON Risk Services of Texas. He holds the Certified Risk Manager (CRM) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designations.
Vann was named a managing director in the Employee Benefits Department, where he provides health and welfare consultation, and coordinates account services including employer communications, online enrollment and Section 125 administration. He joined Higginbotham in 1997.
In addition to its Fort Worth headquarters, Higginbotham has five other office locations: Austin, Dallas, Denton, McKinney and Weatherford.
Louisiana-based health plan administrator Gilsbar Inc.added Andy Hillyer as regional sales manager for the Texas region. Hillyer will be responsible for expanding current self-funded group health partnerships in Texas.
Hillyer brings to Gilsbar extensive experience in group sales and service. Most recently, he served as manager of Voluntary Products and Provider Services for Health Administration Services (H.A.S.) in Houston. Other experience includes specialty sales for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Dallas, and Propst Pharmaceuticals throughout Louisiana and Texas. In both positions, Hillyer was responsible for developing and servicing physician and pharmacist accounts.
Marshall Leicht of Texas-based Leicht General Agency announced the promotion of two veteran employees, Rose Perez and Mary Travis, to the position of vice president.
Perez has been with LGA for nine years as a senior underwriter. She is an Independent Insurance Agents of Houston Board member and chairs IIAH’s Charitable Projects Committee. Perez is also a Texas Surplus Lines Association committee member.
Travis joined LGA in 2000 as a senior underwriter. Previously, she had 10 years’ experience in excess and surplus lines business, as well as many years’ experience with various retail insurance agencies.
Bobby White, general manager of the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association, announced his retirement effective March 1, 2006, after 38 years of service to the organization.
White began his career with T.A.I.P.A. in 1968 and was named its general manager in 1982 after the retirement of Herman Begeman. He is one of the few auto residual market managers in the country with independent responsibility for the operation of the association.
A replacement for White has not been named.
The board of directors of American International Group Inc. elected Fred H. Langhammer and Robert B. Willumstad as directors.
Langhammer served was chief executive officer of the Estee Lauder Companies Inc. from 1999 to 2004, and was president and chief operating officer of the cosmetics company from 1995 to 1999. Currently, he is chairman of global affairs for Estee Lauder.
Willumstad recently retired as president and chief operating officer of Citigroup Inc. He was a member of the Citigroup board of directors.
AIG also announced that Donald P. Kanak, executive vice chairman and chief operating officer, has resigned from the company, effective Jan. 31, for personal reasons. Kanak also resigned from the AIG board of directors.
Kanak joined AIG in 1992 in Japan, and later became president and CEO of AIG’s companies in Japan and Korea. He was named to his current position last year.
To submit information to the People column, e-mail ijtexas@insurancejournal.com.
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