People

Burns & Wilcox announced that Jeffrey Brown has joined the company’s Farmington, Mich., office as a broker. Brown will be responsible for placing business for large complex risks, including large property, and aircraft and automotive products.

Brown has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, including underwriting and sales and marketing. Most recently, he was a program manager at Meadowbrook Insurance Group, located in Southfield, Mich.

Previous to that position, Brown was assistant vice president at Marsh USA Inc. in Detroit. He also held underwriting positions at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. and Crum & Forster Insurance Co., as well as positions at other national and international agencies and brokerage firms.

Minneapolis-based Western National Insurance Group named Jeffrey J. Couchman as senior vice president and general manager of the company’s west coast operation at Western National Assurance Co. and vice president of the group’s lead company, Western National Mutual Insurance Co.

Couchman entered the insurance field as a commercial lines underwriter, and later as a risk analyst, at Federated Insurance.

His last seven years were spent with a risk management and reinsurance brokerage firm, Benfield, formerly known as EW Blanch, where he has been responsible for devising financial solutions and managing risk for regional insurance companies. In his role as vice president at Benfield, and in addition to placing reinsurance in the US and London, Couchman served as an instructor in risk and reinsurance for brokers, reinsurers and insurance company staff.

Western National Mutual Insurance Co. writes personal and commercial lines in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa.

Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced that Bill Rossbach has been named chief regulatory officer and Doug Anderson has been named chief policy officer.

Rossbach, the former assistant director of the Office of Risk Assessment, is a certified financial examiner and 31-year-veteran of the department. In his new role, Rossbach will oversee the functions of: Fraud, Enforcement and Licensing; Product Regulation and Actuarial Services; and Risk Assessment (formerly Financial Regulation).

Anderson is an attorney and is moving from his position as assistant director of Healthcare Coverage Policy. In his new role, Anderson will continue to focus on healthcare coverage policy, and will also be responsible for oversight of regulatory policy and research.

Preferred Professional Insurance Co. (PPIC), an Omaha-based Catholic-owned medical liability insurance firm, announced two additions to its staff: Tricia Bliujus as claims analyst and risk consultant/R.N., and Cathy L. Mlnarik as agency account coordinator.

Bliujus will be responsible for reviewing and summarizing medical records, researching medical issues, retaining and conferring with physician consultants on medical questions, and communicating with claims attorneys regarding claims analysis. Risk duties will include planning and conducting quality risk assessments and presenting to physician groups.

She most recently served as a case manager for Medico Group Insurance Cos.

Mlnarik will support the daily operations of agency services; maintaining, expanding and servicing new and existing customers. Mlnarik has extensive agency account management and customer service experience. She most recently provided account support to a large commercial client at Associated Underwriters.

Before that, she was responsible for membership/insurance sales and customer service for AAA Cornhusker Motor Club, and was a customer service representative and office manager for State Farm Insurance and is a licensed agent.

Colemont Insurance Brokers promoted Lori Heath to the position of broker in the company’s Chicago office.

Heath joined Colemont in March 2003 as a marketing associate for both primary and excess casualty accounts. Before Colemont, she spent 10 years as an underwriter working with excess and surplus lines primarily with the Markel Cos. and Oakley Underwriting.

Colemont Insurance Brokers also promoted Larry Kessler broker in the company’s Hartford, Conn., office. Kessler, who has served in various positions with Colemont since 2004, will specialize in casualty and property placements.

Aon Construction Services Group, part of Chicago-based Aon Corp., has hired Scott Rons as assistant vice president of surety operations. Rons has been tasked with growing the company’s footprint in Colorado. He will be based in Denver.

Rons has 20 years of construction underwriting experience. He most recently served as senior account specialist with Safeco Surety.

BMS, a reinsurance intermediary based in Philadelphia, appointed James T. Buysse as CEO of its North American operations, BMS Intermediaries Inc.

Buysse has 25 years of experience in the reinsurance industry. He began his reinsurance career at Towers Perrin Reinsurance in 1979. In 1993, he joined Greg Fester as president and CEO of U.S. operations. After Greg Fester was acquired by Benfield Ltd. in 1998, Buysse spent nine years in various senior management positions. He left Benfield early in 2007 to form his own reinsurance intermediary, Buysse and Associates Inc.