People

Appleton, Wis.-based Integrity Mutual Insurance Co. named Darin L. Kath as president-designate.

Richard J. Schinler, current president and chief executive officer, will retire after 25 years with the company on Dec. 31. He will remain in his current position until Kath is formally approved by the Integrity board, then serve in an advisory capacity through the end of the year.

Kath has 20 years of insurance experience, most recently serving as president and chief executive officer of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. in Neenah, Wis.

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents promoted Ted Besesparis to senior vice president of communications.

Besesparis joined PIA in May 1995 after a career as a print and broadcast journalist at the local and national level. He was national editor for Standard News, a nationwide radio network and news wire service in Washington, D.C., where he served on the White House Press Pool.

Stephanie Bush, a financial services and insurance industry veteran with more than 20 years experience, has joined Safety National Casualty Corp. of St. Louis as senior vice president, market research and product development.

Bush was previously with The Hartford Financial Services Group for more than 20 years, most recently serving as senior vice president, middle market. Prior to that, she created and led the applied research and product development organization for The Hartford’s property-casualty company. Bush has extensive underwriting and field operations experience. She began her career with The Hartford as a marketing representative in the Chicago regional office.

Lockton Cos. has appointed Tim Meacham as senior vice president in its operations group based in the company’s Kansas City headquarters.

Meacham joins Lockton from Wachovia Insurance where he was managing director for its Chesapeake region. He had operational and growth responsibility for three offices, providing risk management consulting, property and casualty brokerage and employee benefits consulting services.

Prior to Wachovia, Meacham held several senior management and production positions with Johnson & Higgins and Marsh, including employee benefits practice leader in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and northern Ohio. Meacham began his career in health insurance underwriting and sales with Group Hospitalization and Medical Services Inc.

Stuart Henderson, president and CEO of Edina, Minn.-based Western National Insurance Group has been elected to the board of directors of the American Association of Insurance Services,

Henderson joins the 10-member board as its sole newly elected member for 2008.

AAIS, based in Wheaton, Ill., is a national insurance advisory organization.

Farmington HIlls, Mich.-based H.W. Kaufman Financial Group elected Mark S. Schostak to its board of directors.

Schostak is president and chief executive officer of Team Schostak Family Restaurants (TSFR), a diversified group of restaurant businesses. He also is a partner and officer at Schostak Brothers & Company, a commercial real estate development and management company, and at Schostak Family Investments Company, which invests in a diverse group of businesses.

H.W. Kaufman Financial Group is the parent company of Burns & Wilcox, which is North America’s largest managing general agent with 38 offices in 24 states.

The Professional Insurance Agents of Indiana announced its annual awards at the 2008 PIA Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony on May 9.

The group presented the following three awards: Doug Todd, of New Palatine, Ind., Professional Agent of the Year; Steve Nelson, Indianapolis, Company Representative of the Year; and, Motorists Insurance Group of Columbus, Ohio, Company Award of Excellence.

Peggy Miller of Huntertown, Ind., received a Board Service Recognition award for her service on the PIA board of directors. Miller has been a PIA member for 18 years.

The Kansas City Chapter of the CPCU Society recently elected new officers.

Bill West, of Olathe, underwriting manager for Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, will assume the role of chapter president. West has served in various offices of the local Society chapter, as well as several community and church boards.

Other newly elected chapter officers include: President-elect David Keheler, of the Haas & Wilkerson brokerage firm; Vice President John Van de Voort with the Travelers Insurance Co.; and Secretary/Treasurer Carl Dodson CPCU with Swiss Re.

Iowa Mutual Insurance Company and its subsidiary, Iowa American Insurance Company recently announced during the policyholder meeting the election of two new members to its Board of Directors.

Alan R. Tubbs, Ph. D., has been elected to a two-year term on the Iowa Mutual Insurance Company Board of Directors. Tubbs is president, CEO and member of the board of directors of Ohnward Bancshares Inc., and CEO of Maquoketa State Bank in Maquoketa, Iowa.

Thomas R. Cole has been elected to a two-year term on the Iowa Mutual Insurance Company board of directors. Cole is senior vice president of Marketing and Claims.

Topics Agencies Iowa