People

Central Insurance Companies of Van Wert, Ohio, announced the retirements of Michael E. Thompson and George J. Gress. Additionally, Central promoted Jana L. Ringwald to vice president of Commercial Underwriting for its Central Mutual and All America subsidiaries, and Patrick J. Jackson to vice president and manager of the Central regional office in Van Wert.

Thompson, senior vice president of Commercial Underwriting, has retired after nearly 38 years of service with the company. He has spent his entire career in the insurance industry with Central.

Gress is retiring from his position as vice president and manager of the Central regional office in Van Wert. Gress has been with Central for 15 years, beginning his career in 1995 as Central regional office manager and vice president. Prior to working with Central, Gress worked as a premium auditor and held various underwriting, marketing and management positions with another company for almost 23 years.

Ringwald will fill the position vacated by Thompson upon his retirement. She previously held the position of assistant vice president, Commercial Underwriting. As vice president of Commercial Underwriting, Ringwald is responsible for commercial underwriting, loss control, underwriting operations, premium audit and Central Insurex. She also manages the corporate reinsurance programs and serves as the chair of Central’s Risk Management Committee.

Ringwald has been employed by Central Insurance for 28 years. She holds various insurance designations including Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriting (CPCU) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).

Jackson will fill the position vacated by the retirement of Gress. Jackson previously held the position of commercial lines underwriting manager and marketing manager for the region. As regional vice president, Jackson will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Central Regional office including claims, commercial lines underwriting, personal lines underwriting and marketing.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Lockton Companies LLC opened a Minneapolis employee benefits consulting practice headed by vice president/team lead Melody Linn. With more than 13 years of experience in benefits consulting, Linn’s areas of expertise include comprehensive health and welfare program reviews, population health management and financial underwriting.

Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. appointed new commercial underwriting officers in several branch offices:

Jamie Gibbins has more than 20 years of insurance experience. She began her insurance career at Kemper and moved into roles of increasing responsibility, including serving as Philadelphia branch manager for the past three years. She will be based in Washington, D.C.

Charlie O’Donnell joins CNA from Zurich North America, where he most recently served as vice president of commercial markets for the four-state region of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He is based in Dallas.

Michael O’Mahony is a 20-year veteran of Can, who started as an underwriting trainee and moved into roles of increasing responsibility. He most recently served as an underwriting director in the Florida branch. He will remain in Florida.

Jon Paulsen served 23 years with Travelers, where he began as an associate property and casualty underwriter. Most recently, he served as chief underwriting officer for its public sector and entertainment divisions. He will be based in Minneapolis.

Workers’ compensation insurer, United Heartland, in New Berlin, Wis., appointed Rick Bartelme as director of loss control. Prior to accepting this position, Bartelme served as a loss control manager overseeing staff in Wisconsin and Illinois. He joined United Heartland as a loss control consultant in 1992.

Insurance transportation MGA and wholesale broker Transportation Risk Services (TRS) in Barrington, Ill., added Sandra Bailey as vice president.

Bailey has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. She joins TRS from Crump, where she spent 10 years as a transportation broker specializing in public auto, local and long-haul trucking accounts.

Terry S. Morse, of Westerville, Ohio, was hired by the Professional Insurance Agents Association of Ohio Inc. (PIA) to serve as director of Membership Services/Sales.

Prior to coming to PIA, Morse served as national sales manager for Gibson Guitar Corp., where he managed and directed the North American operations of sales, marketing and product distribution.

Heffernan Insurance Brokers announced that Simonne de Villiers joined the firm’s Chesterfield, Mo., office as a benefits specialist. De Villiers previously was an insurance broker for Aflac, offering voluntary, ancillary and major medical policies.

American Westbrook Insurance Services, based in Westchester, Ill., hired Greg Bell as new business development manager. Bell brings more than 10 years of sales experience to his new position.

The new business development department will work together as a team to acquire new business and to increase company sales.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn appointed workers’ compensation attorney Mitchel R. Weisz as acting chairman of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Amy Masters, who has been heading the organization since the retirement of Paul Rink in late February, returns to her previous position of secretary of Commission and Operations manager.

Rink had been with the IWCC since 1991.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services hired Lisa Flick as a commercial lines account executive in its Fargo, N.D., office. Flick will be responsible for servicing an existing book of commercial lines business. Flick joins Wells Fargo with more than 15 years of administrative experience. Prior to joining the company, she was an account executive for Vaaler Insurance.

USG Insurance Services, a national wholesale insurance agency, hired Chris Janis as underwriter/broker in its Palatine, Ill., office.

Janis previously was an underwriter at Atlantic Specialty. His experience includes positions at Insurance One/Affirmative Insurance Holdings in sales, and mortgage sales with Illinois Mortgage Funding Inc. Janis has experience selling various lines of insurance, including commercial liability, professional liability, management liability, auto, home, health and life.

Topics Auto Agencies Workers' Compensation Ohio Underwriting Illinois