People

Ohio-based Westfield Insurance Group selected James R. Clay as its next group leader and CEO. Clay currently serves as insurance leader and president. He has served the company for more than 30 years in numerous capacities.

Clay will replace Robert J. Joyce, chair of Westfield Group, who has announced plans to retire in March 2012. He will serve as the executive chair of the Westfield board until his retirement. Joyce serves on the board of governors of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and is a past chair of that organization.

Clay serves on the board of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and on the North American Insurance Advisory Council for IBM. He also is a member of the Insurance Information Institute.

Edward J. Largent was named as Westfield’s next insurance leader and president. Largent joined Westfield in 1986. He currently serves as group administration leader and has served in a number of roles including group leader of Information Technology.

The three individuals will assume their new duties effective Jan. 1, 2011.

Wichita, Kan.-based independently owned retail insurance broker IMA Inc. announced that Kathie L. Maley joined IMA’s Wichita office as a vice president and risk manager in the Risk Management Group of IMA’s Specialty Risk Services division.

At IMA, Maley’s primary focus will be with larger risk management clients with significant and complex risk programs and structure. Maley brings 22 years of insurance and risk management experience including operations management, product delivery, customer service, safety and claims administration. She was formerly a senior vice president at Marsh.

In addition to Wichita, IMA has offices in Dallas, Denver, Kansas City and Topeka, Kan.

LeRoy Bostic of Lewis & Thompson in Detroit was named president of the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA). The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents is a statewide trade group that represents approximately 10,000 independent agents and industry employees.

The Hartford named Andy Napoli president of Consumer Markets division. Napoli will lead The Hartford’s plan to grow its AARP auto and homeowners insurance program, as well non-AARP business.

Napoli spent the past decade managing consumer insurance businesses and operations, including serving in a variety of product, pricing and claims roles at Progressive and Nationwide. He was most recently with the CUNA Mutual Group, an insurance company focused on serving Credit Unions across the country

Brown & Brown Inc. promoted J. Scott Penny to the position of regional president. Penny, who has served as a regional executive vice president since 2002, is responsible for oversight of retail profit center operations of Brown & Brown subsidiaries in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and Washington.

Penny began his career with Brown & Brown in 1989 in Daytona Beach, Fla. He holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation.

Independent retail insurance broker Alper Services LLC, headquartered in Chicago, added Art Cerda and Jennifer L. Henderson to its staff.

Cerda was hired as an account manager and has several years of experience as a commercial lines account executive for major global insurance brokers.

Henderson was hired as an administrative assistant. She previously was an administrative assistant and customer service representative at a global insurance broker.

Michigan-based Fremont Insurance Co. appointed Ashley Whitney of Harbor/Brenn Agencies in Petoskey, Mich., to the company’s Agent’s Advisory Council. Whitney also was asked to serve on the recently formed Technology Committee.

Fremont’s Agent’s Advisory Council represents the interests of agencies and provide agents with an opportunity to offer perspective on issues related to new initiatives and services. The Technology committee was created to help the company evaluate and implement new technologies that will help the company improve communications and offer new services to agents and customers.

Fremont Michigan InsuraCorp Inc. is the holding company for Fremont Insurance Co.

Dennis Smith of Columbia, Mo., was honored as the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents’ Insurance Person of the Year.

Smith received the award in acknowledgement of his 40-year career in the insurance industry, during which he served as an independent agent, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and the Senate, and the CEO of the state’s top workers’ compensation provider.

Smith served as president and CEO of Missouri Employers Mutual from its inception in 1994 through June 2009. His insurance career began in 1967, and in addition to working for companies, he has owned his own independent insurance agency. Smith was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1978 and then to the Missouri Senate.

Smith served two terms as a company representative on the MAIA board of directors. In addition, he has served on the boards of several other organizations in the industry and in his community.

Doreen DeLaney joined Grange Insurance, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, as vice president of human resources and community relations.

DeLaney has more than 20 years of experience in leading operational, strategic and human resources functions for a number of companies ranging from leading consulting organizations to financial services companies, such as banking and insurance.

She most recently held the position of senior vice president of human resources and shared services for First Data Corp. in Atlanta.

United Heartland, based in New Berlin, Wis., appointed Patrick Walsh vice president of claims and managed care.

Walsh came to United Heartland from The Hartford, where he served as senior vice president, Property & Casualty Field Claim Operations. Prior to joining The Hartford, Walsh served as vice president of claims for Sentry Insurance Co. in Stevens Point, Wis.