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Todd Teitell, executive vice president and branch leader of AmWINS Brokerage of Texas in Dallas, has been elected president of the Texas Surplus Lines Association Inc.

Other elected TSLA officers for the coming year include: Vice President Robin Stough, Dallas; and Secretary/Treasurer Susan Gropp, executive vice president, Arcana Insurance Services, Dallas.

New TSLA directors elected for three-year terms are: Shawn Fabors, RISC Inc.; Randle Loving, Texas Commercial Insurance Facilities; and Robert McEwen, The Parks Group Inc.

Existing TSLA directors are: Mike Berry, Specialty Insurance Managers Inc.; Penny Coody, Delta General Agency Corp.; Karen Grubbs, RSI International Inc.; Susan Hancock, McClelland & Hine Inc.; Anna Kizer, Myron Steves; Bart Schaffer, Colony Group; Connie Verdile, Catlin Inc.; and Jace Westbrook, Quirk & Co.

The TSLA Executive Committee consists of the current officers and the immediate past president, Monte Stringer, U.S. Risk Inc.

TSLA’S “President’s Award” was presented to Kathy van Eeten, chairperson of the Advertising Committee.

The Avrohm Wisenberg scholarship recipients were Mari Beth Matott,The Parks Group Inc.; and Roshonda Osborne, Towerstone Inc. Matott received a CIC scholarship and Osborne received a CISR scholarship. In addition, both will receive a cash prize of $100 after course completion. The scholarships are donated by The National Alliance.

Houston Surplus Lines won the full CAM or ACSR scholarship donated to TSLA by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas.

ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, has appointed Keith Mattheessen as senior vice president for ACE Risk Management’s (ARM) Houston region, and Laura Vest as senior vice president and branch manager for ARM in Dallas.

Based in Houston, Mattheessen adds this new role to his responsibilities as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer of the ARM Energy Underwriting Unit. Mattheessen has more than 26 years of insurance and underwriting management experience. He joined ACE USA in 1999.

Based in Dallas, Vest has more than 20 years in the insurance and risk management arena. She joined ACE Risk Management in 2005, and most recently served as vice president and regional underwriting manager. Vest holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional designation.

El Paso, Texas-based JDW Insurance has appointed Roxanne Earley as an account executive in the JDW Life & Health Benefits Division.

Earley earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at El Paso with a focus in Marketing and International Business. She also studied abroad at Centre International de Valbonne (CIV) located in Nice, France. Earley served as president of the American Marketing Association and was also involved as an officer in the Financial Management Association.

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Great American Insurance Group’s Property and Inland Marine Division has promoted two insurance executives: Grace Thomas and Cecil Wilson.

Thomas was promoted to divisional senior vice president, with responsibility for the Northeast area of the United States.

Wilson has been promoted to divisional senior vice president and has assumed responsibility for the Dallas, Houston, Denver, Tulsa, Cincinnati and Chicago offices. He will also continue to direct the national cargo unit.

Chris Lowder has joined Giddings, Texas-based Insurance Network of Texas, as director of Marketing and Advertising. A sales and marketing executive with expertise in brand development, Lowder will be responsible for working with sales, senior staff and agency partners to develop, package and effectively communicate the Insurance Network of Texas brand.

Lowder has worked in the advertising/marketing industry for more than a decade. He previously worked on marketing and advertising initiatives for Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Shiner Beers, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses and several other consumer brands.

Allied American Underwriters (AAU), a national program manager and subsidiary of USG Holding/USG Insurance Services, named Richard Jenkins as director of Personal Lines. AAU Personal Lines is based in Mandeville, La.

Jenkins developed his career in the insurance industry throughout 21 years of service dedicated to the growth of First Premium Insurance Group (FPIG), most recently as executive vice president.

AAU Personal lines specializes in vacant homes, coastal homes, and high valued homeowners on a national basis, as well as other coverages. AAU Personal Lines writes clients on both an admitted and non-admitted basis.

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford has selected Dr. Lowell Nicholas as Insurance Deputy Commissioner at the Arkansas Insurance Department. In addition, Cynthia Crone of Little Rock has been hired to assist the Arkansas Insurance Department in planning for the development of its Health Insurance Exchange.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has appointed Patrick W. Bell Deputy Commissioner of Minority Affairs at the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

Bell replaces former Deputy Commissioner of Minority Affairs, Richard Chambers, who retired in July.

Bell has been active in the insurance industry since his appointment in September 2009 to the Louisiana Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Board of Directors.

Dallas-based Equity Risk Partners-Texas (ERP-Texas) has appointed Michael T. Viracola as director of Business Development. Viracola has more than 20 years of experience in institutional investment services, and has held various senior-level positions focusing on client service and global business development within this sector.

ERP-Texas was recently established as a joint venture between insurance brokers Equity Risk Partners (ERP) and Lipscomb & Cathey (L&C).

Goss Reinsurance Brokers LLC, a privately owned reinsurance intermediary firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has added Kirk Conrad as partner in the firm. He will lead Goss Re’s quantitative analysis effort including catastrophe and risk modeling, actuarial consulting, and financial analysis.

Prior to joining Goss Re, Conrad served as vice president, reserving actuary at Affirmative Insurance. He also previously served as an investment analyst at HBK Capital Management. Conrad began his insurance career as an actuarial consultant at Towers Perrin in Dallas, Texas. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuary Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Farmers Insurance has appointed Rick Shriver senior vice president of field operations, Southwest Zone. The Zone includes Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Shriver has more than 24 years of experience in a variety of operations, including marketing, sales, and executive director — Washington before assuming his current responsibilities.

He joined Farmers in May 1986 as a sales management trainee out of the Colorado Springs, Colo., regional office. He has been vice president — commercial marketing since 2005.

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