People – South Central

Louisiana-based Specialty Risk Associates Inc. promoted two and added employees in its Shreveport office.

Kelly Babin assumed the position of controller. Babin, a Certified Public Accountant, joined Specialty Risk in 2010 as assistant controller.

Tiffany Cole was promoted to commercial lines underwriter. Cole, a licensed property and casualty agent, has been with Specialty Risk for more than eight years.

Specialty Risk also added Katie Sanford, Emily Grisso, Bre Lewis and Ellen Erwin in its Shreveport location.

Lewis was added to the Specialty Risk accounting department.

Sanford, a licensed P/C agent with a degree in Risk Management and Insurance, joined Specialty Risk Associates as an underwriter 1.

Grisso joined the Specialty Risk team as an underwriter 1. She also is a licensed P/C agent and previously worked for a local retail agency.

Erwin was added as a commercial lines assistant underwriter. Prior to joining Specialty Risk, she was employed at a retail agency, and is a licensed P/C agent.

Specialty Risk has offices located in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Brent Howell has been named vice president and account executive of Austin, Texas-based Watkins Insurance Group’s employee and group benefits department. Howell will lead Watkins’ Benefits department, which offers employee and group benefits as well as individual life and health plans.

Howell served as a group benefits consultant for four years and formerly was with USI Southwest.

Watkins Insurance Group has seven locations throughout Texas, including offices in Marble Falls, Waco, Longview, Tyler, Mineola and Holly Lake.

The Republic Group, headquartered in Dallas, has made several executive appointments.

Ron Lawson was appointed vice president, Marketing. He joined Republic in 2004 and previously was with Safeco and Cypress Texas Lloyds in various management roles. Lawson currently serves on the Texas Fair Plan Board of Governors and is a board member of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, AFACT and Texas Medical Liability Insurance Underwriting Association.

Lisa Underwood is now vice president, Personal Lines. Underwood joined Republic in 2006. Prior to joining Republic, Underwood was with Chubb Insurance.

Larry Westerfield was appointed vice president, human resources. He joined Republic in 1979.

Stephen B. Smith has joined the team at HR Benefits in Dallas, Texas. He has more than 28 years’ experience in the industry and an extensive commercial brokerage and insurance company background. Smith previously was chief operating officer at Aon Risk Services Southwest.

Dallas-based BenefitMall announced that Charles Lathrop will be stepping down as president and chief revenue officer effective later this year. Lathrop will stay on as an advisor and investor in the company.

Todd Waletzki, chief operating officer, will assume the operations responsibility for BenefitMall’s third party administration services.

Kathey Palmer, senior vice president, will now manage the after payroll services sales, as well as business development and mid market sales.

BenefitMall also announced that Wendy Gibson has joined the company as marketing team lead. She has more than 20 years of marketing, sales and leadership experience. Most recently, Gibson was chief marketing officer at Dallas-based Telligent.

Through an equity financing led by Austin Ventures, BenefitMall merged with CompuPay in May 2012.

Topics Texas