People – South Central

Excess workers’ compensation insurance provider, Safety National Casualty Corp., announced a number of management appointments that became effective March 1.

Tom Grove, assistant vice president – business development, assumed the role as vice president – business development.

Stan Simek, director of excess workers’ compensation, assumed the role of vice president – excess workers’ compensation underwriting.

Nick Kriegel, assistant general counsel, is now vice president and assistant general counsel.

Michael Kim, director – loss portfolio transfer, is now vice president – loss portfolio transfer.

Debbie Biggane, assistant vice president – ceded reinsurance, assumed the role as vice president – ceded reinsurance.

Mike Harris, assistant vice president – claims, is now vice president – claims.

Rich Gilmore, assistant vice president – business development, assumed the role of vice president – Eastern region.

Safety National is an alternative market insurance provider that offers a broad range of risk funding products through insurance agents and brokers. Founded in 1942, Safety National provides excess workers’ compensation coverage to self-insured employers and groups nationwide. Safety National is a member of the Tokio Marine Group.

Maj. Gen. Josue “Joe” Robles Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), president and CEO of USAA, announced he will retire from the company in the first quarter of 2015. He has worked for the San Antonio-based company, which insures military families, for nearly 20 years.

After serving on the USAA board of directors from 1990 to 1994 while on active duty, Robles joined the company in 1994 as chief financial officer and controller. He also served as corporate treasurer and chief administrative officer before assuming the role of CEO and president in 2007.

Prior to USAA, Robles was recognized numerous times for service and honor during his distinguished 28-year career in the U.S. Army, where he served as commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) among other assignments.

Dr. Jay Cannon of Oklahoma City, a former hospital chief of staff, has been named medical director of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Cannon has more than 40 years of experience in the medical field, including medical director and associate chief of staff for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and chief of staff of the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Hospital. Cannon was also chief of staff at Integris Baptist Medical Center.

Jeffrey Zewe has been appointed as director of the Louisiana Automobile Theft and Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (LATIFPA) at the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI).

Zewe received his Juris Doctorate from the Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Jefferson Parish Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Political Science Association.

Burns & Wilcox Brokerage hired Robert “Buddy” Taylor as casualty broker in the firm’s North Dallas office.

Taylor, whose expertise has been in the trucking excess/umbrella arena, has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, most recently with a national brokerage operation located in Dallas.

Taylor joins David Gross, managing director, in the newly opened Burns & Wilcox Brokerage office in North Dallas.

Burns & Wilcox Brokerage is growing rapidly in the Dallas-area. Its sister company, Burns & Wilcox, also has offices located in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston.

Dallas-based electronic insurance exchange and specialty MGA, MarketScout, has expanded its national fine art and collectibles program with three new hires: Donna Hester, underwriter; Susan Soloman, underwriter; and Cheryl Fogel, underwriting assistant.

The underwriting team will operate out of MarketScout’s Itasca, Ill., office and will focus on underwriting a diverse range of risks for both commercial and personal fine art exposures.

MarketScout also expanded its commercial specialty program underwriting practice with the addition of Greg Whaley as assistant vice president, lead underwriter of its new national animal mortality facility. Whaley will oversee the firm’s underwriting facility from MarketScout’s Omaha, Neb., office.

Whaley has more than 24 years of experience in underwriting mortality risks. Prior to joining MarketScout, Whaley served as vice president, lead program manager at a global insurance company.

In his new role at MarketScout, Whaley will lead a team of underwriters that will specialize in insuring equine, bovine, exotic, and canine animals.

Topics Louisiana Oklahoma