AA&B’s new editorial advisory board
Since 1929, agents and brokers have turned to our publication for practical advice on agency success. But in today’s unprecedented and chaotic financial services landscape, AA&B readers face a unique set of needs that we wanted to be sure we were meeting.
To help achieve this goal, we invited a panel of experts to join our newly created AA&B editorial advisory board. We sought recognized professionals in the property-casualty industry whose achievements, contributions and judgment are known and valued.
These 11 members are charged with advice and counsel on our editorial content and direction to produce a publication that will best serve the agent and broker.
We’re proud to introduce them to you:
Bart Anderson, senior vice president, member services and communications, National Association of Mutual Insurance Cos. (NAMIC)
Anderson brings more than 16 years of insurance management experience to his position heading NAMIC's membership and communication efforts. Before joining NAMIC, Anderson served as an operations vice president for Conseco Services LLC in Carmel, Ind., and as vice president/director of sales for GRE Insurance Group, also in Carmel. He previously served as marketing manager for AIG Specialty Auto and manager of AiNetwork, an AIG enterprise headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga.; and as territory manager and later operations team leader with Progressive Corporation in Cleveland. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Highway Loss Data Institute. He has also earned the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. Visit the NAMIC Web site at www.namic.org.
Ted Besesparis, SVP Communications, PIA National
Ted Besesparis is senior vice president of communications for the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, Alexandria, Va., where he is responsible for communicating the association’s public policy positions. Before joining PIA National in 1995, he was a reporter and radio talk show host in Palm Beach, Fla. and Washington, D.C. Besesparis is also publisher and editor-in-chief of the association’s magazine, PIA Connection and manages PIA National’s MarCom Award-winning branding program, Local Agents Serving Main Street America SM. Visit the PIA National Web site at www.pianet.com.
Richard M. Bouhan, executive director, NAPSLO
Richard Bouhan has nearly 40 years experience as an insurance trade association executive for property/casualty and health insurance groups. For more than 20 years, he has been the executive director of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO), which represents the wholesale segment of the specialty insurance marketplace. Over the years he has watched the surplus lines expand from less than 3 percent of the commercial insurance market to nearly 15 percent. A lawyer by training, Bouhan has extensive knowledge of the property/casualty insurance regulation and of the wholesale surplus lines distribution system including its products. Visit the NAPSLO Web site at www.napslo.org.
Anita Z. Bourke, executive VP, AICPCU
Anita Z. Bourke, CPCU, is executive vice president of the American Institute for CPCU and is responsible for the Institutes’ education programs. Before joining the Institutes, she was president of a regional brokerage firm’s retail offices, and worked in leadership positions for a national broker in both retail and wholesale brokerage for 17 years. Anita also has managed a reinsurance brokerage firm and has experience in insurance company underwriting for commercial accounts. She is a past national president of the CPCU Society and a graduate of the University of Alabama and the Wharton Executive Education Program. Visit the AICPCU Web site at www.aicpcu.org.
Ken A. Crerar, president, Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB)
Ken A. Crerar is president of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, an association representing the top tier of insurance brokers who collectively place more than 80 percent of the commercial property/casualty insurance premiums in the United States each year. He has held the lead job at the association since 1992. Ken joined The Council in 1987 as chief lobbyist and director of the political action committee. Previously, he spent five years with the Footwear Industries of America, where he rose through the ranks to the job of vice president and handled the association's lobbying on international trade issues. Under Ken's leadership, The Council has expanded six-fold and solidified its position as the leading representative of the largest and most successful insurance brokers in the nation. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce in May 2006 appointed him to serve on the prestigious Association Committee of 100 (C100). The C100 is comprised of the country’s leading association chief staff executives. He has also been on the Insurance-Letter's annual List of the 100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry since it began in 2001. Visit The Council's Web site at www.ciab.com.
Tim Cunningham, president, OPTIS Partners
Tim Cunningham is one of the founding principals of OPTIS Partners, a Chicago-based specialty investment banking consulting firm, with a singular focus on the insurance distribution sector. His career spans more than 35 years as both an agency principal and as an advisor and consultant to agencies and brokerages. Visit his Web site at www.optisins.com.
James R. Hackbarth, president and CEO, Assurex Global
James R. Hackbarth is president and CEO of Assurex Global, a partner-only organization representing select independent brokers on six continents. Partners are chosen following a rigorous 26-point selection process. Assurex Global has annual premium volume exceeding $28 billion and more than 550 offices worldwide. Under Jim's direction, the world headquarters in Columbus, Ohio coordinates partner meetings, carrier programs, proprietary services and other partner initiatives on both a global and regional basis. Visit the Assurex Web site at www.assurexglobal.com.
Bernd G. Heinze, executive director, AAMGA
Bernie Heinze is executive director of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA), representing the wholesale insurance marketplace. He is an attorney licensed to practice by the U.S. Supreme Court and the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania. Prior to his work with the AAMGA, he was a practicing trial attorney on a variety of property-casualty matters, a congressional assistant to Congressman Jack Kemp, and Capitol Hill correspondent to WAVA NewsRadio in Washington, D.C. He has been named as one of the “100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry – North America” by the Insurance Letter and Insurance Distribution magazine. Visit the AAMGA Web site at www.aamga.org.
Demmie Hicks, president and CEO, DBH Consulting, Atlanta
For 25 years, Demmie Hicks has helped organizations build and sustain growth: as a corporate leader, sales specialist and growth strategy consultant. Today, the founder and chief strategist of DBH Consulting helps agency and brokerage leaders shape and execute their vision for growth, a process that begins with evaluating the state of the company through the lens of an impartial third-party expert. Her work with leadership also includes collaborative growth planning; helping sales professionals generate greater results; developing execution plans and tracking their progress to goal; and strengthening the leadership abilities of company executives. Visit her Web site at www.dbhconsulting.com.
Gregory A. Maciag, president and CEO, ACORD
Gregory A. Maciag has 40 years of insurance industry experience with 33 years at ACORD. He has served as President & CEO since 1994 and his vision has positioned ACORD as a world-class nonprofit standards development organization (SDO) serving both national and international insurance markets. Maciag is a nationally recognized expert and columnist who authored hundreds of columns on business standards and technology advancements over the years. Prior to joining ACORD, he held information systems positions with the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Visit the ACORD Web site at www.acord.org.
Deb Ropelewski, director of education, PLUS
Deb Ropelewski has 35 years of experience in the property-casualty insurance industry, the last 26 of which have been in professional liability. She spent 23 years in medical professional liability as an underwriter and then as a reinsurance intermediary, before joining PLUS in late 2006. She has been involved in the administration of the Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU) designation since 1993, and has also served on the PLUS Board of Trustees. She holds the CPCU, AU, ARM, ARe and CPIW designations and serves on the Industry Liaison Committee for the Martin Chair of Insurance at Middle Tennessee State University. The Professional Liability Underwriting Society is an insurance association with more than 6,000 members who are involved in professional liability insurance. Visit the PLUS Web site at www.plusweb.org