
2024 Conference Speakers
Industry Members
Patricia Adams
Independence Pet Group
Patricia Adams - Independence Pet Group
The Ins and Outs of Pet Insurance
Jennifer Aiello
Sydney Consulting Group
Jennifer Aiello - Sydney Consulting Group
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Administering State-Specific Variations
Taylor Anderson
Prudential
Taylor Anderson - Prudential
Mental Health Product Offerings & Limitations
Zac Anshutz
Sammons Financial Group
Zac Anshutz - Sammons Financial Group
What’s New in Standard of Care Regulation (Suitability, Best Interest and the DOL)
Holly Blanchard
Regulatory Insurance Advisors
Holly Blanchard - Regulatory Insurance Advisors
Holly Blanchard is the President of Regulatory Insurance Advisors, LLC (RIA), a consulting firm specializing in insurance regulatory matters and Enterprise Risk Management. Holly formed RIA in January 2016, along with her partner Pieter Williams. In her role, Holly provides services for state and federal regulators, and insurance carriers and oversees a team of dynamic individuals that provide exceptional regulatory guidance and consulting for our clients. Holly has over 20 years of insurance experience including extensive market conduct, Affordable Care Act (ACA), and overall regulatory expertise and experience.
Holly previously served as Life and Health Administrator for the Nebraska Department of Insurance (Department). In this capacity, Holly oversaw the Department’s product and rate operations for life and health insurance, including the Department’s implementation of the ACA. Holly also served as the Department’s Market Conduct Examiner in Charge where she managed Market Conduct Examinations for all lines of insurance.
Holly’s primary areas of consulting include: comprehensive market conduct examinations; specialty and targeted market conduct examinations; market conduct risk-assessments for insurers and regulators; creating examination best practices; ACA regulation; Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder parity regulation; product filing development and compliance; student health plan expertise; annuity suitability; market regulation training; sampling training; property and casualty; surplus lines; reinsurance and market regulation best practices for insurers and regulators.
Holly holds several industry designations, is a Past-President and Board of Director member for the Insurance Regulatory Examiner’s Society (IRES), and a past Board of Director member for the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP). Holly also is actively involved in multiple committees and sub-committees of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Additionally, she presents at National Trade Organization conferences frequently as a subject matter expert in varied insurance topics.
Best Practices for Property & Casualty Market Conduct Exams
Christian Brito
GT Law
Christian Brito - GT Law
Christian Brito focuses his practice on national insurance regulatory, corporate, legislative, and transactional matters. Christian represents insurers, reinsurers, and a wide variety of other insurance-related entities and is a recognized thought leader on national insurance regulatory and compliance matters. He has taken a leadership position in insurance trade organizations, including serving as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Torts Insurance Practice Section, Insurance Regulation Committee, and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in insurance law. Christian has also been ranked as an Associate to Watch by Chambers & Partners for three consecutive years.
Reciprocals 101
Privacy – There’s A Lot Going On
Douglas Brown
Trilogy Actuarial
Douglas Brown - Trilogy Actuarial
We Aren’t Afraid of Innovation (Annuity Product Updates)
Lisa Brown
APCIA
Lisa Brown - APCIA
Lisa Brown is Senior Director, Market Conduct and Counsel at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA). Prior to the merger of the American Insurance Association (AIA) and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America to form APCIA, Lisa had been with AIA since 1994 and, most recently, directed the AIA Law Department’s program on compliance and regulatory reform issues. She also managed AIA’s legal research and surveys, and oversaw AIA’s Legislative Reporting Service. In her position at APCIA, Lisa continues to have responsibility for compliance and regulatory reform policy issues. Lisa has participated on numerous panels at the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP), the annual NAIC E-Reg Conference, the Annual IRES Foundation National School on Market Regulation, the IRES Career Development Seminar, the American Conference Institute’s National Forum on Insurance Regulation, and the Insurance Consumer Affairs Exchange (ICAE).
Lisa earned her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law, with a concentration in Regulatory Law, and her B.S.B.A. from the University of Richmond, E. Claiborne Robins School of Business. She is a member of the District of Columbia bar. Lisa is a member of the Board of Directors of the IRES Foundation and is also a member of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals.
Update on Climate
NAIC and NCOIL Updates
Matt Capece
Carpenter’s Union
Matt Capece - Carpenter's Union
Employer Workers’ Compensation Premium Fraud: The $25 Billion Gorilla
Craig Collins
Craig CollinsIntact Insurance
Craig Collins - Intact Insurance
Craig M. Collins is a Chief Underwriting Officer for Intact Specialty Solutions. He oversees Risk Control, Audit, and governance for Specialty Businesses within the organization.
Collins joined Intact (formerly OneBeacon) in 2005. He has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry and has worked with risks across the United States. Collins also spent time with Global Risks at Lloyds of London.
Collins is a frequent presenter to national, regional and state associations, and also provides training directly to clients on a local level.
Additionally, articles authored by Collins have been published in national, regional and state association magazines. His topics have ranged from emerging cyber liability risks, directors and officers liability, property and liability.
Underwriting and Governance – Let’s “NOT” Call the Whole Thing Off!
Daniel Cotter
Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC
Daniel Cotter - Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC
Property & Casualty Q&A
OFAC, What Now?
Sean Cox
First Consulting & Administration
Sean Cox - First Consulting & Administration
Sean Cox – President
Sean has been with First Consulting since 1995 and during that time has progressed through many different roles within the firm, including performing filing services, managing these filing teams, product drafting, advertising compliance, licensing and marketing. Experience includes group and individual life, annuity and health filings, personal and commercial property and casualty filings, and general compliance matters. Sean has held numerous regional and national officer positions within the AICP, received the AICP President’s Award, and is a frequent speaker for multiple organizations.
Corporate Transformation: Strategies for Successful Re-Domestication and Corporate Changes
Conjuring Compliance Through Compliance Training
Rebecca Criswell
Americo
Rebecca Criswell - Americo
Keeping an Eye on Third Parties: TPA monitoring and audits
Cailie Currin
Currin Compliance Services, Inc.
Cailie Currin - Currin Compliance Services, Inc.
Cailie has been President of Currin Compliance Services, Inc., an insurance compliance consulting firm for the last 16 years. In 2022, she acquired and began writing and publishing the weekly newsletter Insurance Compliance Insight. Prior to starting her business, she was a regulator at the then New York State Insurance Department and a partner at two law firms, one in New York City and one in Albany, NY, representing life insurers in various legal and compliance matters. Sandwiched in between the law firms, she was in-house counsel as a product attorney at a major life insurance company.
Cailie lives on a small hobby farm in upstate NY. Her passions include epic bike tours, training her Icelandic horse, donkeys, and dog, Gator.
New York Has Been Busy, But What is Really New?
Break the Spell of Money Laundering and Other Financial Crimes by Using Risk Assessments and Compliance Programs
Medicare Advantage Advertising Under Fire
Kellee da Roza
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
Kellee da Roza - Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
Prior to that, she worked at Employers Insurance Company within the Corporate Underwriting and Corporate Actuarial departments. Her paralegal studies were beneficial to enter the world of Insurance Regulatory and Compliance. Kellee also has years of experience in the Financial Industry. Kellee is the current Vice President of the Western Chapter has been volunteering on the National level participating on committees for the AICP Annual Conference for years.
Kellee enjoys spending time with family including her three Golden Retrievers, hiking and anything that involves being outside in nature.
All Things California
Crystal Darling
AgentSync
Crystal Darling - AgentSync
How to Solve for Producer Compliance
Lee Davidson
Berkley Accident and Health
Lee Davidson - Berkley Accident and Health
Companywide Compliance – Why Compliance Matters Across Company Operations
Benjamin Davis
Sydney Consulting
Benjamin Davis - Sydney Consulting
Ben holds a Juris Doctor from the Creighton University School of Law, a Master of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design where he received the Malcom C. Propes Fellowship and Mary Rene Whelan Scholarship, and Bachelors of Arts in both Philosophy and Anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Divining the Range of ET Risk Positions
Lori DenHerder
Sammons Financial Group
Lori DenHerder - Sammons Financial Group
Lori DenHerder, Assistant Vice President – Compliance Investigations has over 23 years of experience in the life, health and annuity insurance industry. She currently oversees the Complaint Investigations and Special Investigations Units at Sammons Financial Group. Ms. DenHerder has experience with underwriting, complaint handling, market conduct exams, product filing, advertising review, legislative research and overall insurance compliance knowledge. Ms. DenHerder has over 17 year of experience in investigating various insurance fraud schemes involving providers, insureds and agents, internal employee fraud, and was the AML Compliance Officer and Privacy Officer at her prior organization. Ms. DenHerder has previously served as Vice President and President of the Heartland Chapter of AICP and currently serves as a Regional Director for AICP. Ms. DenHerder has 8 insurance designations and also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Iowa State University.
Conjuring Compliance Through Compliance Training
Jeanette Dixon
Manning | Kass LLP.
Jeanette Dixon - Manning | Kass LLP.
On June 2, 2013, Ms. Dixon appeared as a legal analyst on Fox News Channel’s America’s News Headquarters with Gregg Jarrett, wherein she participated in a live panel discussion regarding the admissibility of audio evidence against George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin murder case venued in Florida. She is currently a finalist in the inaugural University at Buffalo Fast 46 competition. Ms. Dixon was also an active arbitrator on behalf of the New York State Small Claims Court for numerous years.
Ms. Dixon is admitted to the State Bar of New York, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the United States Supreme Court. She was named the 2020 New York State Attorney of the Year and a Lawyer of Distinction within the area of Insurance Coverage in 2019. Ms. Dixon a board member of the Multi-Cultural Reinsurance Insurance Association (MRIA), an adjunct attorney member of the International Associations of Claims Professionals (IACP), member of the Federation of Defense and Corporation Counsel (FDCC) and Claims, Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) wherein she received her CLMP certification, and the Plus Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS).
Ms. Dixon received her Juris Doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law and her BA in Social Science Legal Studies/English from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Lead the Way – Step Up and Step In
Kathy Donovan
Wolters Kluwer
Kathy Donovan - Wolters Kluwer
New York Has Been Busy, But What is Really New?
Claude Ducloux
Law Offices of Claude E. Ducloux
Claude Ducloux - Law Offices of Claude E. Ducloux
Ethics – Don’t Be Skittish About Ethics and Compliance
Anita Dulmes
First Consulting & Administration
Anita Dulmes - First Consulting & Administration
Over 30 years of Home Office experience with product and form development and filing efforts for a broad variety of L&H products. Experience also includes regulatory research, advertising compliance, complex objection resolution, fraud review, TPA auditing and oversight and market conduct exams, including corrective action plans.
Say the Magic Words: RCM (For an Effective Regulatory Compliance Management Program)
Stephanie Dunstan
Arch Insurance
Stephanie Dunstan - Arch Insurance
I’ve Got the Magic in Me: Solutions for an Authentic & Inclusive Workplace
Robert Eaton
Milliman, Inc.
Robert Eaton - Milliman, Inc.
I’m a consultant to the Long-Term Care and Life insurance markets. Recently I’ve been developing and modeling hybrid policies with living benefits for life and annuity products. I work most often with companies selling individual or voluntary products in the worksite.
I serve as an Expert Witness on cases relating to LTC insurance.
I also work with companies on LTC rate increases, and I enjoy discussing the much-needed innovation in the LTCI and LTSS space. I value blocks of annuity, life, and LTC business for mergers, acquisitions, and reinsurance transactions.
Finally, I am a manager of Milliman’s novel LTC Advanced Risk Analytics product, which you can learn more about at www.milliman.com/LARA
It’s Alive! The Hybrid – Life & LTC
Sue Eckler-Kerns
Guardian Life
Sue Eckler-Kerns - Guardian Life
Ethics – Don’t Be Skittish About Ethics and Compliance
Loni Eichner
WebCE
Loni Eichner - WebCE
Loni has participated as a subject matter expert in multiple insurance exam writing/reviewing sessions for state P&C and adjuster exams.
Loni earned the SILA-Associate Designation in 2018 and is currently pursuing the SILA -Fellow and a Texas Adjuster license. Loni is currently serving as Co-Chair for the Texas Chapter of SILA.
How to Solve for Producer Compliance
Ali Foxworth
Wagmo
Ali Foxworth - Wagmo
The Ins and Outs of Pet Insurance
Sam Garro
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Sam Garro - Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Sam Garro is currently Senior Vice President of the Compliance Department at Philadelphia Insurance Companies. He received his BA degree with honors from Rutgers University and his law degree from Temple University’s (James E. Beasley) School of Law. He is currently licensed to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He holds the CPCU and ACP designations.
Sam has experience in many capacities in Compliance and Product Development with increasing responsibilities in management of those areas. He has managed compliance and product development units in both Life and Health and Property and Casualty.
Sam is active in continuing education and has presented numerous continuing education seminars for the Insurance Society of Philadelphia (ISOP) and the Institute of Strategic Educational Partners. He has twice been awarded the Outstanding Educator Award by ISOP and was a recipient of ISOP’s Mariellen Whelan Excellence in Education Award. Sam is active with the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals serving as Mid-Atlantic Chapter President and has coordinated, moderated and spoken at various sessions at both the local and national conferences.
Property & Casualty Q&A
Commercial Lines Deregulation – What Does it Really Mean?
Don George
Intact Insurance
Don George - Intact Insurance
Underwriting and Governance – Let’s “NOT” Call the Whole Thing Off!
Michael Goldman
Perr&Knight
Michael Goldman - Perr&Knight
Michael has provided property & casualty actuarial services since 2003. Prior to joining Perr&Knight’s Boca Raton, Florida office in 2015, Michael led a pricing team supporting personal automobile and homeowners at Liberty Mutual in Seattle, Washington. His other experience includes managing a pricing team supporting numerous niche insurance products at Assurant Specialty Property in Miami, Florida and providing actuarial analyst support at Key Risk Insurance Company, a workers’ compensation insurer in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Michael holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida, where he majored in Finance and minored in Actuarial Science. Michael became a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society in 2013 and is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Personal Auto – The Use of Gender in Rating
Credit-Based Insurance – An Overview of Personal and Commercial Lines
Andrea Greiber
Madison National Life Insurance Company
Andrea Greiber - Madison National Life Insurance Company
Life and health insurance industry for over 33 years.
Longtime member of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals.
Say the Magic Words: RCM (For an Effective Regulatory Compliance Management Program)
Darla Grimes
National Western Life Insurance Company
Darla Grimes - National Western Life Insurance Company
Break the Spell of Money Laundering and Other Financial Crimes by Using Risk Assessments and Compliance Programs
Cyndi Hall
Sammons Financial Group
Cyndi Hall - Sammons Financial Group
The Not-So-Wild West: The Role of Compliance in Insurtech
Complaint Handling – Lessons Learned
Alex Harrell
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Alex Harrell - Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Key Insurance Case Law, Regulatory Developments, and Industry Impact
Laura Helvey
Milliman, Inc.
Laura Helvey - Milliman, Inc.
Prior to joining Milliman, Laura worked with a life carrier as a senior underwriter. She has experience as both an underwriter and compliance consultant, where she specializes in licensing and assisting with underwriting guidelines.
Laura also works extensively with group and individual life and annuity products. Currently, she works with many startup companies and understands the unique compliance challenges a company will face when entering the insurance market. She has helped many companies navigate these challenges. She works with companies from the point of initial strategy regarding corporate formation to designing licensing strategy that focuses on a speed-to-market initiative.
Whether a company is entering its first state, expanding into new states or new lines of business, or dealing with other corporate changes (name changes, change of domicile, change of control, etc.), Laura can assist with navigating these challenges.
Life, Annuity & Health Q&A
Sunmi Hirata
Beazley Insurance Co
Sunmi Hirata - Beazley Insurance Co
Cyber Coverage – The Opportunities and Challenges of this Rapidly Evolving Risk
Terri Hitchcock
Thimble
Terri Hitchcock - Thimble
Terri Hitchcock’s insurance career has spanned the past 40 years, mostly on the insurance company side, in disciplines that include legal, compliance, underwriting, product design, company operations, reinsurance, and litigation management. She has been a member for AICP for 9 years and encourages those who have not yet joined to do so and take advantage of the incredible opportunities to develop professionally and to meet some incredibly talented industry professionals.
Compliance 101 & 201/202
Understanding Rate Filings for the Non-Actuary
Jason Hochman
expert.ai
Jason Hochman - expert.ai
Artificial Intelligence
Brandy Hoffman
CUNA Mutual Group
Brandy Hoffman - CUNA Mutual Group
Brandy Hoffman is a Compliance Operations Manager for CUNA Mutual Group with nearly 10 years in the life, health, and annuity industry. With a background in sales and marketing, she brings a unique perspective to compliance. Brandy has helped in the development of framework for compliance programs while helping support new products and sales channels. She has experience in advertising review, rate and form filing as well as creating process efficiencies, standardized reporting, and strategic consulting. Brandy is passionate about personal growth and professional development and serves on the leadership team for her organization’s Young Professional Society Employee Resource Group.
Brandy obtained her Masters in Business Administration from Mount Mercy University and graduated Cum Laude from St. Ambrose University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management including two minors: Pre-Law and Philosophy. She is currently working to obtain her AIRC- Associate, Insurance Regulatory Compliance designation. Brandy lives in Nashua, Iowa with her husband and 3 kids.
Corporate Transformation: Strategies for Successful Re-Domestication and Corporate Changes
Maureen James
Summit Compliance Group, LLC
Maureen James - Summit Compliance Group, LLC
With a career in compliance spanning more than three decades, Maureen’s expertise includes the insurance, securities and registered investment adviser industries, with an extensive background in advertising compliance. She has held numerous compliance management roles supporting corporate and field compliance initiatives. She has been recognized by NAFA as one of the women, past and present, pioneering annuity distribution. Maureen has previously held Series 6, 7, 24, 26, 63, and 65 registrations. At Summit Compliance, her expertise in invaluable in helping insurance carriers, producers and RIAs meet their regulatory obligations with practical, risk-based compliance solutions.
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo – Trick-Free Advertising!
Dan Jolivet
The Standard
Dan Jolivet - The Standard
Prior to joining The Standard, Dan worked in managed behavioral health care organizations for 20 years in a variety of management roles and was in clinical practice as a child psychologist until 2003.
Mental Health Product Offerings & Limitations
Fred Karlinsky
GT Law
Fred Karlinsky - GT Law
Fred Karlinsky is a Shareholder and Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice Group. Fred has over 30 years of experience representing the interests of insurers, reinsurers, and a wide variety of other insurance-related entities. He is a recognized authority on national insurance regulatory and compliance issues, has taken a leadership position in many insurance trade organizations, and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Florida Trend 500, and Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” for his work in insurance law. Recognized as the only Band 1 Florida insurance lawyer by Chambers & Partners and one of the most influential leaders in Florida politics by City & State Florida and INFLUENCE Magazine, Fred has in-depth knowledge of insurance compliance matters and has been a primary strategist in virtually all types of Florida insurance-related legislative initiatives. In addition to his role with Greenberg Traurig, Fred has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Florida State University College of Law since 2008. Since 2014 Fred has served on and currently chairs the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), where five of the seven current sitting Justices of the Florida Supreme Court have been appointed during Fred’s tenure on the JNC.
Reciprocals 101
Artificial Intelligence
Privacy – There’s A Lot Going On
Kysah Khokher
University of Texas
Kysah Khokher - University of Texas
I’ve Got the Magic in Me: Solutions for an Authentic & Inclusive Workplace
Richard Koon
Koon Group, LLC
Richard Koon - Koon Group, LLC
Property & Casualty Q&A
Stacy Koron
Ethos Technologies Inc.
Stacy Koron - Ethos Technologies Inc.
The Not-So-Wild West: The Role of Compliance in Insurtech
Christin Kuretich
Voya
Christin Kuretich - Voya
Mental Health Product Offerings & Limitations
Lisa Leftwich
Zurich
Lisa Leftwich - Zurich
Lead the Way – Step Up and Step In
David Levine
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
David Levine - Willkie Farr & Gallagher
David Levine is an associate in the Global Trade & Investment Group based in Washington, DC. He advises clients on international trade and government regulations, with a focus on national security-related matters including U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, CFIUS, and FARA. David has conducted internal investigations for, and advised clients from, the defense, technology, financial, and medical device industries related to compliance with a variety of statutory and regulatory obligations.
OFAC, What Now?
Marisa Matays
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Marisa Matays - Willkie Farr & Gallagher
compliance issues. Marisa regularly monitors international, federal and state insurance-related legislation and regulations for clients and regularly attends meetings of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Regulatory Developments Related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Considerations
Sheryl McDaniel
Allstate
Sheryl McDaniel - Allstate
Sheryl has over 40 year’s experience in life, health, and annuity compliance, product development, product filing, and system implementation experience. Sheryl has been a senior leader at Allstate for over 20 years and has led teams responsible for all aspects of new law analysis and corrective action plan implementation, contract development, state filing, product and system implementation, advertising review and state reporting.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Administering State-Specific Variations
Kelley McElreath
Lewis & Ellis
Kelley McElreath - Lewis & Ellis
Explore the Rituals of Making Group Insurance Filings
Dave Milligan
Athene USA
Dave Milligan - Athene USA
David has previously held various compliance leadership roles at other insurance companies. In his role at these companies, he was responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring compliance and market conduct policies, procedures and guidelines for the company, governing the marketing, sales, and administration practices of the companies products.
David is a member of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP), having served in numerous capacities including Regional Director of the Heartland Chapter, and President, Vice-president and Past President of the Heartland Chapter. Additionally, he has served on many national and chapter committees. David is the recipient of the AICP’s Robert W. Lennon Award.
Life, Annuity & Health Q&A
What’s New in Standard of Care Regulation (Suitability, Best Interest and the DOL)
Complaint Handling – Lessons Learned
Monica Milner
LexisNexis
Monica Milner - LexisNexis
AI/Big Data and Life Underwriting – Don’t Let it Drive You Batty
Kate Morgan
Transcarent
Kate Morgan - Transcarent
Golden State Update: What’s Trending in California
Lori Munn
AAIS
Lori Munn - AAIS
All Things California
Advisory Organizations – Dive into What and How They Work
Jeffrey Nash
The Nash Group LLC
Jeffrey Nash - The Nash Group LLC
Jeff Nash is the Principal of The Nash Group LLC, an insurance regulatory consulting firm that has been dominant in the P&C market drafting policies and forms, and re-engineering auto, home, property and other insurance products. The Nash Group provides legal services and 50-state compliance advice on insurance transactions and operations, regulatory compliance, regulatory negotiations, coverage issues, and the innovation of new and improved insurance product designs. In the first 17 of Mr. Nash’s insurance career he was Senior Managing Attorney at Progressive Insurance. In 2003 he started The Nash Group, providing forms, compliance and regulatory representation on a national basis with a small number of attorneys with similar experience and expertise. More recently Mr. Nash has assumed the additional responsibilities as General Counsel for Buckle Commercial Insurance, Gateway Ins. Co., American Service Ins. Co. and American Country Ins. Co. Mr. Nash is admitted to practice law in the states of Ohio and Georgia.
Regulator Hot Topics – P&C
Companywide Compliance – Why Compliance Matters Across Company Operations
2L – Automobile Insurance: What’s DRIVING You Crazy?
Grace Nicholas
Texas Mutual
Grace Nicholas - Texas Mutual
Senior Manager
Special Investigations Department
Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Grace graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. In 1993, Texas Mutual Insurance Company hired Grace as a Premium Fraud Investigator to investigate employers and insurance agents manipulating the workers’ compensation system to obtain lower premiums. In her 30 years with Texas Mutual Insurance Company, Grace promoted to various positions within the Special Investigations Department and currently holds the position of Senior Manager. The Special Investigations Department investigates fraud and abuse committed by claimants, policyholders, and health care providers. Grace has given numerous presentations and provided testimony in civil proceedings as well as before grand juries on matters involving premium fraud.
Employer Workers’ Compensation Premium Fraud: The $25 Billion Gorilla
Billy Onion
Milliman, Inc.
Billy Onion - Milliman, Inc.
Billy currently assists a variety of self-insured clients with reserve and funding analyses for workers compensation, general liability, auto, medical malpractice, directors & officers, and errors & omissions programs. In addition, he assists insurance companies and risk retention groups with reserve and pricing analyses for a variety of personal and commercial lines. Billy also provides actuarial support to state regulators for statutory financial examinations, rate filing reviews, and litigation.
Understanding Rate Filings for the Non-Actuary
Roger Osgood
Chubb Insurance
Roger Osgood - Chubb Insurance
Roger is a national Past President and active member of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP). He served the National Board of Directors as President, Vice President, and Regional Director. Roger also served the local chapter as Vice President, President and Past President. He continues to serve the Association focusing on regulator participation for chapter Education Days and AICP’s Annual Conference.
Roger has his AINS designation from The Institutes and his ACP and CCP designations from the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals. He received his MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.
Commercial Lines Deregulation – What Does it Really Mean?
Surplus Lines – How to Avoid Common Mistakes in the Non-Admitted Market
Companywide Compliance – Why Compliance Matters Across Company Operations
Laura Panesso
Insurance Services Office, Inc.
Laura Panesso - Insurance Services Office, Inc.
Laura Panesso has 25 years in the insurance industry, holding various positions of increasing responsibility in data management and analysis, analytic product management, and government relations with Insurance Services Office, Inc.. In her current position as Assistant Vice President – State Relations, Laura is responsible for all insurance department interactions including filings, education, outreach, and relationship management, provides leadership in the regulatory acceptance of Risk Analyzer, telematics, and other advanced analytics to facilitate customer adoption and use, and manages ISO’s statistical agent functions.
Ms. Panesso received her Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from New Jersey Institute of Technology, a Master of Arts in History of Technology, Environment and Medicine from Rutgers University, obtained the CPCU designation in 2015, and the Associate in Insurance Data Analytics (AIDA) designation in 2017.
Property & Casualty Q&A
Commercial Lines Deregulation – What Does it Really Mean?
Advisory Organizations – Dive into What and How They Work
NAIC and NCOIL Updates
Mark Pew
Work Comp College
Mark Pew - Work Comp College
The Cannabis Conundrum
Katie Pipkorn
Milliman, Inc.
Katie Pipkorn - Milliman, Inc.
Opening the Black Box of Predictive Analytics
Laurie Poulos
Tranzact
Laurie Poulos - Tranzact
Medicare Advantage Advertising Under Fire
Shawna Pope
First Consulting & Administration
Shawna Pope - First Consulting & Administration
We Aren’t Afraid of Innovation (Annuity Product Updates)
Mark Popilizio
Insurance Services Office, Inc.
Mark Popilizio - Insurance Services Office, Inc.
Third-Party Litigation Funding
Naomi Quick
Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Co
Naomi Quick - Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Co
Has over 20 years of experience in Product Compliance and Risk in both the Insurance and Financial Services industries. Currently responsible for the following areas Compliance Advertising, Product filings, Anti-money Laundering and OFAC review, Privacy, New Business Audits and both Life and Annuity product remediation.
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo – Trick-Free Advertising!
Karen Sabasteanski
Pacific Life
Karen Sabasteanski - Pacific Life
Dental/Vision Network Filing Considerations
Gary Sanginario
LexisNexis
Gary Sanginario - LexisNexis
AI/Big Data and Life Underwriting – Don’t Let it Drive You Batty
Michael Schwartz
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Michael Schwartz - Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Michael Schwartz focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, venture capital investments and corporate restructurings. He regularly advises private equity funds, insurers, brokers, insurtech innovators and other insurance sector clients on insurance M&A transactions and on a range of corporate and transactional matters.
Michael also represents private equity funds, public and privately held companies and startup enterprises in M&A and other transactional matters across many sectors, including life sciences, industrials, retail, food and agribusiness and technology. He has counseled clients on cross-border transactions and restructurings in Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East.
Mergers and Acquisitions in the Insurance Sector: Strategies for Success
Greg Scoblete
Verisk
Greg Scoblete - Verisk
P&C Emerging Issues
Tyrone Settlemier
AmTrust Financial Services, Inc.
Tyrone Settlemier - AmTrust Financial Services, Inc
Tyrone began his insurance career in 1991, when he agreed to a temporary 2-week job for the State Filings department of Valley Insurance Company in Albany, Oregon.. 2 weeks turned into 25 years, and he still finds the Insurance Compliance environment diverse and challenging.
Tyrone graduated from Oregon State University in 1996 with a BS in Mathematics. In 2002 he earned his CPCU designation. When Unitrin bought Valley Insurance, Tyrone moved to the Dallas, Texas area in 2004 in order to further his career in the compliance industry. He now works for AmTrust North America, who bought the Commercial Lines unit of Unitrin. AmTrust relocated Tyrone to the Cleveland, Ohio area in 2013. Since 2019 he has been Manager of Compliance for the Property lines of business.
Tyrone joined the Northwest chapter of the AICP in 1998. He has served on various committees since 2004, including serving as Website Co-chair. He became Treasurer for the South-Central chapter in 2008, then moved to Vice President of that chapter in 2011, and President in 2012. For the past seven years he has been Treasurer of the Midwest Chapter.
Tyrone was born and raised in Albany, Oregon, and now lives in Munroe Falls, Ohio. He is married with two sons. Hobbies include piano performance (2 released albums), philately, church activities, and running a website dedicated to the research of vintage phonograph recordings (http://www.78discography.com).
Companywide Compliance – Why Compliance Matters Across Company Operations
Hunter Sexton
Sydney Consulting Group
Hunter Sexton - Sydney Consulting Group
Hunter is a Compliance Consultant with Sydney Consulting Group and manages Sydney’s Legal Compliance division. He joined Sydney Consyulin 2020 after 10 years with major medical and government managed care carriers.
Hunter holds a Juris Doctor, Stetson University College of Law, Honors Graduate, Master of Healthcare Administration, University of South Florida College of Public Health, Honors Graduate, and Bachelor of Political Sciences, University of Florida.
The Federal Triagency Rule: Big Changes to HI and CI?
Cara St Martin
Ladder
Cara St Martin - Ladder Life
Cara St. Martin has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry with 25 of those years in the compliance arena. She is currently the VP of Compliance at Ladder – a fintech company that sells term life insurance online. She has worked for Ameriprise Financial (Director) and Allianz Life Insurance Company as the Senior Compliance Director and Chief Compliance Officer of the Separate Accounts. She has had responsibility for regulatory exams, complaints, Separate Account Compliance, wholesale BD compliance, testing, ensuring compliance is integrated into the business, policies, procedures and training. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Cara has a Bachelor’s degree in Education with a Certificate in Training and Development and a Master’s degree in Education.
AI/Big Data and Life Underwriting – Don’t Let it Drive You Batty
The Not-So-Wild West: The Role of Compliance in Insurtech
Elizabeth Tosaris
Locke Lord LLP
Elizabeth Tosaris - Locke Lord LLP
Elizabeth Tosaris is a partner in Locke Lord LLP’s San Francisco office. She has more than 30 years of insurance regulatory and insurance litigation experience. Her clients include a wide variety of insurers, HMOs, insurance producers, and other entities regulated by Departments of Insurance and similar government agencies. Elizabeth regularly advises clients on achieving compliance with insurance statutes and regulations, implementing claims and underwriting procedures and developing marketing strategies. She has an expertise in market conduct examinations and mergers and acquisitions.
View From The Top
Golden State Update: What’s Trending in California
Rina Valdez
GIS
Rina Valdez - GIS
I’ve Got the Magic in Me: Solutions for an Authentic & Inclusive Workplace
Brandi Waldner
Sydney Consulting Group
Brandi Waldner - Sydney Consulting Group
Brandi is a Senior Compliance Analyst for Sydney Consulting Group where she oversees the review of policy forms presented for initial filing in all jurisdictions. With almost 10 years in compliance, her supplemental product experience includes work with both group and individual Dental, Life, Accident, Cancer, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Disability product filings. Brandi’s efforts have proved invaluable to the success of Sydney’s clients.
Brandi resides in Columbia, SC with her husband and three spoiled dogs. In her spare time outside of work, she enjoys running, traveling, watching her nephew play baseball, and spending time with family and friends.
Dental/Vision Network Filing Considerations
Paige Waters
Locke Lord LLP
Paige Waters - Locke Lord LLP
Update on Climate – It’s More Than Just a Dark and Stormy Night
Christine Williams
Boston Mutual
Christine Williams - Boston Mutual
Ms. Williams is responsible for fostering a fully compliant environment at Boston Mutual Life, including interfacing with state and federal regulators. She also has oversight responsibility for producer contracting and commissions. Ms. Williams joined the company in 2018.
Prior to Boston Mutual Life, she was most recently Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance Officer at Matrix Venture Capital Management. Previously, she served as Assistant Vice President, Compliance, at Global Atlantic Financial Group. She held various positions at Aviva USA, including Director, Compliance; Director, Operational and Regulatory Risk; Senior Risk Analyst; and Market Conduct Analyst, as well as Manager, Licensing & Commissions. She began her career at Sun Life Financial in 1994.
Break the Spell of Money Laundering and Other Financial Crimes by Using Risk Assessments and Compliance Programs
Pieter Williams
Regulatory Insurance Advisors, LLC
Pieter Williams - Regulatory Insurance Advisors, LLC
Pieter is the General Counsel & Chief Operating Officer for Regulatory Insurance Advisors, LLC (“RIA”). In this capacity, Pieter provides regulatory services for state and federal regulators, regulatory and compliance consulting for insurers, and oversees operations of RIA. RIA’s primary goals are to enhance existing capabilities of insurance regulators, promote balanced regulation of the industry, and to facilitate insurer’s compliance, regulatory, and business objectives. Pieter’s prior experience includes serving as senior regulatory counsel for Unum Group and being a litigation attorney in private practice. Pieter’s has broad experience within the insurance regulatory industry with significant focus on HIPAA Excepted Benefits, risk management, insurer oversight, and conflict resolution. Pieter resides in Freeport, Maine with his wife, Christiane, and their dogs.
Best Practices for Property & Casualty Market Conduct Exams
Ramon Williams
TruStage
Ramon Williams - TruStage
I’ve Got the Magic in Me: Solutions for an Authentic & Inclusive Workplace
Nicole Zayac
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Nicole Zayac - Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Nicole Zayac is counsel in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department and a member of the Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Group. She has broad insurance regulatory experience and regularly advises insurance industry participants on regulatory and compliance issues.
Ms. Zayac represents insurance clients from all segments of the industry, including insurers, reinsurers, MGAs, producers, TPAs, adjusters, and investors. She advises clients on compliance matters as they relate to business operations, new products, and transactions involving regulated entities and assists clients with responses to regulatory investigations and compliance actions by state insurance regulators. She provides compliance advice on issues such as surplus lines and other forms of non-admitted insurance, as well as credit for reinsurance, product reviews, licensing requirements, platform integration, advertising, and general business practices. She also works with insurtech clients to address regulatory and licensing issues at all stages of development.
Ms. Zayac also advises on the regulatory aspects of complex transactions, including internal reorganizations of holding companies, acquisitions, domestications of branches of alien insurers, and redomestication of insurance companies. She represents investors, including private equity funds, with regulatory aspects of investments in, or acquisitions of, regulated insurance entities. In addition, Ms. Zayac advises clients in forming both insurance companies and producer entities, providing regulatory counsel and securing needed approvals from formation through licensing. She drafts and obtains required regulatory approval for services, agency, broker, and cost sharing contracts for insurance companies.
Regulatory Developments Related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Considerations
Surplus Lines – How to Avoid Common Mistakes in the Non-Admitted Market
Robert Zolla
Milliman, Inc.
Robert Zolla - Milliman, Inc.
Rob is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He specializes in advanced ratemaking techniques including incorporating InsurTech solutions and developing insurance products for emerging exposures in personal and commercial lines.
Credit-Based Insurance – An Overview of Personal and Commercial Lines
Regulators
Latif Almanzan
Texas Department of Insurance
Latif Almanzan - Texas Department of Insurance
Latif Almanzan has over twenty years of experience in the insurance industry. His experience includes life, health, property & casualty, and workers’ compensation insurance lines where Latif worked in network development, claims, consumer protection, and compliance. Latif’s current position is Director of the Life & Health Lines Office at the Texas Department of Insurance.
Corporate Transformation: Strategies for Successful Re-Domestication and Corporate Changes
Divining the Range of ET Risk Positions
Jennifer Andrews
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Jennifer Andrews - Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Elsie Andy
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Elsie Andy - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Elsie Andy is the Manager of the Life and Health Forms and Rates section of the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. She has more than 40 years of experience in accident and sickness insurance in both the private and public sectors; the last 23 years have been in regulatory compliance specializing in all categories of individual health insurance. She holds the following professional designations: Health Insurance Associate (HIA), Disability Healthcare Professional (DHP), Disability Income Associate (DIA), and Long-Term Care Professional (LTCP). Elsie attended Virginia Commonwealth University.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Jessica Baggarley
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Jessica Baggarley - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Lauren Bandle
NAIC
Lauren Bandle - NAIC
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
SERFF – Making Magic A Reality
Brittany Barnhart
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Brittany Barnhart - Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Brittany has been with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) since 2018 and currently serves as a Senior Management Analyst in the Life and Health Product Review unit, where she oversees a team of analysts who review life and annuity filings. In this role, she’s also responsible for maintaining relationships with other state regulators and industry representatives to discuss compliance requirements, develop standards, and address filing concerns.
Previously, she worked in the Life and Health Product Review unit as a Government Analyst and was responsible for evaluating insurance contracts and applications for life insurance and annuity products for compliance. Prior to that, she served in OIR’s Chief of Staff office and assisted with new employee briefings, planning the 2019 OIR Summit and social media management.
Brittany holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Psychology and a Master of Public Administration from Florida State University.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Hot Topics – LAH
Kristin Barrow
North Carolina Department of Insurance
Kristin Barrow - North Carolina Department of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Personal Auto – The Use of Gender in Rating
Ryan Blakeney
Mississippi Insurance Department
Ryan Blakeney - Mississippi Insurance Department
Ryan’s experience in state government began as a Benefit Analyst for PERS, the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi, where he advised members on disability benefits, survivor payments, and retirement finances. His attention to numerical details combined with daily personal counseling provides an ideal foundation as he now liaisons among agency divisions to serve the citizens of Mississippi. Appointed by Commissioner Mike Chaney, Ryan also represented MID on the Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee. Currently, he serves on Mississippi’s Early Intervention-Childhood Development Board; as President of the Gulf-States Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals; and as President of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Alumni Affairs Board.
A devoted Rebel fan, Ryan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi followed by a Master of Health Sciences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Medicare Advantage Advertising Under Fire
Complaint Handling – Lessons Learned
Joe Bonfitto
IIPRC
Joe Bonfitto - IIPRC
Prior to joining the IIPRC, Joe was employed by Amica Life Insurance as Senior Life Product Filing Manager. Prior to that he worked 14 years with Phoenix Life Insurance Company and held several different positions relating to state filing and compliance. In his role at those companies.
Joe is a graduate of Western New England College with a Bachelor of Arts in Government with a minor in History. Joe earned his Juris Doctor from Western New England School of Law and is licensed to practice law in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Insurance Compact
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Cassie Brown
Texas Department of Insurance
Cassie Brown - Texas Department of Insurance
Cassie Brown was appointed to serve as Texas insurance commissioner by Governor Greg Abbott in September 2021. She is the chief executive of the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), overseeing the regulation of the second largest insurance market in the nation and the seventh largest in the world. The agency regulates approximately 3,300 companies and more than 840,000 agents and adjusters.
Brown previously served as the commissioner of Workers’ Compensation, having been appointed to the role by Governor Abbott in 2018 and reappointed in 2019 and 2021. Under her leadership, the Division of Workers’ Compensation cut customer service hotline hold times to less than 30 seconds, made it easier for system participants to share documents electronically and more securely, and continued to reduce medical costs and increase the number of injured employees returning to work.
Brown has more than 20 years of public service experience and serves on the Executive Women in Texas Government President’s Advisory Committee. She was TDI’s deputy commissioner for Regulatory Policy where she led the regulation of the forms, rates, and products sold in the Texas insurance market; oversaw the residual markets; assured the adequacy of insurers’ loss control programs; and provided inspections and compliance activities related to the state’s windstorm market.
Earlier in her career, Brown served as a key advisor to Governor Rick Perry on policy and budget issues including insurance, health regulatory, and workers’ compensation. She also served in the administration of Governor George W. Bush.
Brown received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. Edward’s University and attended the Governor’s Executive Development Program at The University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs.
View From The Top
Dean Cameron
Idaho Department of Insurance
Dean Cameron - Idaho Department of Insurance
Cameron became licensed in life and health while attending college. Later, he passed his Series 6 and Series 63 exams and also obtained his property/casualty (P/C) license. Cameron is a third-generation agent.
At the time of his appointment as Director, Cameron was serving his 13th term as senator for District 27 as the most senior member of the Idaho Senate. He was serving his 8th term as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which meets jointly with the House Appropriations Committee to set the budget for the state of Idaho.
He was the co-chair of a task force on health care and has sponsored nearly 20 pieces of health care legislation in his 24 years of service in the Idaho Senate.
Cameron was also former chairman of the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee, which handles all banking, business and insurance issues. He was the senior member of that committee until his resignation.
He earned an associate degree in arts and science at Ricks College in Rexburg, ID (now BYU-Idaho), majoring in political science.
Cameron was born in Burley, ID, and served a church mission to Portugal. Cameron and his wife, Linda, have three married children and seven grandchildren.
View From The Top
Renee Campbell
Michigan Department of Insurance
Renee Campbell - Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
Ms. Campbell joined DIFS over 24 years ago as an insurance complaint analyst and has worked in various roles at the department during her tenure with DIFS, including compliance, policy rate and form review, and managing an insurance complaint unit. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Rachelle Carter
Louisiana Department of Insurance
Rachelle Carter - Louisiana Department of Insurance
Rachelle Carter serves as the Director of Policy Forms, Office of Property & Casualty at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. In this capacity, she oversees the division responsible for performing detailed analyses and reviews of all property and casualty, as well as, specialty insurer form filings. She also assists other areas of the Department with complaints, market conduct, licensing, rates and rules related to property and casualty policy forms.
Carter has been employed with the Department of Insurance since 1997 with most of the years being spent in the Property and Casualty Policy Forms Division. She has also worked in other areas of the Department such as Administration, Consumer Services, and Insurance Rating.
Carter is an active member of the Louisiana Chapter of the Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society (IRES), and the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP), previously serving as Secretary of the South Central Chapter for 3 years.
Carter is a native of Zachary, Louisiana and an alumnus of Zachary High School. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in education. She is a proud mother of a 22 year old son.
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Tom Carswell
Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance
Tom Carswell - Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Andy Case
Mississippi Insurance Department
Andy Case - Mississippi Insurance Department
Andy Case is the Consumer Affairs Director for the Mississippi Insurance Department. He was appointed to this position on January 1, 2010 by the Honorable Mike Chaney, Commissioner of Insurance. Prior to joining the Mississippi Insurance Department, he worked for 23 years in various claim leadership capacities with Allstate Insurance Company. He was Frontline Process Leader in Louisiana from 1987-1995 and subsequently worked as Frontline Process Expert and Retained Counsel Manager in Louisiana from 1995-2001.
In 2002, Andy assumed the Frontline Process Expert leadership position as well as Compliance Manager and Retained Counsel Manager position for Allstate for the states of Mississippi and Arkansas. He also worked in a similar support role for the states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana. Andy served as Mississippi 30-b6 Expert Corporate Witness on behalf of Allstate Insurance for litigation matters in Mississippi.
Born in Natchez, Ms, Andy now makes his home in Madison, Ms. He is married and has 2 sons, ages 25 and 29.
Wildfire/Lightning – Too Hot to Handle
Regulator Hot Topics – P&C
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Catastrophe Modeling 101
Maribel Castillo
Texas Department of Insurance
Maribel Castillo - Texas Department of Insurance
I have been with the Texas Department of Insurance for two years. I manage the Life, Annuity and Credit program area, Life & Health Division. I have over 20+ years of experience working with self-funded, Health and PPO plans and working with third party administrators. I have a great staff at TDI and looking forward to my new work experience with the Life & Health Division.
Regulator Hot Topics – LAH
Regulator Round Table – LAH
The Supernatural State of State Filings – Market Conduct Style
Ruth Davis
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Ruth Davis - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Michael Drummonds
Oregon Division of Financial Regulation
Michael Drummonds - Oregon Division of Financial Regulation
I am a third year Rates & Forms Analyst with the Oregon Department of Consumer & Business Services (Division of Financial Regulation). Homeowners and commercial general liability filings are the two most common lines of insurance I review. This is my second AICP Conference.
The Ins and Outs of Pet Insurance
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Maria Del Villar
Idaho Department of Insurance
Maria Del Villar - Idaho Department of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Essi Eargle
Texas Department of Insurance
Essi Eargle - Texas Department of Insurance
Essi Eargle is currently the Manager of the Accident and Health Program in the Life and Health Division of the Texas Department of Insurance. Essi is a Certified Public Manager. Essi has worked in various roles at TDI for the last 23 years. She also has private sector experience in the insurance industry.
Essi graduated Cum Laude from Texas State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Arts and Sciences. She is a generalist with primary experience in project management and business administration.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
The Supernatural State of State Filings – Market Conduct Style
Jason Furlong
Louisianna Department of Insurance
Jason Furlong - Louisianna Department of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Dan Gates
Alabama Department of Insurance
Dan Gates - Alabama Department of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Russ Galbraith
Arkansas Insurance Department
Russ Galbraith - Arkansas Insurance Department
Russ Galbraith joined the Department in 2015. Since then, he has authored the Department’s efficiency report, led the effort to streamline agent pre-license education and served as hearing officer for numerous agent, company and consumer issues.
Before that, Galbraith served as senior government and industry affairs manager for Farmers Insurance for 17 years. During that time, Galbraith served as the primary legislative and regulatory liaison for Farmers in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. He previously served as President of the Arkansas Adjusters Association and sat on numerous industry boards including the Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana Automobile Insurance Plans, the Governor’s Earthquake Taskforce, the Arkansas State Disaster Coalition, the Arkansas Rural Risk Underwriting Association and the Arkansas Insurance Industry Coalition.
He earned a master’s degree in public administration from UALR and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Lyon College.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Cyber Coverage – The Opportunities and Challenges of this Rapidly Evolving Risk
AI/Big Data and Life Underwriting – Don’t Let it Drive You Batty
Karen Givens
IIPRC
Karen Givens - IIPRC
Karen Givens is the Assistant Director of Product Review Operations for the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission (“Insurance Compact”). Karen joined the Insurance Compact as a Product Reviewer in March 2011. Karen’s primary responsibilities as Assistant Director of Product Review Operations are to work closely with the life and annuity form reviewers to ensure thorough and responsive reviews are completed on behalf of Compacting States as well as managing the Expedited Review program. Karen also participates in Outreach events on behalf of the Insurance Compact.
Prior to joining the Insurance Compact, Karen was a Senior Compliance Analyst with Pacific Life Insurance Company from January 2008 to March 2011. While at Pacific Life, she had primary responsibility for the drafting and filing of all individual, fixed, and variable annuity products. Prior to joining Pacific Life, Karen served as the Director of Compliance for the Retirement Plans Division at Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. Karen was with Mutual of Omaha from August 2002 until January 2008. As the Director of Compliance, Karen was responsible for managing the compliance functions of the Division that supported group fixed and variable annuities, accumulation products and institutional investments. Karen has extensive experience in annuity administration, product development, forms compliance and state filing functions. Prior to joining the insurance industry, Karen was employed as an attorney in private practice.
Karen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Political Science from Creighton University. She earned her Juris Doctor from Creighton University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in the state of Nebraska. Karen has also held securities licenses and has served as a Registered Principal with Mutual of Omaha and Pacific Life.
Insurance Compact
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Maryana Grodnova-Ware
Nebraska Department of Insurance
Maryana Grodnova-Ware - Nebraska Department of Insurance
Maryana Grodnova-Ware, Actuarial Assistant for the Nebraska Department of Insurance. She accepted her current position in April, 2016. She has been a Life and Health Analyst since January, 2009.
Maryana graduated from Mykolaiv State Pedagogical University with the Bachelors of Science degree – major in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Master of Science degree in Mathematics. Attended the Faculty of Economics and Management at the South Academy of Ministry of Industrial Policy of Ukraine from 2002 to 2004 where she received a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. The above degrees have been evaluated and certified by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. in the U.S. Maryana has 10 years’ experience in almost all aspects of banking by working as an economist at the Credit Bank of Ukraine from 1994 until she left to reside in the USA in November, 2004. From December, 2005 she worked for Perot Systems in the Administration department as a Quality Assurance Representative in Lincoln, Nebraska. January, 2009, she started working at the Nebraska Department of Insurance as a Life and Health Analyst.
Maryana is originally from the Ukraine and made Lincoln her permanent residence in 2004. She applied for the green card and permanent resident status in January, 2005 and received it in December 2005. May, 2011 Maryana became a citizen of the USA. She speaks 3 languages, English, Russian and Ukrainian.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Administering State-Specific Variations
Regulator Hot Topics – LAH
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Shaveta Gupta
NAIC
Shaveta Gupta - NAIC
Shaveta Gupta serves as the Cat Risk and Modeling Advisor at Catastrophe Modeling Center of Excellence (Cat COE) for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Shaveta has over 15 years of experience in the field of Catastrophe Modeling and in-depth knowledge of operationalizing catastrophe models. Prior to joining the CAT COE, she held various leadership positions within the (re) insurance industry. Most notably, Director – CAT Reinsurance Analytics working for AON and as Head of Catastrophe Modeling (Americas) for Zurich Insurance Group.
She holds a degree of Applied Masters in Statistics from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In addition, she holds number of industry designations in her area of expertise that includes Certified Property and Casualty Underwriter (The Institutes) and Certified CAT Modeler (Verisk Extreme Event Solutions, formerly known as AIR Worldwide), Certified Catastrophe Risk Management Professional (from International Society of Catastrophe Managers).
Update on Climate – It’s More Than Just a Dark and Stormy Night
Catastrophe Modeling 101
Paul Hanson
Minnesota Department of Commerce
Paul Hanson - Minnesota Department of Commerce
Enforcement Division
Minnesota Commerce Department
Insurance Work Experience
July 5, 2000 to Present
Chief Examiner
- Market Conduct
- Insurance Responsibilities: Supervise market conduct examinations of insurance companies
Insurance Education
June 1999
Accredited Insurance Examiner – Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society
September 1996
Associate, Life and Health Claims (with Distinction) – International Claim Association
September 1994
Fellow, Life Management Institute (with Distinction) – Life Office Management Association
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
The Supernatural State of State Filings – Market Conduct Style
Producer Licensing and Agent Monitoring & Education
Ron Henderson
Louisiana Department of Insurance
Ron Henderson - Louisiana Department of Insurance
Regulator Hot Topics – P&C
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Lead the Way – Step Up and Step In
Rebecca Hill
North Carolina Department of Insurance
Rebecca Hill - North Carolina Department of Insurance
Rebecca Hill is a Regulatory Analyst Insurance Manager with the Life & Health Division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Rebecca supervises a team of 1 life analyst, 2 health analysts, and one administrative staff person. Her team’s primary focus is review and approval of life, annuities, and credit life and general health policy forms- excepted benefit forms, Third Party Administrator licensing and registration, and Viatical Settlement Provider licensing. Rebecca joined the Department of Insurance 34 years ago as a Complaint Analyst in the Consumer Services Division. She moved to the Life and Health Division 30 years ago as a Policy and Rate Analyst and became a Supervising Analyst/Manager 17 years ago. Before coming to work for the Department, Rebecca had 14 years experience at an insurance company where she worked in several different areas of the Group Department. She completed Industry offered certifications for
Associate Insurance Regulatory Compliance (AIRC), Associate Life and Health Claims (ALHC), Health Insurance Associate (HIA), and Managed
Health Professional (MHP).
Regulator Hot Topics – LAH
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Eric Hintikka
Texas Department of Insurance
Eric Hintikka - Texas Department of Insurance
Opening the Black Box of Predictive Analytics
Shannon Hohl
Idaho Department of Insurance
Shannon Hohl - Idaho Department of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Sharon Holston
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Sharon Holston - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Sharon Holston is the Manager of the Plan Management and ACA Forms Section in the Life and Health Division of the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. She has 34 years of experience in accident and sickness insurance in both the private and public sectors. The last 20 years have been in regulatory compliance specializing in all categories of group health insurance and in plan management for ACA plans. Sharon holds the following professional designations: Health Insurance Associate (HIA), and Managed Health Care Professional (MHP). She graduated from Virginia Tech.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Elizabeth Howland
Texas Department of Insurance
Elizabeth Howland - Texas Department of Insurance
Wildfire/Lightning – Too Hot to Handle
John Kelcher
Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner
John Kelcher - Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner
John is the Chief Market Analyst for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. He has approximately 14 years of experience working for a large insurance company with experience adjudicating auto property damage, bodily injury, fatality claims, and working in administrative services as a supervisor.
It’s Alive! The Hybrid – Life & LTC
Wildfire/Lightning – Too Hot to Handle
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
The Supernatural State of State Filings – Market Conduct Style
Bridget Kieras
NAIC
Bridget Kieras - NAIC
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
SERFF (Making Magic a Reality)
Karen Lam
Maryland Insurance Administration
Karen Lam - Maryland Insurance Administration
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Divining the Range of ET Risk Positions
Aimee Lawson
IIPRC
Aimee Lawson - IIPRC
Insurance Compact
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Danilsa Marciniak
Maryland Insurance Administration
Danilsa Marciniak - Maryland Insurance Administration
Danilsa Marciniak is Director of Property and Casualty Complaints at the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA), an independent State agency charged with regulating Maryland’s $46 billion insurance industry. In that role, she manages multiple teams responsible for investigating consumer complaints.
Marciniak joined the MIA after nearly a decade at Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, where she started her career as a Claims Representative Trainee. She was then promoted to Claims Manager II in which she managed an office of multiple teams responsible for investigating private passenger automobile, commercial auto and special lines claims. She later took on the role of Regional Mid-Atlantic Trainer where she led claims training programs and conducted quality assurance audits for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Prior to joining the MIA, Marciniak held several other positions in areas of management and operations.
A summa cum laude graduate of Wright State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communications and a minor in Business Administration, Marciniak also holds a certificate in Casualty Claims Law. She is a veteran of the United States Navy, where she was awarded the Joint Services Commendation Medal of Honor.
In June 2022, Marciniak was presented the State of Maryland Governor’s Citation in recognition of her outstanding customer service.
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Daniel McAdams
Texas Department of Insurance
Daniel McAdams - Texas Department of Insurance
Keeping an Eye on Third Parties: TPA Monitoring and Audits
Amanda McCauley
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Amanda McCauley - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Amanda McCauley has 26 years of regulatory experience with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. She currently is a Principal Insurance Market Examiner in the Life and Health Division, Forms and Rates Section. She is responsible for assuring that life, annuity and viatical settlement contract forms and credit life and credit accident and sickness insurance forms and rates comply with Virginia laws and regulations. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and has earned the insurance related designations of HIA and DIA.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Amy Miilu
Michigan Department of Insurance
Amy Miilu - Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Regulator Round Table – P&C
David Muckerheide
Texas Department of Insurance
David Muckerheide - Texas Department of Insurance
Before joining the office in 2016, David was an attorney in TDI’s Enforcement Section for several years, where he worked on a wide variety of issues. Before that, David was an attorney at the Winstead PC law firm for six years. He primarily practiced administrative law with an emphasis on insurance regulatory issues.
David holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University.
Commercial Inland Marine – What Are The Different Coverages?
Glen Mulready
Oklahoma Insurance Department
Glen Mulready - Oklahoma Insurance Department
As Commissioner, Mulready has led initiatives to increase the number of health insurance carriers available to Oklahomans, bring more attention to consumer education, and remove burdensome regulation in the department’s administrative code. Since 2019, the Oklahoma Insurance Department has recovered over $20 million for Oklahoma consumers. Commissioner Mulready supports efforts to continue to apply best practices, modernize the department and embrace new technology to serve the people of Oklahoma better. Commissioner Mulready has also been a leader nationally representing Oklahoma as chairman of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Midwest Zone and chairman of the Health Insurance and Managed Care (B) Committee. As a firm believer in the free market and a longtime advocate for affordable health care for all Oklahomans, Commissioner Mulready believes creating more choices for consumers will help reduce the number of uninsured Oklahomans and improve affordability in the insurance market. When he was first elected, only two plan options were available in the Oklahoma Health Insurance Marketplace. Currently, seven insurers are now offering products to Oklahoma consumers. Moreover, Commissioner Mulready sponsored the original Insurance Business Transfer (IBT) Act, now law and is recognized as one of the most innovative insurance regulations in the country. Since 2020, the first two IBT transactions in United States history were completed in Oklahoma. In addition, Oklahoma is also focused on recruiting Captive Insurance domiciles. Over one-third of currently licensed captives came to Oklahoma during Commissioner Mulready’s first two years in office. Commissioner Mulready and Sally, his wife of 34 years, are the proud parents of three college-aged sons, Sam, Jake and Will. Commissioner Mulready is very active in the community, having served on numerous boards and committees, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, March of Dimes, Shepherds Fold Ranch Christian Summer Camp, Crime Commission and Tulsa Tough. Commissioner Mulready and his wife were the recipients of Leadership Tulsa’s Paragon Award for their work with Big Brothers Big Sisters in 2018.
View From The Top
Rebecca Nichols
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Rebecca Nichols - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Regulator Hot Topics – P&C
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Lee Ann Robertson
Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Lee Ann Robertson - Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Lee Ann Robertson manages the Commercial Casualty Rules, Rates and Forms Review section in the Property and Casualty Division of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Corporation Commissions Bureau of Insurance. She has been with the Bureau since 2004. Prior to joining the Bureau, she spent more than 25 years in both the agency and company sides of the insurance industry. She holds the professional designation of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Karen Schutter
IIPRC
Karen Schutter - IIPRC
Insurance Compact
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Cara Shackelford
North Carolina Department of Insurance
Cara Shackelford - North Carolina Department of Insurance
Cara Shackelford
Senior Policy and Rate Analyst
Life and Health Division
North Carolina Department of Insurance
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Sharon Thornton-Hall
North Carolina Department of Insurance
Sharon Thornton-Hall - North Carolina Department of Insurance
Sharon Thornton-Hall has over 30 years of industry and regulatory experience combined. As the Insurance Regulatory Analyst Manager of the Property and Casualty Division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance, she is tasked with assisting insurers in bringing their products to market while navigating the intricacies of a Bureau system.
Sharon is a Virginia native and received her Bachelors of Art Degree from The University of Virginia. She currently resides in Apex, North Carolina.
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Personal Auto – The Use of Gender in Rating
Eric Vieweg
Connecticut Insurance Department
Eric Vieweg - Connecticut Insurance Department
I have an extensive background in life, annuity and supplemental health product review and regulation along with additional experience in disability, long term care and Medicare supplement products.
Regulator Round Table – LAH
Explore the Rituals of Making Group Insurance Filings
We Aren’t Afraid of Innovation (Annuity Product Updates)
Erick Wright
Alabama Department of Insurance
Erick Wright - Alabama Department of Insurance
With over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Erick has held various positions at companies such as Allstate, Nationwide, and Farmers Insurance. Erick also ran his own independent agency for five years. Currently, he serves as a government regulator of insurance affairs with the Alabama Department of Insurance.
At the Alabama DOI, Erick Works in the rates and forms department as an Analyst II. Ericks main lines of coverage are Workers compensation, Cannabis, Medical malpractice, and Surety.
On a personal level, Erick is a 40-year-old husband and father of 8 who enjoys spending time on his farm with his family and friends. In his spare time, he loves to write and be creative; having published six books with most recent one called “AI Insurance Principles.”
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Understanding Rate Filings
Mark Worman
Texas Department of Insurance
Mark Worman - Texas Department of Insurance
Mark Worman
Property and Casualty Division, Deputy Commissioner
Mark has served as a deputy commissioner since August 2018. He was first the deputy commissioner for the Regulatory Policy Division and in September 2019 he became the deputy commissioner for the Property and Casualty Division.
Mark joined the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) in 1996 as an examinations coordinator and then worked on special projects for the Regulation and Safety Program. He has served as a manager for the Commercial Lines Program and the Personal and Commercial Lines Office. In 2015, he became the associate commissioner for the Regulatory Policy Division.
Before joining TDI, Mark worked for the insurance brokerage company, Alexander & Alexander Services Inc., and Jardine Insurance Brokers in San Francisco.
He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in management from Texas A&M University.
Regulator Hot Topics – P&C
Regulator Round Table – P&C
Underwriting and Governance – Let’s “NOT” Call the Whole Thing Off!