Daniel C. Bridge, 2023 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About Daniel C. Bridge, Board Chair, President and CEO, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group
Dan began his insurance career in 1985 with Liberty Mutual in Boston and progressed into numerous home office and field roles in Accounting, Personal Market Operations, Underwriting, and Marketing, before leaving in 2003 to join OneBeacon as New England Regional President.
In 2007, Dan was introduced to Vermont Mutual in a consulting role to assist in their assessment of entering the Massachusetts private passenger auto marketplace.
Dan then joined Hanover Insurance as Vice President—State Management before returning to Vermont Mutual as part of the senior leadership succession plan. In 2014, Dan was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer and assumed the role of President and CEO in 2015. Dan was named Board Chair in April of 2016.
Throughout Dan’s 15 years at Vermont Mutual, the company has enjoyed exceptional financial performance, and has been annually recognized as a U.S. Top 50 insurer and perennially named a Best Place to Work in Vermont. Dan established the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund in 2014, which has granted more than $4 million to community organizations throughout the Northeast, including $1.0 million during COVID and, more recently, $450,000 to help Vermont communities devastated by recent flooding. Dan serves on various industry boards and committees, including those at Massachusetts Fair Plan, APCIA, and the Mutual Fire Insurance Association Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Vermont Business Roundtable.
Dan’s most satisfying mission, however, occurs each winter when he helps run STAR Basketball, which “teaches” basketball to special needs children in Vermont. Basketball is simply the vehicle to build confidence, community, and camaraderie among special athletes of all ages, while exposing high school students to volunteer work, and importantly, giving parents of the players a two-hour break each Saturday.
Success didn’t happen without the support of those around him. Dan is extremely grateful and proud of the support he received throughout his career from his wife Christine, and their four adult children, Patrick, Tim, Katherine, and Brendan.
Mary Boyd, 2022 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About Mary Boyd, former President and CEO, Plymouth Rock Assurance, now CEO of Hiscox USA
Mary Boyd is a seasoned senior executive with over 25 years of applying her diverse set of skills to leading businesses through transformative phases in their history that span invention, renovation, integration and rebuilding. Mary’s career reflects a strong track record of translating strategic vision into reality, evident as she leads organizations tackling operations, technology and team transformation. She brings innovation and an agility of approach that explain her successes in both seeing the forest and navigating the trees by spotting the strategic opportunities in the space between them.
As the President and Chief Executive Officer of Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation, Mary has financial responsibility for their nearly $900M Independent Agency Auto, Pilgrim services, and Umbrella liability business. Readying her growing business for sustained success, Mary is currently guiding her team through a multi-discipline digital evolution of their business that connects product, customer and agency partner digital experiences across the customer life-cycle. Since 2006, Mary has held President and division leadership roles; reliably improving net income in each case by maximizing channel economics, applying her commitment to best-in-class partnership management, and advancing operational excellence.
She joined Plymouth Rock in 2018, from The Hartford, where she held the position of Senior Vice President with responsibility for both their Agency and Direct channels personal insurance businesses. Prior to that, Mary invested 15 years of her career in high net worth personal lines, beginning her tenure at Chubb as an actuarial trainee and expanding to roles of increasing responsibility; most recently as President of their Private Risk Services division. Mary received her bachelor’s degrees in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Rutgers University. As a coach of youth sports, ambitious professionals, and entrepreneurs alike, Mary loves developing talent, improving technique, and unleashing the power of strong teams; individually and together.
K. Douglas Briggs, 2021 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About K. Douglas Briggs, Chairman and CEO, Quincy Mutual Group
Doug serves as Chairman and CEO of Quincy Mutual Group and its affiliates. He was appointed CEO and President in 1985. Formerly, he held the position of Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Company. He was previously employed by Coopers & Lybrand Certified Public Accountants.
Doug has served on The Insurance Library’s Board of Trustees since 2000. He served as President of the board from 2007-2009, and has chaired the Library’s Investment Committee for several years. He is a former Director of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America; former Governing Committee Member of the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts; past Chairman of the Mutual Fire Insurance Association of New England; former Trustee of Eastern Bank and past Chairman of the Bank’s Audit Committee; Director South Shore YMCA; and Director of Friendship Home.
Doug received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Cornell University in 1975 and his Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Babson College. He was licensed in 1979 as a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts, and earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation in 1992.
Nancy Z. Bender, 2019 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About Nancy Z. Bender, President, Bender Hatch Insurance
Nancy Bender is president of Bender Hatch Insurance which was formed with the merger of the H.R. Hatch Insurance Agency and the Nancy Z. Bender Insurance Agency in April of 2017, 40 years after Nancy founded her own agency.
Nancy started her career as an insurance agent and CSR when she was offered a position at Robert Clark Insurance and provided with support to obtain her license. She took a hands-on approach from the start, seeking to speak and meet with clients to understand their situations and coverage needs. Nancy was given the responsibility of managing the agency during an eight-month period when its owner was out on sick leave, and she not only kept it afloat but managed to grow the business. Inquisitive and hard-working by nature, she spent long hours at the office and learned the commercial side of the business by asking questions of clients, adjusters and underwriters, and by reading the contracts, until she was confident that she understood the situation and the coverage. That experience gave her the confidence to start her own agency, with the blessing of her former boss and mentor, in April of 1978.
Nancy started her business with a small book of business, a couple of metal desks, a $200 typewriter and a donated file cabinet. She did not have a contract with a carrier until the Friday before she was set to open her doors when she received a call from Travelers offering her an all-lines contract starting Monday, April 3, 1978. She has represented Travelers throughout her career and was twice named a Travelers Agent of the Year award which “recognizes business leaders for their proven ability to attain the highest standards of success in our industry through hard work, commitment and the responsibility to do it right.” In 1982, Nancy received her second contract with Vermont Mutual after which many companies followed.
Nancy grew her business almost entirely through referrals, a testament to her clients’ appreciation of her personal touch. When Nancy merged with H.R. Hatch her premium volume was approximately 17 million.
She was appointed by The Office of Governor William Weld to the Governing Committee of Commonwealth Auto Reinsurers (CAR) and served for six years offering a common-sense perspective on the issues facing the state’s residual market. She has served on The Insurance Library’s Board of Trustees for twenty-two years and supports many non-profit organizations including Bunker Hill Community College, the MSPCA, Lazarus House, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston.
J. Bruce Cochrane, 2018 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About J. Bruce Cochrane, President, Renaissance Group
Bruce Cochrane is President of Renaissance Group, one of the fastest growing insurance organizations in New England. His career has been marked by innovation, creativity, business success, and service to the agent and insurance industry community.
Bruce has successfully pioneered several insurance innovations, including some of the first group property/liability programs in New England, risk funding alternatives including group captives, rent-a-captives, self-insured groups and a break-through collaboration model for local independent agencies.
Prior to launching Renaissance Group, for nearly two decades Bruce served as the principal of Cochrane and Porter Insurance Agency, Inc, a highly successful independent agency founded by his father in the 1950s. Today, the agency continues as one of the member companies in Renaissance Group.
In the late 1980s, he pioneered workers’ compensation group self-insurance in Massachusetts and formed and managed a successful self-insurance group (SIG) for Massachusetts union contractors. In 1991 he was instrumental in the passage of the landmark Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Reform Act of 1991, which served as a nationwide model for workers’ compensation reform. He also assisted the Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance in the establishment of SIG regulations.
Bruce created The Renaissance Plan in 1994, a fully insured workers’ compensation program serving more than 300 sub-brokers with $30 million in written premium throughout New England. In 1996 he formed and served as President of Minuteman Insurance Company, LTD, a Bermuda based reinsurer to the Renaissance Plan owned by 30 New England independent agents.
In 1999, he launched Renaissance Alliance, a major agency aggregation venture to revolutionize and enhance the manner in which the independent agency system typically conducts business. Today, Renaissance Alliance consists of more than 90 agencies writing more than $600 million in premium. The Renaissance Alliance business model is a one-of-its-kind organization nationwide.
Bruce is past President of the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters and past President of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, having served on its board for 12 years. He served on the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Fraud Bureau for 10 years, the Massachusetts Workers Compensation Advisory Council for 14 years, and the Governing Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts for 28 years, including five terms as Chairman.
Bruce is a graduate of University of Massachusetts, Amherst and holds the professional designation of Certified Insurance Counselor.
Timothy Hegarty, 2017 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About F. Timothy Hegarty, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Norfolk & Dedham Group
Mr. Hegarty joined The Norfolk & Dedham Mutual Fire Insurance Company in 1984 as Vice President of Marketing. In 1989, he became Executive Vice President and was elected President in 1990. His business career began after graduation from law school in 1973 when he joined Malmart Mortgage Company, the first minority owned mortgage banking company in New England. In 1978, he became an Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office where he served as a trial lawyer in the Eminent Domain Division for several years before becoming Chief of the Insurance Division of the Attorney General’s Office, one of whose prime responsibilities was to represent the state at the annual automobile insurance rate setting hearings, where he served from 1980 to 1984. During that period he also served as the Attorney General’s representative on the Commonwealth’s Merit Rating Board.
Born in Jamaica Plain, Mr. Hegarty graduated from Catholic Memorial High School. Thereafter, he obtained a Bachelors degree in Economics from Boston College and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Boston College Law School, after which he was admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Mr. Hegarty’s local civic activities have included serving as an elected member to the Needham Town Meeting and an appointed member of the town’s Personnel Committee as well as a member of the Needham Republican Town Committee. He also served as board member and Secretary of the Dedham Country and Polo Club.
His past service on non-profit organizations includes board service on the Dedham Community House, Catholic Memorial School and the Executive Service Corps of New England. Currently, Mr. Hegarty serves on the boards of the Catholic Memorial School Foundation, the Firstgreen Charitable Foundation and Clear Path for Veterans/New England.
Professional service includes past membership on the boards of the Commonwealth of Reinsurers (CAR), Mutual Fire Insurance Association (MFIA) where he has been twice elected Chairman, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) where he served as Chairman. He currently serves on the board of the Massachusetts Auto Insurance Bureau (AIB) as well as the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association (MA Fair Plan) where he has been twice elected Chairman.
Professional Designations held by Mr. Hegarty include that of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Board Leadership Fellow in the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Charles (Charley) J. Brophy, 2016 Insurance Professional of the Year
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About Charles J. Brophy, President & CEO, HUB International New England
Mr. Brophy is President and CEO of HUB International New England, LLC in Wilmington, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the Whittemore Business School at the University of New Hampshire.
Mr. Brophy has over 25 years of business development and management experience with domestic and London based brokerage firms. He joined HUB International New England, LLC in 1996 after spending 12 years as director of Bain Hogg Robinson LLC.
He is a member of the Advisory Council for the Hartford, AIG, Arbella, Safeco, Travelers and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. He is active in the Insurance Library Association of Boston and serves on the Board of Directors.
Prior to his career in the brokerage field, Mr. Brophy was a Senior Commercial Lines Underwriter with the Travelers Insurance Company.
John A. Myers, 2015 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About John A. Myers, Chairman, Associated Industries of Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Companies (A.I.M. Mutual)
John A. Myers is Chairman of the Board for the A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies and served as the companies’ chief executive for 19 years
Mr. Myers began his insurance career in 1970 as a sales representative for the American Mutual Insurance Companies in White Plains, New York. He went on to hold successive management positions in personal and commercial sales, during which time his responsibilities expanded to include Workers Compensation Trade Association products. By 1986, he was Vice President-Northeast Regional Manager, charged with overseeing insurance operations and commercial sales in New England, New York and New Jersey.
Mr. Myers became President and Director of American Patriot Group Inc. and American Policyholders Insurance Company in 1989, serving at the same time as Operations Manager of the American Mutual Liability Insurance Company and American Mutual Insurance Company of Boston, in Liquidation. By his actions, Mr. Myers saved hundreds of jobs that would have been lost in the liquidation of these entities and maintained those jobs; in 1995, he was named President & CEO of MEIE Attorney-in-Fact, Inc. This entity was then engaged to provide day-to-day management of the Massachusetts Employers Insurance Exchange (MEIE), a reciprocal insurance exchange. A number of those colleagues are still at work now at A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Cos.
Following MEIE’s conversion to a mutual insurer in 1996, Mr. Myers became President & CEO of the newly-formed A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Company, sponsored by Associated Industries of Massachusetts. He held those positions until May 2012, at which time he was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.
During Mr. Myers’s tenure, he worked diligently to establish A.I.M. Mutual as an industry leader in the region, known for its contributions to workers compensation insurance legislation and workplace initiatives on behalf of employers and injured workers. A.I.M. Mutual is now the second largest workers compensation insurer in the Commonwealth, in the top 5 in New Hampshire, and recently commenced operations in Connecticut. In total, the Companies serve approximately 16,000 policyholders.
Under his leadership, the A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies have consistently been A-rated by A.M. Best Company for their financial strength and stable outlook. To his credit, A.I.M. Mutual has become known as one of the more forward-thinking and innovative insurers in the workers compensation marketplace.
A recognized leader on many topics concerning workers compensation in Massachusetts, Mr. Myers was elected to the Governing Committee of the Massachusetts Workers Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau in 2004 and served as its Chair in 2006. He has been a member of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America’s Terrorism Risk Alternative Task Force since July, 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Marquette University.
Francis A. Mancini, 2014 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Francis A. Mancini, Esq., President & CEO, Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents
Mr. Mancini joined the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) in February 1994 as its President & CEO. Prior to his tenure at MAIA, Mr. Mancini served for six (6) years as Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction (now the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety) and for 14 years as Director of Government Affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents of Massachusetts, a predecessor association of MAIA.
Prior to his work in the insurance industry, Mr. Mancini was an Administrative Assistant to the Committee on Insurance of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and was an elected member of the Somerville Board of Aldermen.
A graduate of Boston State College (B.S. History/Political Science) and Tufts University (M.A. Political Science), Mr. Mancini received his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. He is admitted to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Mr. Mancini has served on numerous state and national industry and government committees and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of InsurPAC, the political action committee of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA).
Mr. Mancini was the 1996 recipient of the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters Albert Bowker Award as Insurance Person of the Year.
Francis X. Bellotti, 2013 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Francis X. Bellotti, Vice Chairman, Arbella Insurance Group, Of Counsel, Mintz Levin
Prior to joining Mintz Levin in 1991, Frank had been a prominent figure in the Massachusetts legal and political communities for nearly 40 years. Frank also serves as vice chairman of Arbella Insurance Group.
Frank was first elected to public office in 1962 as lieutenant governor. He later served as attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1987. By eliminating part-time assistants and implementing a merit-based hiring system, he turned the attorney general’s office into a model for national and local prosecutors alike. He established a reputation as a well-respected trial lawyer at virtually every level of the state and federal judicial systems.
In 1981, the 54-member National Association of Attorneys General unanimously voted to award Frank the prestigious Louis C. Wyman Award as the most outstanding attorney general in the United States. A US Navy veteran of World War II, he has received numerous honors and awards for public service and has also received honorary law degrees from the New England School of Law and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
In 1992, the Social Law Library created the Francis X. Bellotti Endowment for Special Acquisitions in his honor. In 2001, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) created the Francis X. Bellotti Award to be presented annually to a member of the Society of Attorneys General Emeriti (SAGE) who has served NAAG and worked to further its vision and mission. In 2012, the District Court of East Norfolk, located in Quincy, Massachusetts, was renamed the Francis X. Bellotti Courthouse, in his honor. In 2013, Frank received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Attorneys General, in recognition of his lifelong service and commitment to the attorneys general community.
Hope A. Aldrich, 2012 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Hope A. Aldrich, President and CEO, Eastern Insurance Group
Hope Aldrich has been the President and CEO of Eastern Insurance since 1997, and is responsible for the leadership of one of the largest full service insurance agencies in New England. The agency is staffed with 312 professionals who manage over 74,000 clients which generates approximately $550,000,000 in premiums.
With over thirty years of experience in the insurance industry, Ms. Aldrich has held leadership roles at AON Risk Services and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. At AON, she was Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer for the New England region. Ms. Aldrich was a member of the executive team, charged with providing general management, strategic planning and budgets for the company. In addition, she managed several departments within the agency.
At Liberty Mutual, Ms. Aldrich held many management and sales positions, including New England Division Sales Manager. She was responsible for managing budgets, strategic planning and sales results for the New England region.
Ms. Aldrich serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater Boston, the Board of Overseers of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, the Board of Corporators of Eastern Bank, the Board of Overseers of Children’s Hospital Trust, the Board of Directors of the Insurance Library and the Board of Governors for the Wellesley Country Club.
Ms Aldrich was honored by Banker and Tradesman as one of the inaugural “Women of FIRE” in August 2011.
Hope is a graduate of Lafayette College. She and her family reside in Wellesley where she is an active member of her community.
Sandra G. Parrillo, 2011 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Sandra G. Parrillo
Sandra Glaser Parrillo, CPCU, is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Providence, Rhode Island and its subsidiary Providence Plantations Insurance Company. Ms. Parrillo joined The Providence in 1977 as an underwriter. She served in several underwriting and management positions with The Providence and was named vice president and secretary in 1995. In 1999, she was elected senior vice president of underwriting and marketing. In 2000, Ms. Parrillo was elected to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of The Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Company and its subsidiary, Providence Plantations Insurance Company.
Ms. Parrillo was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics from Rhode Island College, Magna cum laude, in 1978. She received the Wall Street Journal Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior in Economics and Management. In December,1992 she earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, High Honors, from the University of Rhode Island. She was elected to the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the Business Honor Society of Beta Gamma Sigma. She was awarded the designation of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter in 1986, and the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor in 2000. In 2001, she received the Charles B. Willard Achievement Award from Rhode Island College. She was recognized as one of the region’s 25 most industrious and influential business women in the Providence Business News’ 2008 Business Women edition. In 2010 she received the Women in Insurance Leadership Award from Insurance Networking News magazine.
Ms. Parrillo serves as a director of Cranston Print Works, Cranston, RI; Mutual Fire Insurance Association, Peabody, Massachusetts; the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce; and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. She is Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. She also serves as a director and Chairman of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, Indianapolis, Ind.; Past Chairman of the Governing Committee of the Rhode Island Joint Reinsurance Association and is a member of the Insurance Commission of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, the Rhode Island Governor’s Insurance Council, the Business Advisory Council for the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business Administration, the President’s Council of Providence College and the Board of Governors of the Rhode Island Commodores. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute for CPCU. An active member of the American Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters, she formerly served as a director of the Rhode Island Chapter.
Ms. Parrillo resides with her husband Richard, daughter, Marissa and son, RJ in North Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Michael J. Sabbagh, 2010 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Michael J. Sabbagh
Michael J. Sabbagh served as the Commissioner of Insurance and as First Deputy Insurance Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1985. Prior to that, as assistant to the Insurance Commissioner, Mr. Sabbagh was the Insurance Division liaison to insurance companies, agents and brokers, trade associations, bureaus and residual market organizations. He worked closely with the officers and governing boards of the Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Reinsurance Facility, the FAIR Plan, the Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association of Massachusetts and the Market Assistance Program. Mr. Sabbagh served the state Division of Insurance for a total of 36 years. He also served on the Board of Directors of Arbella Mutual Insurance Company at the time of its formation in 1988, and for the succeeding 10-year period.
Mr. Sabbagh serves on the board of the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association (Fair Plan) and is currently a member of the Operations Committee and the chairman of the Audit Committee of the Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Reinsurance Plan. He is President of the Lebanese Community Housing for the Elderly and a member of the Greater Lawrence YMCA Finance Committee, and is a board member of the Notre Dame High School in Lawrence, MA.
Mr. Sabbagh has been self-employed since 1985 as a Management Consultant with his main client being CGI in Andover, MA. Mr. Sabbagh has a BS in Business Administration from Suffolk University, a BBA (with honors) and an MPA from Northeastern University.
Richard “Dick” W. Brewer, 2009 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Richard W. Brewer
Richard W. Brewer is the president and chief executive officer of ProMutual Group, Boston, Massachusetts. ProMutual Group is one of the largest providers of medical malpractice insurance in the Northeast, and is presently the largest writer in its home state. It also conducts business in the other New England states, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Mr. Brewer has been with the company since 2001.
Prior to joining ProMutual Group, he was the president and chief executive officer of Arbella Mutual, one of the largest writers of personal insurance in Massachusetts. He was employed in that position for twelve years. Before that he was vice president and regional director of National Grange Mutual of Keene, New Hampshire. He previously held a number of positions with Hartford Insurance, most notably as general manager of the Cleveland regional office.
He has been involved with a number of industry and civic activities. He has served as the chairman of Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers and the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association (FAIR Plan). He has also served as the president of the Insurance Library Association of Boston. He is presently a governing committee member of the Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Reinsurance Plan (MMMRP).
In addition, he has been a board member of Kids Voting Massachusetts, the New England College of Finance, and the Quincy College Foundation. He has also been active with United Way on various occasions and has served on the planned giving committee of Fairfield University. He is presently a member of the board of trustees of American Institute for Economic Research, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Mr. Brewer holds a BA from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of Bridgeport. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Sudbury and Westport, Massachusetts, and are the parents of three grown children who live in the Boston area.
The Honorable Ronald Mariano, 2008 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
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About Ronald Mariano
Ronald Mariano was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1991, representing parts of Quincy, Weymouth, and Holbrook. In 2001, Representative Mariano was named Chairman of the Joint Committee on Insurance, after serving as Vice-Chairman for four years. Subsequent to a comprehensive committee reorganization in 2005, Representative Mariano became Chairman of the newly created Joint Committee on Financial Services. The Committee on Financial Services has primary jurisdiction for all banking and insurance matters. During his tenure as Chairman, Representative Mariano has led the fight for a competitive automobile insurance market and was also a key architect of the commonwealth’s groundbreaking health care reform law, in 2006.
John K. Golembeski, 2007 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
Mr. Golembeski is a 1966 graduate of Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts with a BS in Management. From 1964 to 1973, he was employed with Kemper Insurance Group and, prior to leaving, served as Assistant General Adjuster, New England Region. In 1973, he joined the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association and Rhode Island Joint Reinsurance Association as Assistant Claims Manager. He later assumed the position of General Manager. In 1981, Mr. Golembeski was elected President of both Associations.
His roles have included: Past Chairman, Property Insurance Plans Service Office; Past President and Present Trustee, Insurance Library Association of Boston; Past President, Insurance Administrative Management Society and Insurance Managers Association of Boston; Former member, Fire Training Council – Massachusetts Firefighting Academy; Governor’s Appointee to Massachusetts Fire Services Commission; Former Chairman, Juvenile Firesetters Prevention Coalition; Former Technical Consultant to Insurance Institute of America; Former member of numerous Arson Task Forces including the Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s in Massachusetts, Boston Arson Prevention Commission, and Providence Anti-Arson Task Force.
Mr. Golembeski was named “Industry Man of the Year” by the Professional Insurance Agents of New England in 1980. He was presented with the Insurance Leadership award by the Insurance Information Institute in 1981; and in 1991 he was chosen as “Insurance Person of the Year” by the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters.
He resides in Marshfield, Massachusetts with his spouse, Ingrid, and they have three children and seven grandchildren.
Daniel J. Johnston, 2006 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
Daniel Johnston was a 1971 graduate with a degree in mathematics from Boston College.
He entered the insurance business in the actuarial field that year, and eventually served in executive capacities for two major national insurers until 1989. At that time he was selected to serve as president of the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts, a position he still holds today. In this capacity, he oversees the insurance industry’s role in the annual auto rate-making process in Massachusetts, and oversees a variety of other services this bureau provides to the insurance industry.
During 1990, Dan was instrumental in creating the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts, (IFB) and was appointed as its first executive director, a position in which he still serves. He is the longest-serving fraud director of any of the 41 fraud bureaus in the country and has been instrumental in helping the IFB to be recognized as a leader among these fraud-fighting entities. From 1999 to 2001, Dan served as president of the International Association of Insurance Fraud Agencies, an organization of over 100 similar entities from around the globe.
Dan is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, the International Actuarial Association, and an associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society. He has also achieved the designation of Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Dan is a former president of the Insurance Library Association of Boston, and still serves on its board of Trustees.
Ralph “Buddy” Iannaco, 2005 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
Buddy began his long and distinguished career in the public sector in 1964 upon his appointment as the Secretary of the Board of Appeals in the Division of Insurance by then Governor Endicott Peabody.
Over thirty plus years. Buddy served in several positions at the Division, each one expanding his decision-making responsibilities and hands-on involvement with the Massachusetts insurance system, including the role as the “chief liaison” to the Legislature’s Committee on Insurance, as well as the Office of the Attorney General, and the Registrar of Motor Vehicles.
Buddy served under twelve Commissioners; the first being C. Eugene Farnam, Sr. and the last, Linda L. Ruthardt. During the tenures of the various Commissioners, Buddy participated in a vast number of working groups, chairing several of them. One of the many accomplishments was the development of the surcharge appellate process, which is still in effect today. Throughout the years, Buddy presided over hundreds of adjudicatory hearings.
As Deputy Commissioner and Chief of staff, he assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operation and financial management of the Division. He was instrumental in standardizing all licensing renewal procedures including the development of the “lock box system” which produced a more expeditious and cost-effective method for the collection and deposit of all license fees.
In his capacity as First Deputy Commissioner, Buddy continued to develop agency policies, most notably he headed the project team in the establishment of a new Market Conduct Department in accordance with the NAIC guidelines, and led the Division’s task force on NAIC Re-accreditation. In addition, he served on the legislature’s House Subcommittee on Auto Insurance. Throughout his tenure, Buddy remained the Division’s chief point person for the Commonwealth’s SDIP and liaison to the Merit Rating Board.
In 1998, Buddy embarked upon a second career as the President of Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers, bringing with him a hands-on management style. Drawing on his knowledge of due process and adjudicatory hearings, he implemented a new docket system for CAR. He established a mediation system for the resolution of many issues that formerly had to venture through the committee process. Company and producer educational seminars were initiated and conducted by staff throughout the state. In keeping with efforts to enhance CAR’s communication policy, resources were dedicated to the development of an application for the dissemination of information in the most timely and cost-effective manner. CAR’s website, heralded by many, is indicative of this effort. His fiscally conservative management philosophy has resulted in CAR’s annual operating budget continually remaining below the Consumer Price Index average.
An avid long-distance runner, Buddy completed fifteen marathons including Boston on four occasions, and New York twice, before taking up the athletic challenge of a triathlon. As a senior triathlon competitor (age 50-55), he competed in 37 varying distance races, culminating in a first place finish in the Iron Man Race, which is comprised of a 2.5 -mile swim, 112 miles by bike, and full 26 mile marathon. Buddy also captured first place in 33 other races, earning him All-American Honors and a National Ranking in 1989.
During his term as President of the Winthrop Golf Club, he initiated a youth golf program and enhanced the Club’s scholarship contribution, which is awarded annually to several local high school graduates.
Buddy has been married to his wife Joan for 35 years, and has two married children and three grandchildren. He served in the United States Army in 1959 and the Army Reserve until 1965.
David J. Lane 2004, Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
About David J. Lane CPCU, ARM, LIA
Dave has had an illustrious career in the Insurance industry and the public sector. Upon graduation from Harvard College, he worked in New York City at the National Bureau of Casualty Underwriters (predecessor of ISO’s casualty operation). In l957 he became an owner in the Tapley Insurance Agency of Boston and Danvers. After a merger with the Hastings Agency of Cambridge and Saugus he became Chairman of the Hastings-Tapley Insurance Agency, which became one of the largest agencies in this region, having offices in several Massachusetts communities and in Connecticut, New York and Virginia. In recent years he has been Chairman of NetCare Services, the risk management subsidiary of the agency. In 2003 the agency was acquired by a leading national brokerage firm, USI Holdings, and Dave continues in his role with the subsidiary.
Early in his career, he earned Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter(CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management(ARM) designations and an Insurance Advisers LIcense, and taught CPCU courses. Later he was President of the Boston Chapter, CPCU; President of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents; a Director of the national Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers; and Member and Chairman of the Governing Committee, Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers.
Dave has been involved in public service as an elected official for over 30 years. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the l970’s, representing Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich and for one term, Hamilton, and for the rest of the time, Rowley. He also has been Essex Town Moderator for more than 20 years. His legislative achievements include: co-author of the first-in-nation Massachusetts No-Fault Auto Insurance Law (1970); sponsor of the Massachusetts Automobile Reinsurance Facility Law (1973); co-sponsor of Full Time District Attorney Law (1975); co-sponsor of the “Lane-Bolling” law prohibiting auto reinsurance facility surcharges for “clean risks” (1977); co-sponsor of Property Tax Classification Constitutional Amendment (1978); author of Local Boat Excise Tax Law (1978); and co-sponsor of Meal Tax Reduction (1978).
Continuing to be active in industry institutions, Dave is a Director of the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association, and Chairman of Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers Commercial Auto Committee.
He is still committed to community involvement, serving as Vice President and Director of Oak Hill, Inc. of Ipswich, MA (a nonprofit affordable housing group); a Trustee of City on a Hill Charter School, Boston; and a member of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce.
Dave and Claire, his wife of 53 years, live in Essex, MA and have two married children, Heather and Judson, and four grandchildren.
John B. Conners, 2003 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner
John Conners recently retired from Liberty Mutual after 34 years. John started at Liberty as an Actuarial Analyst in 1969, becoming Vice President and Actuary of the company in 1980 and eventually became Executive Vice President of the Personal Market.
Liberty Mutual’s Personal Market operates throughout the United States and Canada, with over 10,000 employees and is the eighth largest automobile insurer in the United States.
In addition to his administrative duties at Liberty Mutual, John is keenly interested in auto safety issues and the tort system of the United States and Canada.
Mr. Conners has served as a director of many safety-related organizations, including Chairman of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute and as a board member of the Advocates and Highway and Auto Safety, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay.
Mr. Conners is recognized as an expert in the tort system of the United States, serving as Chairman of the Insurance Research Council, the ISO Actuarial Committee, and Insurers for Auto Insurance Reform in Massachusetts and has authorized a number of papers on the automobile insurance system.
In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of the Casualty Actuarial Society and was President of the Casualty Actuaries of New England.
John graduated from Boston College with a degree in Mathematics in 1967 and attended the university of Massachusetts at Amherst for graduate work in Mathematics. In 1974, he became a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.
John has been married to Jean for 35 years and has three married children, James, Michael, and Colleen.
Right: Josiah D. Hatch presenter of the Award
The 2002 Insurance Professional of the Year: William F. Hofmann, III
CPCU, CLU, CIC, AAI, LIA
Bill’s contributions, both to the insurance community and to the larger community, have been exemplary. After completing his education at the Lawrenceville School, Boston University, and Suffolk University, he worked in successively responsible positions in the insurance industry and now is Executive Vice President and Treasurer of the Provider Insurance Group, Inc. of Belmont, Massachusetts.
In 1978, he became a member of the Board of Directors of what was then the Independent Insurance Agents of Massachusetts–he served as President of that association in 1987. Bill’s efforts on behalf of independent agents continued as he became increasingly active in the affairs of the Independent Insurance Agents of America. His extraordinary talents, skills, and commitment to the “Big I” were recognized as he was elected Vice President in 1998, President-Elect in 1999, and President in 2000.
Bill’s association work is complemented by community involvement, including active participation in Belmont’s Religious Council, Red Cross, Chamber of Commerce, Boosters Club, Youth Soccer and Basketball programs, Town Meeting, Warrant Committee, and Board of Registrars of Voters. He is also a member of the Belmont Town and Massachusetts state Republican Committees.
Bill was selected to receive this award in recognition of the outstanding services he has provided in promoting the interest of the public and the insurance profession.
