People News: Farmers, Texas DOI, Integrated Risk Solutions

Farmers Insurance Names Howard as Chief Claims Officer

Farmers Insurance announced former head of Claims Shared Services, Rob Howard, has been named the organization’s new chief claims officer effective June 11.

Howard joined Farmers in 1987 as a claims representative in St. Louis, Missouri, relocating to Southern California in 2000 when he was appointed to be the Auto Property Damage (APD) technical manager for the California Zone. He moved through a number of Claims leadership positions before joining the Farmers Claims senior leadership team as Head of Claims Compliance in 2009. In 2012, he became the head of Property Field Claims and in 2014, he was promoted to head of Claims Shared Services.

As head of Claims Shared Services, Howard oversaw a number of business units that provide services to the Claims organization and its customers, including the Claims Contact Centers, Claims Support Services, the National Document Center, Special Investigations Unit, Strategic Initiatives, Subrogation and the Claims training component of the University of Farmers.

Texas Governor Appoints Brown Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Cassie Brown as commissioner of Workers’ Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) for a term set to expire on February 1, 2019.

TDI’s Division of Workers’ Compensation regulates the workers’ compensation system in Texas, ensuring injured workers receive the necessary benefits to quickly return to work, and that workers’ compensation costs are kept at a reasonable level for Texas employers.

Brown is deputy commissioner for Regulatory Policy at the Texas Department of Insurance, where she has served since 2011. Previously, she served as a policy advisor to Governor Rick Perry.

Brown attended the Governor’s Executive Development Program at The University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Integrated Risk Solutions hires new COO/CFO John McGee

Wisconsin-based Integrated Risk Solutions, a commercial insurance, risk management and employee benefits firm specializing in all areas of risk management consulting, commercial insurance brokerage, loss control engineering and claim management, named John McGee chief operating officer/chief financial officer at the start of May.

McGee is a forward thinking and innovative financial and operations executive with expertise in the construction, financial, real estate and nonprofit industries. He has a track record of success in process improvement, financial reporting, forecasting, team building and business development which allows him to help companies reduce costs, increase profits and provide successful strategic solutions.

As an operational leader at Integrated Risk Solutions, McGee is committed to building relationships with clients, insurance markets and service providers, while challenging everyone on Integrated’s team to provide innovative, ethical and winning strategies and solutions that are customer focused.

McGee most recently served as chief financial officer for Damage Control, Inc., a New Berlin-based provider of residential and commercial disaster restoration services.