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Kathy Ryan, SPHR, is an award-winning author and owner of Pinnacle Coaching Group, LLC.  Over the last 30 years, Kathy has influenced thousands of people in the business and non-profit sectors through her coaching, consulting, speaking and on-site training. Her expertise covers a wide range of subjects including leadership, communication, human resources management, team dynamics, and performance management.

Kathy earned her B.A. degree in psychology and history from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and has been awarded a lifetime certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Society for Human Resources Management. She has experience working with diverse industries including insurance, hospitality and entertainment. She is certified in the use of the Myer-Briggs Type Assessment (MBTI), as well as a number of other assessments and tools to support development.

Kathy is author of the book, "You Have to Say the Words" An Integrity-Based Approach for Tackling Tough Conversations and Maximizing Performance, which won a Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association.  Her interactive training program based on the book has helped thousands of managers to improve their coaching skills and drive performance. Her articles on leadership and other personal development topics have been published in numerous magazines including the Insurance Journal. You can follow Kathy’s blog, Inspired Leadership, at www.CoachKathyRyan.com .

Frederick J. Fisher, J.D. is currently the President of Fisher Consulting Group, Inc. and was the Founder of E.L.M. Insurance Brokers, a Wholesale & MGA facility specializing in Professional Liability and Specialty Line risks. He is a Member of the Editorial Board for Agents of America;  a Faculty Member of the  Claims College,  and Member of the Executive Council, School of Professional Lines sponsored by the Claims & Litigation Management Association and course designer and webinar Instructor for the Academy of Insurance (sponsored by the Insurance Journal).

Since his career began,  Mr. Fisher focused on one vision: providing financial security to the client. The result was a  successful 40 year career in Specialty Lines Insurance.   In 1975, Mr. Fisher began his career on the service side, as an Independent E&O claims adjuster. In 1982, he bought the Company, continued with claims, while expanding the firm’s services to include  qualitative claim auditing, risk management & loss control services, and acting as a TPA. In only 4 years, the annual billings increased by 400%.  His claim auditing techniques and recommendations resulted in substantial client savings (including the SCRTD now known as the Los Angles MTA). Many Insurers and self-insured’s adopted not only the performance standards raised in the audits, but adopted his recommended Attorney Management Guidelines as a base, which are still in use today by many major insurers. 

In 1995, he formed what is now known as ELM insurance Brokers, a firm that has acted as an MGA and Wholesale Broker of Professional Liability Insurance  and Specialty Lines. From nothing, the firm grew rapidly to a $30 Million dollar facility when sold in 2008. He has lectured extensively on professional liability issues since 1978, and authored over 64 articles in trade journals and periodicals. He is the author of BROKER BEWARE, Selling Real Estate within the Law. He designed a program to conduct on site pre-underwriting risk management assessments of a clients' professional liability exposures. In 1993, he was elected to the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Board of Trustees. After serving in all Officer capacities, he was elected President in 1997.  He remains a Special Materials Expert for several RPLU courses and is the Senior Technical Advisor for The Professional Liability Manual, first published by the International Risk Management Institute in 1990. He has taught over 100  CE classes and lectures. He testifies regularly as an expert witness in cases dealing with the duties and obligations of professionals as well as on coverage and claims-made issues.

Mr. Fisher can be reached at 310/413-6200, Email-fjfisher@fishercg.com

Nancy Germond is the President of Insurance Writer, a consulting firm located in Phoenix, Arizona. With more than three decades of risk management experience, her unique insights and abilities help businesses better understand and manage their risk. Nancy has authored scores of risk management-related articles, white papers and has consulted and presented to both public sector and private sector insurance organizations.

A second-generation insurance professional, Nancy was the first risk manager of the City of Prescott, Arizona, and has worked in the private and public sectors as a claim and risk manager. In 1997 she founded Insurance Writer to assist insurance organizations to better manage their employment-related issues and to better penetrate the competitive insurance marketplace. Nancy holds a B.A. in Communication from Mills College and a Masters degree in sociology from Lincoln University. She also holds the Associate in Risk Management, the Associate in Claims designation from the Insurance Institute of America, the Insurance Training Professional Designation from the Society of Insurance Trainers and is a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management.

Chris Burand is president and owner of Burand & Associates, LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in the property-casualty insurance industry.  Chris is recognized as a leading consultant for agency valuations, increasing profits, and producer compensation plans.  His services include: Agency valuations/due diligence, producer compensation plans, expert witness services, E&O carrier approved E&O procedure reviews, and agency operation enhancement reviews.  He also provides the acclaimed Contingency Contract Analysis® service and has the largest database and knowledge of contingency contracts in the insurance industry.

Chris has more than twenty-five years’ experience. He brings his broad experience and wealth of knowledge into every agency.  He is a featured speaker across the continent at more than 300 conventions and educational programs. He writes a monthly article for the Insurance Journal.  Prior, he wrote a monthly column for American Agent & Broker for 11 years.  His articles have been published more than 250 times and have been published by Rough Notes, The National Underwriter, A.M. Best, and approximately a dozen regional insurance publications. He also publishes Burand’s Insurance Agency Adviser for independent insurance agents.

Chris holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business with emphasis in Finance from the University of Colorado and a MBA from the University of Denver. He is a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers, NACVA, a Department Head for IIABA's Virtual University, a contributing consultant for IMMS, and a volunteer counselor for the Small Business Administration's SCORE program.

Areas of Expertise:

• Insurance Agency Appraisals/Due Diligence: Chris performs appraisals for Acquisitions and Sales, Buy/Sell Agreements, Mergers, Dissolution, and Perpetuation Planning.
• Contingency Contract Analysis: Contingency contracts offer opportunities to increase compensation through negotiations and strategically placing business. Chris’s Contingency Contract Analysis® service provides the information agents need to take advantage of those opportunities.
• Agency Operations Enhancement Review: Chris provides comprehensive reviews to help agencies identify opportunities, fix weaknesses, and succeed.

Chris Christian stumbled into insurance in 1985 as a temporary employee at GAF Insurance Services, a bank-affiliated insurance agency in San Diego.  After six years with GAF, Chris moved to the carrier side, opening the San Diego branch office of RLI Corp, an underwriter of specialty lines of insurance.  The San Diego office was dedicated to Directors and Officers Liability coverage, and was the launching pad for Chris’s specialization in professional liability.

Chris left RLI in 1997 to establish her own underwriting facility at London American General Agency and branched out thereafter into professional liability broking.

Chris joined U.S. Risk in November of 2005 and six months later relocated herself, her significant other, and 26 animals to Tennessee, where she continues her pursuit of the art and science of professional liability broking, and contributes to the industry as a frequent speaker, author and association participant.

Rita Hollada is the Vice-President of The Insurance Professionals, Inc., a consulting and professional education group. She is an honors graduate of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia and began her professional career in human resources management before entering the insurance industry in 1979 when she and her husband started an agency from scratch. She remains a licensed agent and broker.

Rita earned the designation of Accredited Advisor in Insurance in 1983, followed by the designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter in 1987 and Certified Insurance Counselor in 1988. In 1997, she was awarded PIA National's Presidential Award for her work with flood insurance and natural disaster legislation. She received the CPIA designation in 1998 after assisting that organization with the development of its Saleswise Success Seminars.

Rita remains an active member of the insurance industry, representing PIA National on several committees. She is also a contributor to numerous magazines and professional journals. Rita wrote a regular column on flood insurance issues for the Professional Agent Magazine for several years. She currently serves on the Flood Insurance Producers National Committee where she served as Chairman for two years. She also has served on the board of the Natural Disaster Coalition.

In addition to the insurance industry, Rita has been invited to speak on effective communication and customer service to many diverse groups. She is a member of the National Faculty of the CIC program as well as an instructor for other National Alliance programs. She designs and instructs special topic courses for insurance companies, agencies, industry associations and local community colleges and often works as a consultant with agencies on agency management issues.

Terry has been in the insurance industry since 1979.  In an attempt to enjoy a little slower paced life he has joined the Correll Insurance Group of agencies as the President of Coastal Plains Insurance, LLC (CPI) and South East Coastal Underwriters (SECU) in beautiful Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Terry is part owner and responsible for the day to day operations of CPI and SECU. 

Prior to Terry's joining CPI he was owner and CEO of Florida Insurance Educators , Inc. which is an insurance education and consulting firm that in conjunction with Florida  Insurance School worked with state and national organizations provides a variety of educational courses and consulting services.

Terry continues to accept national speaking engagements and writes technical articles for a variety of state and national insurance publications. In his spare time Terry is also recognized by Federal and State courts as an expert on insurance coverages and serves as an expert witness.

Terry began his career in 1979 in Florida. The majority of this time was spent as the principal of an independent insurance agency in Florida where he specialized in a variety of Professional Liability programs as well as designing several specialty programs serving the Construction industry.

Terry has also worked with the Florida Department of Insurance where he was the Administrator of Agents Licensing. His primary responsibilities included the approving individuals for agent licensing and supervision the writing of all state insurance examinations. During this time he also represented the state of Florida on the National Test Development Committee which sets standards for agents licensing examinations.

Currently, Terry holds a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and is a National Faculty Member of the Society. In addition, he serves as the Educational Consultant in the States of North Carolina.  Terry also holds a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriting (CPCU) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist CRIS) professional designations.

Celebrated keynoter, facilitator, author and ICF-certified workplace productivity and business leader coach, Marsha Egan is devoted to energizing people to make the best use of their time so that they can lead their lives and achieve great stuff.

Focused on enabling growth through people, she applies her experience and skills to helping her clients achieve their personal, professional, and organizational goals.

Marsha Egan, CPCU, CSP, PCC, is CEO of the professional coaching firm, The Egan Group, Inc, which she started. She is an ATHENA Foundation Award recipient, one of PA's 50 Best Women in Business, and past president of the CPCU Society. A 25-yr. veteran of corporate & volunteer America, Ms. Egan intuitively reinvents leadership, by igniting leaders and entrepreneurs with positive change, interpersonal impact and innovation.

Owner and Developer of Insurance Trust Accounting Technology

President of Paulmar Group LLC, Software Developer and Trust Accounting Service Provider Company

California Department of Insurance- approved Class Instructor
Author of several published articles by Insurance Journal and other outlets on insurance trust accounting and financial management

Master Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering and Engineering Economics

Casey Roberts brings 38 years of experience in the insurance industry.  During that time he has worked as a personal lines producer, personal lines sales manager, commercial producer, commercial sales manager, insurance consultant, continuing education teacher as well as a sales and sales management trainer and consultant.

In 2010 Casey formed Laurus (lorus) Insurance Consulting.  His company’s name was chosen with intent and purpose.  The name “Laurus” is derived from Latin words meaning “victory” or “success”.  

The main purpose of Laurus Insurance Consulting is to help insurance professionals reach their goals and sales potential; ie, to achieve Their Success. 

He has served as director for the AFIS (Agriculture & Farm Insurance Specialist) designation as well as on IIABCal’s Agribusiness committee.  He received his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) credentials in 1989, Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR) in 1992 and his AFIS designation in 2005. 

His continuing education efforts include teaching topics on a national level as varied as: insurance agents/brokers errors and omissions, workers’ compensation, agency management, personal lines, farm property & liability, excess & umbrella, risk management, agency operations and numerous other commercial lines topics.   

Casey’s other passions include a seldom improving golf game, officiating women’s collegiate basketball in northern California as well as boys and girls high school basketball in the greater Sacramento region. 

He resides in northern California (Lincoln) with his bride of some 30 years, Alyson, and their two dogs, Buddy & Bear.

Christopher J. Boggs joined the insurance industry in 1990. He is currently the Executive Director, Big I Virtual University and former Vice President of Education for Insurance Journal's Academy of Insurance.

During his career, Boggs has authored more than 300 insurance and risk management-related articles on a wide range of topics as diverse as Credit Default Swaps, the MCS-90, and enterprise risk management. This does not include the seven “e-books” (short, one-topic books covering various insurance and risk management-related subjects) Boggs has written.

Additionally, Boggs has written and published six insurance and risk management-related books

• "The Insurance Professional's Practical Guide to Workers' Compensation: From History through Audit – Second Edition;"
• "Business Income Insurance Demystified: The Simplified Guide to Time Element Coverages – Third Edition;”
• “Property and Casualty Insurance Concepts Simplified: The Ultimate ‘How to’ Insurance Guide for Agents, Brokers, Underwriters and Adjusters;”
• “Wow! I Never Knew That! 12 of the Most Misunderstood and Misused P&C Coverages, Concepts and Exclusions;”
• “Insurance, Risk & Risk Management! The Insurance Professional’s Guide to Risk Management and Insurance;” and
• “Workers’ Compensation: How You Can Effectively Answer Your Clients 12 Most Commonly Asked Questions.”

In addition to his writing, education, and training experience, Boggs worked in many areas of insurance. He began his career with Insurance Services Office as a rating and underwriting representative. Boggs has also worked as an agent (even owning his own agency), as the loss control and claims examiner for state-owned property in his home state, as a risk management consultant, and as the quality assurance specialist (auditing underwriting files) for the Southeast region of an insurance carrier.

A graduate of Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Boggs has obtained  nine professional insurance designations: the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Associate in Loss Control Management (ALCM), Legal Principles Claims Management (LPCS), Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI), Associate in Premium Auditing (APA), Certified Workers’ Compensation Advisor (CWCA), Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) and the Associate in General Insurance (AINS).

Peggy M. Jackson, DPA, CPCU, is an author, consultant, and nationally recognized lecturer in risk management, business continuity planning, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. She is a Principal with Peg Jackson & Associates in San Francisco, CA and Alexandria, VA. Her specialty areas include Done in a Day® risk management and contingency planning as well as SOX compliance for nonprofit organizations. Dr. Jackson has written or coauthored seven books on risk management, business continuity planning, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance for nonprofit and small business audiences for publishers John Wiley & Sons. Her books, Sarbanes-Oxley for Nonprofits and Risk Management and Contingency Planning: Done in a Day Strategies won honorable mention at the 2007 Nonprofit Management Association Book Awards. Her latest book, Reputational Risk Management, will be released in Spring 2010 by BEW Publishers.

Dr. Jackson earned a doctorate in public administration (DPA) from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and holds the professional designation of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). She designed the Jackson Risk Management Model© as part of an award-winning doctoral dissertation on risk management techniques. She is a member of the Washington DC Chapter of the CPCU Society and was recently appointed to the governing committee of the Risk Management Interest Group of the Chartered Property & Casualty Society (CPCU).

Mr. Chetcuti is a professor of workers’ compensation law having taught classes and seminars in behalf of the State Bar, CA Dept of Insurance, WorkCompCentral, Insurance Educational Association, various professional organizations and associations, and privately to attorneys, claims professionals and employers in California and other states. He is certified by the State of California, Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, as an instructor of Workers’ Compensation Law and Procedures.* His past experience includes being the director of education at Acacia Pacific in San Francisco. It is estimated that over his career Prof. Chetcuti has taught workers’ compensation law and procedure to over 19,000 students. He is also a former vice-president in charge of workers’ compensation claims consulting services for the two largest insurance brokers in the country. He is often retained as an expert witness in litigation concerning workers’ compensation insurance and TPA claims handling performance issues.

Prof. Chetcuti is also one of the three co-authors of the well-known 16-volume treatise, “Sullivan On Comp.” In addition, he also co-developed the IEA’s WCCP credential for claims professionals and is the founder of the Workers’ Compensation Claims Consultant credential scheduled to be offered in 2017

Ron Fry joined Sherman & Company in January 2010, bringing twelve years of insurance investment banking experience to the firm. Mr. Fry’s responsibilities include sourcing and supporting banking transactions, and building relationships with clients operating in the property & casualty, life/health, and reinsurance sectors.

Before joining Sherman & Company, Ron was most recently a Vice President with Wachovia Securities LLC in the Financial Institutions Group. In that role he managed the risk of a multi-billion dollar portfolio of insurance and financial services companies and underwrote financings that included acquisitions, bridge loans, revolving and term credits, and insurance letter of credit facilities. His prior roles at Wachovia Securities and its predecessor, First Union Securities, included various roles covering financial institutions in Corporate Banking, Structuring & Underwriting and Risk Management, as well as the Agency Management division of Loan Syndications. Throughout his career he has primarily focused on insurance carriers and insurance distributors while working with a broad array of financial institutions clients.

Mr. Fry earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Belmont Abbey College and a M.B.A. at Wake Forest University’s Babcock Graduate School of Management. Prior to his undergraduate work Mr. Fry served in the US Army and continued to serve in the Army National Guard, including a 2004 deployment to Iraq, until his retirement from the military in 2006.

Contact Info:
(704) 943-2672
RFry@Sherman-Company.com