Dawnmarie Black - President Market Development Director - Lloyd's Americas Region
Dawnmarie is an accomplished broker and underwriter who joined Lloyd’s in 2018 from London broker BMS Group. She brings more than 30 years of experience, having served in senior roles with Ascot, Aon, AIG, and Chubb.

Dawnmarie is responsible for leading the Market Development Strategy in the US, Canada, and Latin America and managing a team of market development executives and associates. Lloyd’s stakeholders in the US include retail, wholesale, and reinsurance brokers; program managers; managing general agents; risk managers; and market supporting organizations such as TMPAA/WSIA/RIMS. The US represents over 50% of Lloyd’s total written premium.

Black holds a B.A. from Allegheny College. She is affiliated with several industry groups and insurance industry philanthropic efforts, including the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation; Association of Professional Insurance Women (currently Treasurer and Co-chair of programming); and serves on the Target Markets Women’s Leadership Committee. Her past board roles include Intermediaries & Reinsurance Underwriters Association and Chair of IICF Boston Board. She has been recognized by IBA on their Elite Women, Hot 100, and Business Global 100 lists as well as being recognized by IICF as an Inclusion Champion in 2021.

Kara Owens is a reinsurance executive at Stone Ridge Asset Management working on various (re)insurance initiatives throughout the company. Prior to joining Stone Ridge in 2022, Ms. Owens was the Global Head of Cyber and ESG at Markel Corporation, where she led underwriting, enterprise risk management and product development for Markel’s cyber portfolio. Previously, Ms. Owens was the Global Head of Cyber at TransRe as well as a Specialty Casualty underwriter where she was instrumental in forming TransRe’s Women’s Group. She began her career at Guy Carpenter structuring reinsurance placements across various short-tail and long-tail insurance products. Ms. Owens graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with a BA in Risk Management and Insurance and Marketing and holds her CPCU, RPLU, and ARe insurance certifications. In addition to APIW, she is very engaged with mentoring Risk Management students and volunteering with St. Baldrick’s Organization. Ms. Owens has a sweet little boy and two crazy dogs. She enjoys reading, hiking, animals and traveling the world.

Michelle Yoshida is the NY Casualty Facultative Branch Manager at Gen Re.

Michelle began her career in the insurance industry in 2013 as a member of the NY Casualty E&S Division of General Star Insurance Co (a subsidiary of Gen Re). Interested in Reinsurance, she joined Gen Re in 2018 and became Branch Manager in 2022. As Manager, Michelle is responsible for profitable underwriting results within the NY branch. In addition, her focus includes fostering a cohesive team dynamic that enables both strategic growth of the business and strong underwriting acumen. She mentors women within Gen Re and is a member of Gen Re’s Women and Allies Group and Professionals of Color and Allies Group. Michelle is an active participant in the New York insurance marketplace and regularly attends events held by various organizations in addition to APIW. A student of the business, she has earned the designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Reinsurance (ARe) and Associate in Surplus Lines Insurance (ASLI).

Michelle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and minor in biology from Fairfield University. She was born and raised in Hawaii and is a co-chair of the Punahou Alumni Association of New York, for which she coordinates social and networking events and helps mentor Punahou graduates in the Tri-State area as they navigate their college and career paths.

Nancy M. Mellard is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Benefits & Insurance Services Division of CBIZ, Inc.  Nancy has been with CBIZ for more than 30 years! As General Counsel for this Division, Ms. Mellard has responsibility for all legal related matters including transactional legal issues, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and E&O/EPL actions, and negotiations with key customers, insurance carriers and employment related agreements.  She also has oversight for all regulatory, licensing and compliance for the Division.

Having more than 40 years of legal experience and with nearly all of those years in the insurance industry, Ms. Mellard serves as a member of the Division’s Senior Management Team, providing comprehensive strategic-level business counsel.  Nancy is known for her capability of utilizing her legal expertise and sharing complex legal information in a manner that “non-legal experts” understand.  Having a deep understanding of the “business side” of the business, Nancy has become a respected and sought-after partner with all internal business leaders, while also seen as a strong adversary when addressing business and legal challenges.  She is also known for her humor, honesty, generosity and intelligence, Nancy is not only a leader within the legal community, but also in the business community.

In addition to her role as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Ms. Mellard was chosen by CBIZ’s Chairman of the Board to build CBIZ Women’s Advantage.  This Program supports CBIZ’s female employee base in multiple professional roles across all Divisions of CBIZ.  The goals of this Program are to recruit, retain and develop female talent within CBIZ and recognize the power of women both internally and externally.  Professional development, talent management, networking, revenue generation, national community outreach and, most importantly, the celebration of successes of CBIZ woman talent are more strategic goals for this Program.  CBIZ Women’s Advantage was responsible for generating and influencing more than $18 million in new business revenue over the last twelve years and was the 2009 recipient of the Dress for Success Worldwide Model of Excellence Award for its continuing support of Dress for Success.  Ms. Mellard received three 2012 Stevie® Awards for her leadership of CBIZ Women’s Advantage:  Gold Award, Maverick of the Year; Silver Award, Mentor or Coach of the Year – Business and Silver Award, Women Helping Women – Business.

Nancy’s contributions extend far outside CBIZ.  In addition to serving in various capacities (including Chairperson) on multiple not-for-profit Boards in the Kansas City community, Ms. Mellard was the 2021-2022 Board Chair of the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), located in Washington, DC, served on the Executive committee of its Board of Directors and is also a member of the Board of Directors for the CIAB’s Council Foundation.  She is also past Chair of the CIAB’s Council of Employee Benefit Executives Advisory Board (CEBE) and past Chair of the CIAB Legal Counsel’s Working Committee.  Nancy currently serves on the Association of Professional Insurance Women Board of Directors and the USLAW Labor & Employment Client Practice Committee.  She was Chair of the Board of Directors for Central Exchange (2014-15) and currently chairs the Central Exchange Foundation Board.

Nancy has received a number of other awards and recognition including a First Chair 2017 Top General Counsel Award, Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s 2017 Women in Justice – Enterprise Award, and the 2016 Stevie® Bronze Lifetime Achievement Award.  She was named a 2016 Baron of the Boardroom by the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and one of the Elite Women in Insurance, by Insurance Business America Magazine.  In 2013, Ms. Mellard was named one of Kansas City’s 50 Most Inspiring Women by 435 South Magazine and one of the Top Women in Insurance by American Agent & Broker Magazine.  Ms. Mellard was a member of Ingram’s Magazine’s 2012 class of weKC (Women Executives – Kansas City) which honors the most influential and accomplished women executives in the Kansas City area and received the Women Who Mean Business Award in 2010 from the Kansas City Business Journal, Influential Women Award in 2010 from the Kansas City Business Magazine, Legal Leader of the Year Award in 2008 from the Midwest In-House Lawyers Weekly and was named a Woman to Watch in 2006 by Business Insurance.

CBIZ is a national provider of integrated business services including Employee Benefits and Property & Casualty Insurance Services; Payroll Services; Human Capital Advisory; Retirement Plan; Accounting, Tax & Advisory; Business Valuation and other professional services to small and medium sized companies and individuals.  CBIZ is a public company, listed on the NYSE as CBZ.

Renata Bauer-Saville is dedicated to fostering and maintaining strategic relationships within the commercial property and casualty insurance market. With over a decade of experience in insurance, her network encompasses a broad spectrum of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, Risk Managers, CFOs, retail and wholesale brokerages, claims professionals, and underwriters both in the US and internationally.

As the Vice President of Major Accounts at McLarens, Renata drives territory growth and new business development on the East Coast. She plays a key role in leading major accounts team strategy and developing new processes that are essential to McLarens’ long-term success. Renata is also passionate about supporting and mentoring women in the industry. Beyond her role on the APIW Board, she serves as the Director of Memberships for YRP North Florida.

Born and raised in Brazil, Renata is fluent in both Portuguese and English. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ, where she was recruited for their Division 1 Volleyball team. After graduating, Renata completed a certificate in Public Relations and Image Management from NYU and participated in Wharton Executive Education’s program on Driving Strategic Innovation: Leading Complex Initiatives for Impact. As a proud mother of twin girls, she continues to navigate the balance between work, life, and motherhood. In her free time, Renata enjoys traveling with her family, practicing pilates, and occasionally trying her hand at golf.

Kathleen Alicks, Chief Compliance Officer for Seneca Insurance company, has been with the Crum & Forster (C&F) organization for over 20 years. After holding several field leadership positions at C&F/Seneca, she created and developed the Home Office Underwriting Group of Product Line Management in 2016. Shortly thereafter she assumed responsibilities for Regulatory Compliance. She has been instrumental in helping shape the future leaders and underwriters at Seneca by developing various training programs and mentoring several women in the organization.

Kathleen is known to be an ambassador for Seneca in the C&F group and currently participates in cross-functional guilds, including the Enterprise Risk Officer guild as Seneca’s Risk Officer.  Her passion for DEI has given rise for the opportunity to serve on C&F’s DEI council, participate as an ally in several Employee Resource groups including PRIDE & ABES (Advocates for Black Equity), and is currently serving as an Executive Sponsor for the Women’s ERG, WAVE (Women Amplifying Value & Equity).  In 2022, Kathleen was the recipient of The Extraordinary Women in an Extraordinary Year award from APIW (Association for Professional Insurance Women) for her work in the DEI space, contributions during the pandemic, and her work as a member of the Board of Trustees for Birth Haven, a homeless shelter providing services for young pregnant women in Newton, NJ.

Prior to her arrival at C&F/Seneca, she spent the early years of her career honing her underwriting skills at General Star Management, a subsidiary of General Reinsurance. Kathleen is currently a council member of the APIW New Jersey Network.  She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Fairfield University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.

Tracey Vasile is the Senior Vice President of Client Strategy at Verisk, where she leads a team of Managing Directors dedicated to driving innovation, developing strategic initiatives, and fostering enterprise-wide collaboration with the company’s most strategically significant insurance clients. She also played a key role in establishing the Executive Sponsor Roundtable and works closely with senior executives at both Verisk and its carrier partners on a range of strategic initiatives. Since joining Verisk in 2010, Tracey has held multiple leadership roles, including National Account Executive and Assistant Vice President of Sales, before stepping into her current position overseeing the Client Strategy Team.

Before Verisk, she spent 16 years at LexisNexis in sales and sales management, partnering with corporations to align data solutions with both tactical and strategic business objectives.

Tracey holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA in Marketing from Sacred Heart University. She is also an active member of the Planning Board in her hometown of Foxboro, MA.

Barbara Bufkin, Senior Advisor, AmWINS Access

Barbara's four decades in the insurance and reinsurance industry have spanned leadership roles encompassing operational and strategic responsibilities, including business origination and product development, underwriting, claims, risk management/corporate governance and ceded and assumed reinsurance, while fostering a culture of innovation, mentorship, and diverse talent. 

Throughout the past six years, Barbara has focused her career at the intersection of distribution, underwriting, technology and capital in specialty businesses. Barbara currently serves as a Senior Advisor at AmWINS Access. She previously held leadership roles at Hamilton USA, Guy Carpenter, Argo Group and Swiss Re.

As current Chair of the International Board of Governors of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) and President of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW), Barbara has been directly engaged in the global and national Women in Insurance Conference series. Concurrently, she advocates for the value of the insurance industry as a career of choice in her role as Co-President and Board of Trustee of Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) and as a keynote speaker on The Power of Purpose in various insurance industry forums. In these initiatives, Barbara has been driving the Big Tent of culture, inclusion, innovation, sponsorship, mentoring talent and the power of networks.  

In 2019, Barbara was inducted into Insurance Business America’s Hall of Fame.

Liz Kramer is the President, E&S for Munich Re Specialty Insurance, Munich Re’s primary specialty insurance operation focused primarily on property, casualty and specialty lines.

Liz brings expertise in leading underwriting divisions in addition to specialty insurance from her previous roles at global re/insurance organizations. Prior to joining Munich Re Specialty Insurance, Kramer served as Senior Vice President, Head Technical Underwriting – Alternative Markets, at Zurich N.A. Prior to that role, Liz led Technical Underwriting for all Casualty lines across North America. From 1993 to 2017, Liz held a variety of roles at Gen Re, most recently as North America Treaty Strategy Manager and P&C Line Of Business Product Manager.

Liz received her MBA in International Business in 2000 from McGill University’s 2-year MBA Japan program in Tokyo, Japan, and her BA in Economics in 1990 from State University of New York in Binghamton. She has earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Reinsurance (ARe) designations.

Associate Director
Katie School of Insurance
Campus Box 5490
Normal, IL 61790

Debbie Babcock administers special projects for the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University including Lloyd's of London programs, Insurance Executive Forum, Katie School Golf Classic, Katie School Scholarship Program, international internships and Katie School alumni events. She is advisor to the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma. 

Ms. Babcock received a B.S. from the University of Illinois and is a current board member of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)-Midwest Division and the Association of Professional Insurance Women; past board member of the Spencer Educational Foundation, American Risk and Insurance Association(ARIA) and the Mid-IL Chapter of RIMS; and a current member of the Association of Lloyd’s Brokers,  the Insurance Supper Club, Dive-In, the Chicago RIMS Chapter, PLUS and ARIA. She was honored as the 2018 IICF Trailblazer of the Year and with the ARIA President’s Award.

With nearly two decades of experience in the insurance industry, Chartenya Cleveland has achieved significant professional milestones and made impactful contributions to her community. She has a proven track record of managing and profitably growing complex books of business with insurance agents and brokers in her role as a Senior Specialty Marine Underwriter. Currently, she serves as the Director of Underwriting Solutions for The Hanover Insurance Group, where she leads the Learning, Development, and Solutioning efforts, influencing the Marine Division and its contributors.

In her previous roles, she has spearheaded several special initiatives, including redesigning her division’s recruiting and interview processes and developing a quarterly newsletter with broad enterprise distribution. As a Massachusetts home office leader based in Houston, Chartenya acts as a vital liaison between the field and home office, focusing on workflow and technology advancements. Her efforts have included curating her department’s new website, developing a new onboarding training curriculum, and contributing to the enterprise task force on generative AI at The Hanover. Her ability to leverage technology for remote underwriting development has been key to her success.

Chartenya is also dedicated to advancing women in her field and improving her community. She serves as the Development Chair for the Women@Hanover Business Resource Group, leading a committee of eight members on a governance council that serves over 1,400 members. Additionally, she is the Founding Chair of the Texas Network of the Association of Professional Insurance Women, a nonprofit organization committed to the career advancement of women in insurance. Under her leadership, the network has grown over 100 members in Texas, focusing on education, engagement, connectivity, mentorship, philanthropic efforts, and DEI&B within the insurance industry.

As a fellow of Class XLII of Leadership Houston, Chartenya collaborates with industry leaders on projects that enhance the quality of life for Houstonians. She led the CORE team in successfully funding, procuring, and installing water-filling stations in underserved communities across Harris County, with support from county judge Lina Hidalgo and the county commissioners.

Inspired by her years of community service, Chartenya founded Chayce Jreams, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to investing in socially marginalized youth. The organization provides educational support and personal growth opportunities, empowering underprivileged youth to overcome obstacles. Chayce Jreams’ initiatives include:

• An annual Health and Wellness Fair for an underserved community outside of Houston, offering free health screenings, immunizations, medical insurance enrollment services, and more to youth who may not otherwise receive these resources.
• The Jream Big Leadership Award: a college starter pack with essential resources to support graduating seniors in their transition to college life.
• The College Preparedness Series: Chayce Jreams’ signature program designed to equip disenfranchised high school students with essential life skills for academic and professional success.

Chartenya has been named one of the Top 30 Influential Women of Houston, Houston Business Journals’ – Woman Who Means Business and Insurance Business America’s Hot 100. Her professional success is matched by her servant spirit, making her a true leader in her community.

Vanessa Contreras is Senior Vice President and US Casualty Team Leader at SCOR Reinsurance in Chicago, Illinois.  In her current role she is responsible for managing the strategic direction, profitability, and client relationships for Scor’s US Casualty portfolio.  Vanessa held the role of Senior Vice President and Deputy Team Leader for Professional Lines prior to being promoted to her current role in January of 2022.  She began her career as a Risk Analyst at Munich Re, later becoming an Underwriter in Princeton, NJ. Prior to Munich Re, she worked for State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, IL.

Vanessa holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Risk Management and Insurance from The Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University. She holds a CPCU and ARe, and is working towards her RPLU. Vanessa served on The Reinsurance Under 40s Board for six years and is also an active member of the APIW, PLUS, and the ISC Group. She has successfully completed the LAMP program though PLUS and the ASPIRE Leadership Program through SCOR. In 2015, Vanessa was included in Intelligent Insurer's list of 40 Rising Stars Under 35.  In 2020, Vanessa was selected by Insurance Business America as a Rising Star in Insurance.  Most recently, Vanessa was honored as the 2022 Young Leader of the Year by The Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State.

Ashley Emanuel is a Vice President on the US Treaty Casualty team at Everest. She is currently based in Everest’s Stamford, Connecticut office. In Ashley’s current role at Everest, she underwrites all lines of casualty business ranging from D&O to Umbrella/Excess portfolios. She is also a dedicated mentor within the Everest organization where she actively engages and guides early talent through her participation on various internal panel discussions. She is also a participant in Everest’s Reinsurance Associate Program where she recently supported and guided an associate through their 6-month rotation within the Treaty Casualty unit. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Ashley serves as the DEI representative for the Stamford Connecticut office where she champions initiatives that foster an inclusive and equitable workplace.

Ashley began her career at Broome Cooperative Insurance Company located in Binghamton, NY. At BCIC she managed the Commercial Lines portfolio which included both property and casualty exposures for BOPs, CPPs and Artisan Contractors. Before entering the reinsurance space, she also worked at Chubb on the Private Non-Profit Professional Lines team which enabled her to broaden her casualty knowledge base. After completing her MBA from Penn State, she made the move to reinsurance and has held underwriting positions at AXA XL and Odyssey Re before joining Everest in 2021.

Connie is a growth-minded executive and leader with over 25 years of international insurance
leadership experience. She has enthusiastically led primary casualty, excess casualty, energy,
environmental, life science and products recall businesses.

With an entrepreneurial focus, Connie’s strength is building businesses from the ground up as
well as reforming and nurturing existing businesses. Her relentless focus on increased
profitability and growth has resulted in sustainable and scalable builds. Working with and
building diverse teams and encouraging engagement and evolution, Connie builds more
collaborative and ultimately stronger units creating opportunities for superior business relevancy
and individual development. As President of Everest Specialty Casualty, she formed the
strategic, financial and cultural development of the business while engaging and supporting the
broader Everest Group in a variety of ways. Key among those were roles as Chair of the Global
Casualty Board, Executive Sponsor of the Early Career Program and member of the DEI
Selection Committee. Her focus on client engagement has helped her build a formidable
reputation as a fair partner who finds the right answer in difficult situations.

Connie is Chief Casualty Officer at DUAL North America. Her responsibilities including leading
the $1B of casualty business that is written annually in a variety of businesses including
Commercial Automobile, Cyber, Energy, M & A, Financial Lines, Worker’s Compensation, and
our specialized Logistics and Crane & Rigging operations. With a focus on long-terms,
sustainable partnerships, her daily focus is on creating enduring businesses supporting carrier
partners and the DUAL NA platform.

Connie is also an engaged leader in Women In America, a professional development and
mentoring program whose goal it is to enable promising female executives to fulfill their highest
potential and move the needle on increasing the proportion of women as CEO’s, in the C-suite,
board rooms and other prominent leadership roles. Additionally, in 2018 Connie began her fouryear
tenure as Finance Director of the New York City Chapter of the LPGA Amateurs Golf
Association, a national group committed to supporting women to learn and participate in golf.
An active participant in mentoring and career development, Connie is always open to spending
time with people interested in finding their unique career path.

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer
Marsh McLennan Agency
300 Cherapa Place, Suite 601
Sioux Falls, SD 57103

Kira Kimball serves as the national Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for Marsh McLennan Agency, where she provides strategic and tactical leadership to advance efforts to attract and celebrate diverse perspectives while promoting and protecting a level playing field for all colleagues. Creating a workplace culture where everyone can be their authentic selves, an environment that fosters a strong sense of belonging, and a business strategy that harnesses the power of diversity are her energy drivers.

As a committed business leader in her community of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Kira serves on the board of directors for Southeast Tech Foundation, Levitt at The Falls, Sioux Falls Development Foundation, 100 Women Who Care Sioux Falls, Sioux Empire Women Connect, Sioux Empire United Way & Pathways to Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces, a nonprofit she founded and the national board of the Association of Professional Insurance Women. Kira is a member of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Leadership Sioux Falls Executive Committee, volunteers as a Sioux Empire United Way Impact Team member and as an EmBe women’s leadership program mentor, greatly adding to the purpose with which she lives her life. Kira is the first person in both SD & ND to earn the National Diversity Council Certified Diversity Professional designation and she is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Kira was recognized in Sioux Falls Woman and received an EmBe Tribute to Women Community Services Award for her abounding passion for diversity, equity & inclusion.

Prior to Kira’s sixteen years in the insurance industry, she spent a decade in higher education teaching, advising and counseling students at Purdue University and The Ohio State University with a focus on leadership & organizational development, career exploration and diversity equity & inclusion. Kira studied English and philosophy at Minnesota State University Moorhead as an undergraduate and received graduate degrees in both counseling & development and English at Purdue. Passionately believing everyone’s self-esteem and potential are worth supporting, Kira commits to living this belief both in and outside the workplace.

Drawing on her 28 years of industry experience, Tanja leads the Global Risk Management Team of experts to ensure clients are provided innovative, cost- effective solutions and value-added services domestically and globally. Tanja also collaborates with client executives and insurer partners to develop new national and international business. She has extensive M&A and captive experience in a variety of industries.

Before joining Hylant, she was a Director of international clients at Willis and Marsh. Tanja conducted her job in Geneva, Switzerland during 2013-15. She handled large and mid-sized clients’ foreign property, liability, captive and environmental programs. Earlier she worked at CNA, Chicago,
where she held underwriting and business development positions. She began her career with Swiss Life in 1996 and was stationed in Brussels and Paris.
 
Tanja is a frequent speaker on insurance issues like M&A, compliance, captives, claims management, program structure and cultural differences. She has also spoken on the state of the market at RIMS regional chapters such as Chicago Risk Forum, Ohio, Pittsburgh and Denver, ALB (Association of Lloyds’ Brokers), TMAC (Treasury Manager's Association of Chicago) and AFP (Association of Financial Professionals). She currently represents Hylant on the Association of Lloyd's Broker's (ALB)
Board, the Chicago Association of Insurance Professional Women (APIW) and RIMS Chicago and has a passion for promoting inclusion and diversity within the insurance industry.

Lori is a Senior Director in the Strategic Client Engagement Leader group at WTW. She has over 35 years of diversified experience in risk management and insurance. From 2005 to 2008 Lori was the Senior Risk Manager at Fannie Mae Housing and Community Development and responsible for risk and insurance oversight of their entire multifamily portfolio, including rewriting the insurance guide after Hurricane Katrina. From 1998 to 2004, she was part of a startup group that created the first end-to-end insurance quoting engine on the Internet.

Lori is a member of the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS). She served on the RIMS Board of Directors from 2011-2015. From 2008 – 2010, she served on the RIMS New York Chapter Board of Directors and as an active member of RIMS External Affairs Committee, participated in local, state and federal discussions on insurance and risk management. She worked with the office of Senator Schumer (D-NY) in the writing of the definition of a Qualified Risk Manager in the surplus lines legislation. She lobbied Capitol Hill during reauthorizations of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Lori returned to the RIMS New York Chapter Board of Directors in 2018 and currently serves as their Chapter President. Lori is a former member of the Spencer Foundation Board of Directors where she served on the Scholarship Committee and Chair of the Risk Manager on Campus (RMOC) Committee. She is a frequent participant, moderator and panelist in industry conferences and has been quoted in industry publications such as Business Insurance, Zywave and more.

Lori earned the Bachelor of Science in Business from California State University at Northridge. She holds the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation. Lori was honored by Business Insurance in 2015 as one of their Women to Watch. In 2022, she was honored by RIMS with the Ron Judd "Heart of RIMS" award.

President
The Beaumont Group, Inc.
990 Cedar Bridge Avenue, Suite B7, PMB 210
Brick, NJ 08723-4147

Jeanette Wilson is a seasoned insurance executive with deep expertise in strategic leadership, underwriting, and program management. She has held key leadership roles at U.S. Risk, LLC/SIU-Trucking, Transportation Insurance Experts (TIE), and NationsBuilders Insurance (NBIS), where she led high-performing teams, optimized underwriting operations, and drove business growth. Her commercial lines expertise spans auto, inland marine, property, general liability, workers' compensation, excess, and umbrella insurance, with prior underwriting roles at Great West Casualty Company, Insurance House, and CNA Insurance. As Co-Chair of the Atlanta branch of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW), she is dedicated to fostering industry relationships, creating learning and development opportunities, and supporting women in the insurance industry.

Kristin Meehan Papianou is Managing Director, Client Strategy for Verisk, and is responsible for ensuring that the goals of Verisk’s most strategically engaged clients are reflected in our work and interactions. She works across the Verisk enterprise to support client’s needs by communicating a clear vision to the entire Verisk team. Kristin also works closely with Verisk colleagues in ongoing engagements focused on “voice of customer”, mentoring, information accuracy and internal efficiencies.

Kristin joined Verisk from Travelers Insurance where she held positions supporting Claims and Underwriting. Before joining Travelers, she was Manager of Liberty Mutual’s Subrogation operation, where she was responsible for National subrogation practices, leading teams across the United States. Kristin was selected to lead customer engagement initiatives in both organizations.

Kristin holds a BA in Sociology from Boston College, where she was awarded Honors for her study of Female Judges in the Massachusetts Courts, and a JD from Suffolk University Law School.

Kristin founded the Greater Boston Chapter of the Association of Professional Insurance Women which and leads the local board in supporting the APIW mission of Learning and Development, Mentorship, DEI&B Leadership, and Giving Back. She is also a member of the National African American Insurance Association and brings the groups together to support the needs of their membership.

Kristin leads the Affinity Groups for ConfiKids, an organization established in Massachusetts to build self-confidence in children through skills, sports, or other after-school activities. She also volunteers with Women’s Lunch Place in Boston.

Kristin supports her hometown through her work on the elections committee for local and national elections.

She was awarded the National Association of Subrogation Professionals President’s Award and has been recognized by Verisk consistently with Circle of Excellence and President’s Club awards.

Partner
Peabody & Arnold

Tamara is an accomplished civil litigator and insurance coverage lawyer. Over the past 28 years, she has developed a particular expertise in handling complex insurance matters and insurance coverage litigation, advising clients on insurance coverage and best claims handling practices, defending medical professionals and others in professional liability and state board and licensure matters, and defending businesses and owners against business, tort and contract claims. She represents clients in the courts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including the state business courts and federal courts, in disciplinary matters before state licensing bodies, and in private arbitration. 
In the area of insurance coverage litigation, Tamara has extensive experience representing insurers in declaratory judgment actions involving interpretation of policy language and determinations of coverage in various courts. She has successfully appealed many matters before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Tamara counsels clients daily on insurance coverage issues, avoidance of bad faith claims, and other issues of insurance contract interpretation that often implicate the laws of various states across the nation. 
Tamara is the Chair of the Insurance Law Section (2013 - present) of the New Hampshire Bar Association, a position that she has continually held since she petitioned the NHBA to establish the Insurance Law Section in 2012. She is also one of the founding leaders of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Professional Insurance Women, a national organization. 
Tamara is a frequent speaker and panelist for industry and bar association events, the most recent of which include: the American Bar Association's 31st Annual Midyear Meeting of the Tort and Insurance Practice's Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, "Recent Developments on an Insurer's Right to Recoupment, "(February 23-25, 2023, Phoenix, Arizona); RIMS (The Risk Management Society) Presentation, "Coverage Litigation and lnsurability of Business Interruptions Related to COVID" (January 25, 2023, Dover, New Hampshire); the New Hampshire Bar Association's CLE," Insurance Law 2021" (May 6, 2021, live webcast); the American Bar Association's 2ih Annual Midyear Meeting of the Tort and Insurance Practice's Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee," Developments in lnsurTech and Insurance Coverage Issues Presented by the Sharing/Gig Economy," (February 21-23, 2019, Phoenix, Arizona); and the New Hampshire Bar Association's CLE," Emerging Insurance Risks & Business Concerns in the Sharing Economy," (November 7, 2018, Concord, New Hampshire). 

Suzanne Cormier has worked in the insurance industry since 2014.  She is a Wholesale Property Underwriter with Navigators, a brand of The Hartford. Her experience includes personal lines producer and frontline underwriter; property adjuster (Personal and Commercial Lines), property damage assessment estimator, and a leader in the Catastrophe Claims Operation.

Prior to her career in insurance, Suzanne spent nearly a decade in commercial mechanical contracting. She supported a large team specializing in primarily new construction, including fire protection systems, medical/surgical specialty systems, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, and industrial plumbing. She helped to develop and integrate a critical risk safety plan for the organization, in addition to her duties supporting vendor management and estimating quality review.

She has a strong passion for giving back to her community. Suzanne is an enthusiastic supporter of United Way of Central & Northeastern CT, as evident by her contributions to Women United’s Leadership Council and Signature Events Steering Committee since 2017, and as Chair of the Red, White & Chocolate 2024 fundraising event.  She also is an active and engaged advocate with the non-profit, Look Good Feel Better, supporting cancer patients through their treatment journey with their meaningful workshops and programing.

Suzanne has been an active member of APIW, Inc. (Association of Professional Insurance Women) since 2023 and is excited to take on the role of Co-Chair for APIW Greater Hartford for 2025. Through these and many other channels, she mentors young professionals in insurance and adjacent industries, as well as local small business owners. She was provided the honor of the President's Volunteer Service Award in 2023 & 2024 and nominated as a finalist for the LeadHER award in 2023 & 2024. Suzanne Cormier was named “The Top 50 Women Leaders of Connecticut for 2025” by Women We Admire.

She was honored to co-present original content, “Catastrophe with Compassion,” state accredited continued education content highlighting the needs and value of emotional intelligence and an empathetic approach to CAT Claims at the 2024 PLRB Claims Conference & Insurance Services Expo in Boston.

Suzanne lives in Ellington, CT with her husband Mike and their German Shepherd Willow. They have a small yet quickly growing homestead farm. In her spare time, she loves to cook. Together, they enjoy spending time at their family cabin in NH, on the lake and in the woods, bird watching and relaxing.

Joanna Pino is a founding member and COO of Sioli Alexander Pino, overseeing firm operations and litigation defense, with a focus on General Liability and Federal Workers’ Compensation. She also represents insurers in coverage and bad faith matters, crafting tailored legal strategies to serve their needs.

Licensed in Florida, D.C., Texas, and New York, Mrs. Pino is active in leadership roles promoting diversity and women's advocacy. She serves on the board of Academir Charter Schools and is the co-chair for the Miami Chapter of the Association of Professional Insurance Women. She is also a Cuban American Bar Association member.