Ken A. Crerar is president of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, an association representing the top tier of insurance brokers who collectively place more than 80 percent of the commercial property/casualty insurance premiums in the United States each year. He has held the lead job at the association since 1992.
Crerar joined The Council in 1987 as chief lobbyist and director of the political action committee. Previously, he spent five years with the Footwear Industries of America, where he rose through the ranks to the job of vice president and handled the association's lobbying on international trade issues.
Under Crerar's leadership, The Council has expanded six-fold and solidified its position as the leading representative of the largest and most successful insurance brokers in the nation. Among Crerar's initiatives are creation of a for-profit subsidiary offering business services to CIAB members; a research and education foundation; a human resources program; expanded communications services; and expanded state affairs activities.
Crerar also has spearheaded The Council's efforts to create The World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries. Headquartered in Brussels, WFII is a non-profit international organization representing associations of insurance intermediaries from around the world. Crerar also was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to the Industry Sector Advisory Committee on Trade and Services as an adviser on insurance matters.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce in May 2006 appointed Crerar to serve on the prestigious Association Committee of 100 (C100). The C100 is comprised of the country’s leading association chief staff executives. He has also been on the Insurance-Letter's annual List of the 100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry since it began in 2001.
Born in upstate New York, Crerar was raised in Hamden, Conn., and attended Connecticut College in New London, receiving a B.A. degree in government in 1977. He spent a year as director of admissions for Connecticut College, then moved to Washington as special assistant to Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., a position he held for three years.
Crerar is a member of The Greenbrier Hotel Advisory Board and the Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Advisory Board, as well as the board of D.C. Central Kitchen.
Barbara S. Haugen is senior vice president of The Council, serving as key staff liaison to the Council of Employee Benefits Executives and overseeing development of the Employee Benefits Leadership Forum held each May at The Greenbrier. She manages strategic resources for The Council as a member of the senior management team. She also coordinates programs for Council Working Groups that serve member firm legal counsels, international business interests, CFOs, business process and technology needs, and employee development, recruitment and training services. In addition, Haugen manages The Council’s 501(c)3 educational foundation, The Foundation for Agency Management Excellence (FAME), working to build the FAME Scholarship program and designing research projects to advance and improve agency management and education tools.
She came to Washington, D.C., following her graduation from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in journalism and first worked as a business journalist covering regulatory issues. She then moved to the White House, where she served from 1978-1981 as director of communications for a senior adviser to President Jimmy Carter. In February 1981, Haugen joined the staff of the National Association of Insurance Brokers, which merged with The Council in 1998. In representing the interests of the commercial insurance brokerage business for more than 25 years, she also has directed both public affairs and government affairs programs.
Joel Wood is senior vice president of government affairs for The Council, a position he has held since January 1993. He is The Council’s top lobbyist on Capitol Hill and is the chief administrator of the group’s political action committee. Prior to joining The Council, he spent four years as assistant vice president for government affairs for the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents. Wood worked for six years on Capitol Hill for Rep. Don Sundquist, R-TN, as press secretary and legislative director. In 1988, Wood and two colleagues from Capitol Hill founded Red Hot & Blue, a Memphis-style barbecue restaurant in Arlington, Va., that has grown to 42 locations in 19 states. In 2002, he and his wife, Dana, formed the Foundation to Eradicate Duchenne, a 501c3 organization to speed a treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the world’s most lethal childhood genetic disease. In April 2007, The Hill newspaper named him as one of the top 34 trade association lobbyists in Washington. Before coming to Washington in 1982, Wood, a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in journalism, spent two years as a political reporter for The Jackson Sun, a 40,000 circulation daily in Jackson, Miss.
Alison E. Bowman,senior vice president of member services, is responsible for recruiting prospective firms and ensuring that current members are aware of the full range of Council services that bring added value to their membership. She also serves as the liaison for PAR, The Council’s E&O captive program, and PreFi, The Council’s premium financing program, and oversees meeting and event planning operations. Bowman brings a unique perspective to The Council because of previous work as an insurance broker with Aon Corporation, where she advanced to the position of assistant vice president at Huntington T. Block, the brokerage firm’s Washington, D.C., branch. She specialized in art insurance for high-end museum collections and blockbuster exhibitions, and her clients included the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art. Bowman also worked in the London office of Nicholson Chamberlain Colls as a Lloyd’s placement broker. She began her career in the industry as an insurance analyst at the corporate headquarters of Rollins Burdick Hunter in Chicago. Bowman is a graduate of the University of Georgia, with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in business administration.
Julia G. Kramer , SPHR, senior vice president, office of the president, is responsible for directing The Council's management resources and talent development programs in support of member firms and for providing strategic planning and implementation at The Council in the areas of internal operations, process improvement and human resources. She is also a regular columnist for Leader's Edge Magazine and authors the online advice feature "Ask Julia." Kramer, affiliated with The Council since 2002, was most recently a management consultant to The Council, and prior to that, was The Council's director of HR management and consulting. Kramer has more than 20 years of executive-level management, operational and human resources experience. She started her professional career as a tax specialist with Deloitte, Haskins and Sells. Subsequently, she joined Dental Benefit Providers, now a UnitedHealthcare dental benefits firm, moving from accounting manager to vice president of human resources in the 13 years she was there. Kramer holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a master's degree in human resources management from Marymount University, and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.
Nicole L. Allen is vice president for industry affairs for The Council, a job she has held since December 2007. Prior to joining The Council, Allen spent five years with Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and its parent, Allianz of America Corp., specializing in regulatory and legislative affairs. She had been named assistant vice president and senior director of government affairs for Allianz in March 2007. Allen began her insurance career in 1992 with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents in Alexandria, Va. After four years, she moved to The Council where she spent eight years working in state and government affairs. An honors graduate of The American University with a B.A. degree in communications, Allen also holds a law degree, cum laude from George Mason University School of Law.
Coletta I. Kemper, is vice president of industry affairs for The Council, responsible for program development, strategic resources, and products and services specifically tailored to Council members’ interests. She also is responsible for development of The Council’s international program. She develops the organization’s policy positions on trade issues and works with high-level U.S. trade officials to ensure that multilateral and bilateral trade agreements provide important market access commitments for insurance brokers. In addition, she is the staff liaison with the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries, which was formed in 1998 to monitor regulatory and trade initiatives impacting insurance brokers. For the last two years she has managed the day-to-day operations of an international broker business network. In addition, she contributes to the weekly newsletter on industry trends; writes an international column in The Council’s award-winning magazine Leader’s Edge; prepares a quarterly survey on the commercial property/casualty market; and develops executive seminars and programs for members.
Prior to joining The Council in 1991, Kemper spent six years with the National Association of Insurance Brokers and worked in the Washington government affairs office of insurance broker Alexander & Alexander. She has worked on political campaigns at the state and federal level and also spent four years in the legislative department of a public interest organization. Kemper holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Maryland.
Alicia Anderson, The Council’s senior accountant, has more than 16 years experience in the areas of accounting, imports and treasury management. She joined The Council in 2001 after a long career with Hechinger stores, where she advanced from a position handling vendor inquiries and complaints to the job of treasury coordinator analyzing cash management functions, preparing monthly analysis summaries and serving as liaison between the company and banks and vendors. She attended Prince George’s Community College and is currently taking online courses in pursuit of her accounting degree and CPA certification.
Kathryn Farley, a native of Lexington, Ky., is the government affairs associate for The Council. She provides support for the government affairs team as well as for the association’s political action committee, CouncilPAC. Kathryn recently graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond with a degree in leadership studies and minors in rhetoric and communication studies and women, gender and sexuality studies. She was an intern on Capitol Hill for Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., before joining The Council in December 2007. Farley is interested in international issues and studied abroad in Perugia, Italy, and in England, where she was an intern in London and took law classes at Cambridge University. She also is actively involved in efforts to end domestic violence, having raised money for the YWCA and volunteered at the Richmond, Va., chapter of Stop Child Abuse Now.
Diane Giles, director of creative development for The Council, manages production of all printed and electronic materials. Her responsibilities include program brochures, e-mail newsletters and event materials. She also manages the organization’s web site and maintains a production calendar for all Council communications vehicles and promotional products. Giles is an experienced copyeditor and writer who joined The Council in December 2001. Previous work experience includes two years as director of content development for Solutions Factory, Inc., in Reston, Va., and various editorial positions including internet content editor for Columbia Energy Services; editor of an in-house newspaper for the American Association of Community Colleges; and caption editor for the National Captioning Institute in Vienna, Va. Giles holds a B.S. degree in mass communications/news editorial, with a minor in sociology, from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Molly Hoffman is The Council’s production assistant, joining the staff in May 2008. Hoffman is a 2007 graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., where she earned a B.A. in print journalism from the School of Media Arts and Design. Hoffman also has a strong background in graphic design, working on design and development of market materials for an area defense contractor and as a free-lance graphic designer following her graduation from college. She also is an assistant concourse manager and stand manager for the George Mason University Patriot Center, where she supervises the volunteer staff and set-up, break down and maintenance of concession stands during events at the facility.
Souri Jahanmir, IOM, is the director of Finance for The Council. Prior to joining The Council, Jahanmir spent five years at ARDA, a non-profit trade association representing the resort development industry. At ARDA, she was the director of Finance and Accounting responsible for financial reporting and policies, accounting, budgeting, banking, investments, and annual audit activities. Her previous experience includes an additional 12 years in non-profit accounting and finance, as director of Accounting Operations at ASAE and as director of Finance at AHLA. Jahanmir has a both a B.S. in Accounting and a B.S. in Management from SUNY Buffalo and is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Institute for Organization Management University.
Kerone Jones first joined The Council as an intern in August of 2009 and is now the marketing and communications associate, responsible for electronic media maintenance and distribution. She is a graduate of Cornell University where she majored in Design and Environmental Analysis with a concentration in Human Factors and Ergonomics. While attending college, she was elected to the board of several student associations for which she designed and coordinated publicity campaigns and promotional materials.
Paula Karchner, director of meetings for The Council, plans, executes and directs key Council meetings and events including vendor and site selection, proposals and contracts, registration, service provider management and on-site logistics. Karchner joined The Council in 1997 as an administrative assistant in meetings and government affairs, and she was a CouncilPAC administrator and legislative representative prior to assuming her current position in 2000. Karchner received her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2004. She spent four years as an air traffic control operator with the United States Air Force. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut. Karchner is currently a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the Financial and Insurance Conference Planners Association.
Joel Kopperud is The Council’s director of government relations. He joined The Council in June of 2008 after two years with Global USA, Inc., where he directed the group’s political, legislative and regulatory advocacy on international trade and export control issues. Kopperud also spent a year with Powell Tate/Weber Shandwick and four years with the Financial Services Roundtable prior to joining Global USA. Inc. During his work with the Financial Services Roundtable, he represented the financial services industry on Capitol Hill and had worked on a number of policy initiatives and lobbying campaigns relating to insurance and financial services.
Caroline Lubin, The Council's meetings and member services associate, is a 2007 graduate of the College of Charleston where she majored in communications, with minors in history and sociology. Prior to her graduation, she held a number of internships involving events planning and the advertising and promotion of special events. Her internships included the Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston, S.C., the Merchant's House Museum in New York N.Y., and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. She also was a page in the House of Representatives and worked as an intern for the University of California's Federal Relations Office in Washington, D.C.
Cheryl Matochik is the director of initiatives in the Office of the President. Her primary role is to develop and direct the mission, goals, objectives and implementation of The Council’s new programs and initiatives. A 2001 graduate of West Virginia University with a B.S. in journalism and a second concentration in international and comparative politics, Matochik worked at a technology solutions firm in New York and at an international advertising firm in Atlanta before joining The Council.
Kelly Miller, a 2008 graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., joined The Council in July 2008 as a strategic resources associate. Miller graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and the National Golden Key Honor Society. While attending college, Miller spent spring, summer and winter breaks working as a server at Pie-Tanza Restaurant and life-guarding at Knights of Columbus in Arlington, Va. She also volunteered as a third grade teaching assistant, served meals at a homeless shelter and took part in a number of other volunteer projects in the Washington, D.C., area.
Webb Milward, is director of political affairs for The Council. His work involves oversight and fundraising for CouncilPAC, the association's political action committee, and management of staff members responsible for The Council's advocacy activities on property/casualty and benefits issues at the federal and state level. A 2003 graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee), Milward worked for two years as a legislative correspondent in the office of Sen. Mitch McConnell. R-Ky, before joining The Council. He is a native of Lexington, Ky.
Rick Pullen is editor in chief of Leader’s Edge magazine. An award-winning investigative reporter and editor, Pullen has covered the insurance industry since 1989, first as Washington editor for BestWeek and Best Review, and then as editor in chief of Independent Agent magazine. Previously, Pullen worked for The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va., The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., and Fairchild News Service in Washington, D.C. Among the stories he covered during his newspaper career were investigations of military corruption, an international munitions scam, political campaign law violations, a bank scam and illegal land deals.
Frank X. Sentner is director of technology for The Council, a position he has held since 1997. Sentner consults with insurance agencies and carriers, agency management system vendors, and other software vendors. He is frequently interviewed by the news media on technology issues affecting the insurance industry. Sentner has been a consultant to the insurance industry since 1976. In 1996, he founded his current company, Soulware, Ltd., to specialize in technology solutions that improve business process integration between insurance carriers, brokers and agencies. Sentner began his insurance technology career working for Insurnet, Inc., as a senior consultant. He founded CISCO Technologies, Inc., in 1984 where he designed and developed the agency management system now known as Sagitta. In 1992, CISCO Technologies merged with the Gemini division of Aetna to form CISGEM, which was acquired by AMS Services in 1995, where Sentner was senior vice president of technology.
Christina (Christy) Schmidt is The Council’s assistant director of meetings, a position she has held since February 2008. Schmidt joined The Council after nearly three years with the Corporate Executive Board in Washington, D.C., including two years as the group’s meeting manager. In that position, she planned and executed 40 annual global corporate training and networking meetings for representatives of Fortune 500 companies. Schmidt is a 2004 graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., with a bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development. In 2002, she spent six months studying global economics and Pacific cultures at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand.
Katherine Jarvis Smith is executive assistant to the president of The Council. She has spent nearly 20 years in the insurance industry. Prior to joining The Council, she was executive assistant to the COO and a top government relations executive at the American Council of Life Insurers were she worked for 17 years. She also has extensive administrative, industry and political experience through her work in Washington at such firms as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering; architects HOK; and Kaiser Permanente. She attended the University of Maryland.
Ann Garver Steadman is director of the Leadership Circle, The Council's corporate sponsorship and marketing program. She has managed this initiative since 1998 when she relocated from Washington, D.C., to Roanoke, Va. She works as a consultant to develop and implement an annual partnership program to raise new non-dues revenue for The Council and offer year-round branding opportunities for member firms, insurance companies, reinsurers and selected vendors. Steadman began work with The Council in 1988 as a legislative representative and advanced to the positions of director of legislative affairs, director of meetings and conferences, and director of membership and meetings prior to assuming her current responsibilities. She spent three years working for a Virginia congressman and two years as a legislative assistant for the American Textile Manufacturers Institute prior to joining The Council. She is a graduate of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., with a double major in Business Administration and English.
Adrienne Stewart is The Council's accounting associate.Before joining The Council in the summer of 2007, she spent two years with the U.S. Department of Labor where she worked with the Assistant Inspector General in the Office of Audit. Her background also includes three years as a legal secretary, working on personal injury claims, and a receptionist for a Silver Spring, Md., law office, as well as six years as an executive administrative assistant and compliance manager for a Rockville, Md., law firm.
Patricia Wade is member services directorand Leader's Edge business manager, for The Council and circulation and business manager of Leader’s Edge. She is responsible for the membership database, magazine circulation and primary liaison for technology support for the association. Previous work experience includes insurance licensing, financials, meeting planning, grassroots communication, computer software analyst and newsletter production. Prior to joining The Council full time in 2000, Wade did contractual work for six years for various non-profit associations, including The Council. She spent 18 years at American Cyanamid in their Washington government affairs office. Wade holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fayetteville State University and state certification in early childhood day care management from Prince George’s Community College.
Cory Washington is The Council's office services clerk. A 2007 graduate of Charles Hebert Flowers High School in Springdale, Md., Washington joined The Council in 2008 after gaining extensive experience in retail sales and customer service. He came to The Council from Pitney Bowes Management Services, where he was a customer service associate, and he also worked for Best Buy and Marshalls in retail sales and customer service. Washington lives in Upper Marlboro, Md.
Jacquetta Williams, who is The Council's database and advertising associate, is a 2002 graduate of Morris College in Sumter, S.C., where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in English. Williams joined The Council as a receptionist in 2004. Her previous experience included work as a receptionist and customer service specialist with George Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C., and as an administrative assistant for Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas.