WSIA announces new leadership roster

WSIA announces new leadership roster | Insurance Business America

Insurance News

WSIA announces new leadership roster

Insurance News

By
Mika Pangilinan

The Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA) has announced that its members have elected Brenda (Ballard) Austenfeld (pictured) to head up the organization as its president for the 2024-2025 term.

Austenfeld is currently the CEO & president at RT Specialty’s national property practice. She is also part of the executive team for RT Specialty. She joined the legacy NAPSLO board of directors in 2016 and became part of the WSIA board in 2017.

In addition to Austenfeld, WSIA has also confirmed the election of the following officers for one-year terms:

Vice president – Phillip McCrorie of RSUI in Atlanta, GA
Secretary – Patrick Albrecht from Associated Insurance Administrators, Inc. in Montgomery, AL
Treasurer – Wendy Houser of Markel Specialty in Dallas, TX
Immediate past president – Dave Obenauer from CRC Group in Charlotte, NC

Furthermore, WSIA has elected several members to serve three-year terms as directors. These are Cristi Carrington of Brown & Riding in Seattle, WA; Veronica Davis from Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company in Goldsboro, NC; Henry Lopez of Navigators in Schaumburg, IL; Phillip McCrorie of RSUI in Atlanta, GA; Jeff McNatt from Amwins in Indian Harbor Beach, FL; and Patrick Roe of Arlington/Roe in Indianapolis, IN.

WSIA board adds two new members

Aside from these elected positions, the association’s board of directors has named two new members.

Steve Boyd, president of Bridge Specialty Group, has been appointed to fulfill the remainder of Bryan Clark’s term following the conclusion of his tenure as immediate past president.

Boyd’s background includes significant roles at Brown & Brown, including senior vice president of technology, innovation, and digital strategy. He also served as president and chief operating officer of Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, Inc.

Meanwhile, Annie Dawson, who served as the immediate past president of WSIA’s U40 Board, has been appointed as the U40 representative to the board of directors.

Dawson is part of the RT Specialty – national binding authorities leadership team. She has over 15 years of experience in wholesale and specialty lines and holds the Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) designation through the National Alliance.

In an emailed statement, WSIA thanked outgoing directors Jennifer Kessel of USG Insurance Services and Bryan Clark of Gorst & Compass Insurance for their service and contributions.

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