SPEAKERS
Sonya Bergquist
Senior Actuarial Analyst, Taylor-Walker Consulting, LLC
Session: Mentoring the Next Generation Leaders
Sonya Bergquist is a Senior Actuarial Analyst at Taylor-Walker Consulting, LLC, an actuarial consulting firm located in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is passionate about hiking, climbing, and property & casualty actuarial work. Her areas of concentration include reserving and pricing analyses related to workers compensation, professional liability, and general liability. She also provides actuarial services for other property & casualty exposures. She has five years’ experience working with captive insurance companies encompassing both captive feasibility studies and on-going reserving and pricing analyses.
John Capasso, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Captive Planning Associates
Mr. Capasso is CEO and founder of Captive Planning Associates, a captive management firm that specializes in the design, formation and management of captive insurance companies.
Throughout Mr. Capasso’s career, he has held positions in a variety of industries including; public accounting, investment banking, risk management, health care, financial services and investment management.
Mr. Capasso is a member of various associations and organizations and currently serves as chairman of the board of directors the Self Insurance Institute of America.
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Tony Child, Keynote Speaker
Through his organization, Elevated Worldwide, Tony helps individuals around the globe access their internal power to create quantum leaps in their performance. Simply put, Tony makes the impossible in people’s lives become possible.
Gregory H. Cobb
Director of Insurance Solutions, Sage Advisory Services
Greg Cobb is a member of the Sage investment team and serves as Director of Insurance Solutions. He has over 35 years of experience in crafting investment solutions for both traditional insurance companies and risk-bearing entities within the world of alternative risk transfer. In 2021, he was awarded Asset Manager of the Year by Captive International for his work in the captive insurance space. He began his investment career in 1987 as a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager for Barnett Banks and later served as Senior Portfolio Manager for the institutional asset management arms of SunTrust and Bank of America. From there, he served as Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer for Sovereign Advisers and as Director of Fixed Income and Lead Strategist for Boyd Watterson Asset Management.
Carolyn Fahey, Executive Director, AIRROC (Association of Insurance & Reinsurance Run-Off Companies)
Carolyn Fahey is the Executive Director of AIRROC (Association of Insurance and Reinsurance Run-Off Companies) and has served in this role for 13 years. She is the face of the organization and the voice of the U.S. legacy sector. She works with the AIRROC Board of Directors to set and execute the overall strategy for the association, as well as has responsibility for AIRROC’s operations. Carolyn is a leading speaker, author and educator on the legacy sector. She enthusiastically leads AIRROC with her hands-on, high-energy and innovative approaches which has built AIRROC into the preeminent organization for runoff professionals.
Victoria Fimea, Chief Captive Analyst in the Financial Affairs Division
Ms. Fimea is an attorney with over 30 years of insurance and public affairs advocacy experience, including over 20 years in C-suite and senior level positions. Her extensive captive insurance experience encompasses roles such as Senior Vice President with an alternative risk provider where she managed the regulatory, claims, underwriting and captive formation departments, and as a Senior Vice President and General Counsel in the life insurance industry forming captive insurers for reserve financing transactions.
Jodi Harrison
Ms. Harrison is lead captive examiner-analyst at the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance.
Jeff Griffin, Keynote Speaker
Jeff Griffin is an educated wheelchair athlete who knows how to win. He played in the 2004 Athens Olympics, holds a Guinness Book of World Records award, and is a four-time NWBA All-Star MVP.
Steve Kinion, Captive Director, Oklahoma Insurance Department Captive Insurance Division
Previously, Steve served as director at the Bureau of Captive and Financial Insurance Products with the Delaware Insurance Department. Prior to his Delaware appointment in July 2009, he was the senior adviser for regulatory policy for the then Insurance Commissioner, Karen Weldin Stewart. When he became the captive director, the bureau had only 38 captive insurance companies. Today, Delaware ranks as the world's fifth largest captive domicile and the third largest US domicile. Mr. Kinion is very involved in regulatory matters concerning captive insurance companies. This involvement includes active participation in matters before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Scott Kipper, Nevada Insurance Commissioner
Scott Kipper was appointed as Nevada’s Insurance Commissioner effective Feb. 27, 2023. As Commissioner, Kipper is charged with protecting consumers’ rights and the public’s interest in dealings with the insurance industry. Commissioner Kipper has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, including prior stints as Nevada Insurance Commissioner from 2008 to 2010 and again from 2011 to 2015. He most recently served as the Deputy Commissioner for Operations for the State of Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Prior to that, he founded a private consulting firm providing technical expertise on insurance issues, serving clients nationwide. He also has served as the Insurance Administrator of the Oregon Insurance Division, Deputy Commissioner at the Office of Health Insurance for the Louisiana Department of Insurance (DOI), and Senior Regional Director for State Affairs at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
Alex Kolb, Alternative Risk Transfer, Consultant
Alex has over 27 years of broad experience in the (re)insurance and financial services industries, with a particular focus on alternative risk transfer (ART) innovation and strategy. This includes the development of innovative ways to boost financial resilience and unlock new revenue streams via parametric, captive, forecast-based, embedded, and hybrid insurance & financial solutions, including insurance-linked securities (ILS).
Renea Louie, ARM, ACI, Fellow (WRCIC Chair)
Chief Executive Officer, Sotera Global Management
Conference MC
Renea manages the day-to-day operations and is an accomplished business professional with extensive experience and knowledge in the Alternative Risk Transfer industry. She manages marketing, underwriting, accounting, audit, risk management, client and regulator relations, government relations, client acquisition & retention, regulatory compliance, and corporate communications. With 30 years of experience Louie has been an active volunteer and leader across the U.S. both in business and in her community.
Jose R. Martinez Jr., Head of Retrospective Solutions, Augment Risk
José R. Martinez Jr. is a seasoned insurance and reinsurance professional with over 20 years of experience in business administration, claims management, and financial operations. He currently serves as the Head of Retrospective Solutions at Augment Risk, where he specializes in structuring and executing legacy reinsurance transactions. Throughout his career, José has held key leadership roles at industry giants such as Swiss Re, Safety National, CNA, and Aon. He has expertise in complex mass tort, environmental, workers' compensation, general liability, and multimillion-dollar global property and casualty claims.
Heather McClure, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer
Prior to joining Helio, Heather was Chief Risk Advisor for the national healthcare practice at Aon, a global risk and insurance services company. Prior to that role Heather was Chief Risk Officer at the University of Oklahoma’s health system, directing risk, claims, captive operations, and insurance structure, including property, cyber, directors and officers, employer liability, workers compensation, provider professional liability, hospital liability, aviation, auto, and all other commercial and captive lines. Heather also served as Chief Legal Officer of the system’s captive insurance company, saving the system millions over its years of highly successful operations.
Steven M. McElhiney, Partner - Captives and ART Solutions, Augment Risk
Steve is a Partner at Augment Risk, a Dallas-based global provider of specialized risk capital solutions, where he heads the Captive and ART unit. Previously, he served as Global Director of Reinsurance for Artex Risk Solutions; Chairman and President of EWI Re; and President of Tall Pines Insurance Company of Vermont. His insurance industry experiences span over two decades with a demonstrated commitment to the world of alternative risk, serving as past Board Chair of CICA and past President and Chairman of the Board of the VCIA. In recognition, he was inducted by Captive Review into the Captive Hall of Fame in 2021. Steve earned his BS, MS and MBA from the University of Southern California, where he also serves as founding member of the USC Risk Management Program Advisory Council.
Jack Meskunas, Executive Director - Investments, Oppenheimer & Co.
In his role as Executive Director – Investments at Oppenheimer, Jack Meskunas brings over 35 years of comprehensive experience in advising qualified institutional clients on a diverse range of investment strategies. His expertise extends across offshore banking, brokerage firms, insurance, captive insurance and reinsurance companies. Jack's recommendations cover hedge funds, fixed income instruments, managed equities, and structured products. Moreover, he provides executive services tailored to the needs of senior managers and high-net-worth individuals, ensuring personalized attention to their financial objectives.
Leon L. Rivas II, Chief Visionary Officer, RH CPAs
Leon L. Rives II is the Chief Visionary Officer in RH CPAs. Leon co-founded the firm and is an investor in several different businesses. Leon has authored more than 15 courses on insurance, insurance accounting, and governmental accounting. Leon is a regular speaker at board meetings and brings his 20 years of experience combined with the ability to communicate complex matters in an easy to understand practical approach. Leon has also assisted in drafting legislation pertaining to insurance in multiple jurisdictions. Leon also provides consulting services to a multitude of Risk Bearing entities across the United States and abroad, ranging from Workers Compensation, Property & Casualty, Life and Health, and Captives of all types. He spends most of his time on complex tax and accounting consulting.
Nick J. Stosic, CLU, ChFC, CFP
Deputy Commissioner, Nevada Division of Insurance
Session: Regulator Roundup
Nick Stosic is a Reno, Nevada native, who graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in Business Administration. After college, Nick went to work with the international accounting firm of Price Waterhouse and Co. in Los Angeles and Seattle, obtaining his Certified Public Accounting designation in 1981. From 1983 through 2015, Nick worked in the Nevada insurance industry as a producer and state manager. Nick was hired by the Division of Insurance in 2016 and serves as a Deputy Commissioner. Nick oversees the Division’s Captives, Market Regulation, Legislative and Product Compliance sections. Nick is a past President of the Northern Nevada Life Underwriters Association; the Sierra Nevada Association of Financial Service Professionals; and the Nevada Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
Travis K. Wegkamp, Captive Insurance Director, Utah Insurance Department
Session: Regulator Roundup
Travis Wegkamp, an Utah native, joined the Utah Insurance Department’s Captive Division in April 2011. Prior to joining the Department, he was an Audit Assurance Associate for McGladrey & Pullen in Las Vegas, Nevada. Travis holds an Associate of Business degree from Dixie State College, and both a Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in Accounting and a Masters of Accountancy degree from Southern Utah University. Travis was appointed Utah’s Director of Captive Insurance in August 2016.
Mark Wiedeman, ACI, CFE, PIR, Captive Insurance Assistant Director, Utah Insurance Department
Mark started his regulatory career working as a valuation analyst for the Utah State Tax Commission. He came to the Utah Insurance Department in 2012 as an auditor, worked his way up to Senior Examiner, and was hired into the position of Assistant Division Director in 2016. Mark has achieved his Certified Financial Examiner (CFE) designation from the Society of Financial Examiners as well as the Associate in Captive (ACI) designation from the International Center for Captive Insurance Education and Professional in Insurance Regulation (PIR) from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. In addition to his duties for the Insurance Department, Mark also serves on the board for the International Center for Captive Insurance Education.
Melissa Wiley, Partner, Kostelanetz LLP
Melissa Wiley is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Kostelanetz LLP, a tax controversy-focused boutique law firm. She has over 20 years of experience representing clients in all manner of tax controversies at the federal and state level, including audits, administrative appeals, litigation and voluntary disclosures. Prior to law school, Melissa worked in the insurance industry as an actuarial analyst. She holds a BS in Actuarial Science from the College of Insurance, a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, and has earned the Associate in Reinsurance (ARe) and Associate in Captive Insurance (ACI) designations. She is a frequent speaker on tax matters, including those affecting the captive insurance industry.