Our Management Team

CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT
W. Lockwood (Locke) Burt began his insurance career in 1974. Since 1980, he has served as President of Ormond Re Group. A licensed insurance and reinsurance broker, he served on the Board of the Florida Association of Domestic Insurance Companies, and as President of the Independent Reinsurance Underwriters and Brokers Association. He is a licensed attorney and former member of the Florida Senate, where he served 12 years from 1991-2002. His experience as a State Senator gave him an intimate knowledge of the regulatory and political environment, which is invaluable in this era of intense regulatory and public scrutiny of the insurance industry in Florida.

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Harry R. Bleiwise began his insurance career in 1971 with Rider Insurance Agency, which he owns. He started Rider Insurance Company in 1977. Currently, he serves as Chairman of Rider Insurance Company.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND DIRECTOR
Werner E. Kruck, CPCU, ASLI, brings more than 30 years of domestic and global insurance experience to the management team. He began his insurance career in Michigan in 1975 and has developed wide-ranging expertise in product development and underwriting. A Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, Mr. Kruck has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Personal Lines section of the CPCU Society.

Awards: 2014 Computerworld Premier IT Leader, 2014 Insurance & Techology's Elite 8

Twitter: @WernerKruck  |  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wernerkruck  Executive Blog: Werner Kruck

GENERAL COUNSEL AND DIRECTOR
Melissa Burt DeVriese began her career working as an associate attorney at Foley & Lardner, LLP. She served as legislative counsel to U.S. Representative Sam Graves and was the primary attorney to the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. Ms. DeVriese holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from University of Miami as well as a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member of the bar associations in Washington, D.C.; California; and Florida. 

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, TREASURER AND DIRECTOR
Clive Becker-Jones began his insurance career in 1971 and spent 17 years with the Hartford Group. Since that time he has held several senior management positions with a number of insurance and reinsurance organizations. Most recently, he served as Senior VP and Director of Reinsurance of Riverstone Resources, LLC, a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.  He is a Chartered Accountant and Certified ARIAS - US arbitrator and umpire. 

CONTROLLER
Kathy Wood began her insurance career at a property and casualty insurance company in 1990 and has been employed in the industry more than 20 years holding various positons as assistant controller, controller, and treasurer. Ms. Wood earned her accounting degree from University of North Florida and has earned the designation of Certified Public Accountant.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CLAIMS
Walt Zehnder’s career began with Aetna Life and Casualty Company in 1975. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and has a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation. Throughout his insurance career he has held various corporate office and field office management positions, including claims director for the Florida Residential Joint Underwriting Association.

VICE PRESIDENT OF ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS
Ben Bomhoff delivers IT solutions that allow Security First Insurance to provide a world-class experience that meets the needs of today’s empowered consumers in an ever-evolving digital world. He has more than 35 years of experience with companies including The Prudential and Crum & Forster  Insurance, with roles ranging from programming, systems design to senior executive management.

Twitter: @BenBomhoff
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/benbomhoff

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING
Marissa Buckley has nearly 20 years’ experience in marketing and advertising and 10 years’ experience in computer programming and Web development. Marissa began her marketing career at International Speedway Corporation and NASCAR, Inc. in 1994. She received her bachelor of science degree from the University of Central Florida and is currently enrolled in the integrated marketing communications master’s degree program at West Virginia University.

Twitter: @MarissaBuckley
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/marissabuckley

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES
Bill Coffin graduated from Johnson & Wales College in Providence Rhode Island in 1964. He began his insurance career with Metropolitan Life & Metropolitan Property and Casualty in 1965. Mr. Coffin spent 13 years with Metropolitan and 17 years with The Hartford. He joined Security First Insurance in 2007 and brings more than 45 years' experience in insurance sales.

VICE PRESIDENT OF CATASTROPHE OPERATIONS
Scott Grenville has more than 25 years in the insurance industry and has a wealth of claims knowledge and catastrophe claims experience.  His experience includes adjusting catastrophe claims for State Farm Insurance and almost ten years in a claims leadership capacity at Citizens Property Insurance, including his most recent role as the company’s assistant director of claims.  In his role with Security First Insurance, Mr. Grenville is responsible for implementing and managing the company’s catastrophe strategy.

VICE PRESIDENT OF CLAIMS
Charlie Lowe has more than 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry, with 20 years of management experience. Charlie earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bethany College in West Virginia, and has worked in claims in Florida since 1994. At Security First Insurance, Charlie has oversight of the company’s claims liability, litigation and vendor management programs.

VICE PRESIDENT OF UNDERWRITING COMPLIANCE AND STANDARDS
Wendy McCubbins has been in the personal lines insurance business for 35 years and holds both a 2-20 General Lines and 1-20 Surplus Lines license. She has worked in various agency and MGA positions including customer service, sales, underwriting, and management before joining Security First Insurance in 2008. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and has the following personal lines insurance designations: Chartered Property  Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Personal Lines (API) and Associate in Insurance Services (AIS).

LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/wendymccubbins

VICE PRESIDENT OF CLAIMS COMPLIANCE AND STANDARDS
After joining Ormond Re Group/Burt and Scheld Specialty Underwriters as a mailroom clerk, Eva Mowry quickly earned a position as a claims examiner. She advanced through the ranks and became a claims manager before taking on the role of vice president of claim management at a property and
casualty insurance company and launching an insurance management consulting company. Ms. Mowry, who earned her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation in 1988, joined Security First Insurance in 2009 as a claims director and was promoted to vice president of claims in 2013.

VICE PRESIDENT OF UNDERWRITING
Kathie Rodier began a 15-year career with Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance Company after serving in the US Navy and attending Glassboro State College. She has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry and has worked with Security First Insurance Company since 2010. She manages the company's call center, which consists of more than 30 licensed property and casulty underwriters and policy services employees.

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Frank Molinario oversees all human resources activities for Security First Insurance and manages talent acquisition. He is responsible for legal compliance, human resources information management, risk management, and employee relations. Previously, Frank held various human resources positions at Covidien, a manufacturing plant with more than 600 employees. Mr. Molinario enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1991 and served as a special operations airdrop/instructor and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in 2001.

DIRECTOR OF SPECIALTY PROGRAMS
Kerrie A. Ruland, API, AINS, has more than 20 years of property and casualty insurance experience. A member of the inaugural class of Florida’s Leadership Excellence Program, she has worked as an agent and underwriter for personal and commercial programs. She also worked for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation as a market conduct investigator. Kerrie began her career at Security First Insurance in 2010 and leads the company’s Specialty Programs department, which focuses solely on non-admitted personal lines products.