MANHATTANLIFE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Companies in 2005 As Director of Internal Audit
- VP of Internal Audit
Mrs. Tran joined the Companies in 2005 as Director of Internal Audit. She was promoted to Vice President of Internal Audit in June 2014. Prior to joining the company, she was with American General and its subsidiary Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company and has been in the Health & Life Insurance Industry for more than 20 years. She earned a B.S. in Accounting and minor in Management from the University of New Orleans. She is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Job Titles:
- Senior VP, Web Technology
Mr. Bay joined the Companies in early 2011. Prior to joining, he served as President and CTO of a technology consulting firm that was ranked top ten by the Houston Business Journal and co-founded a patent pending point-of-sale advertising and revenue platform. Bill has been employed at various senior levels of information technology since the mid-nineties having worked for global corporations like Invesco and Schlumberger. Mr. Bay studied Computer Science at Texas State and has attained the designation of Associate, Life Management Institute (ALMI) and participated in executive education for Leadership and Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ms. Pratt joined the Companies in 2000. She previously worked as an actuary and Controller for Insurance Corporation of America and Western Indemnity Insurance Company, both medical malpractice insurers. She has managed the accounting and finance division for the Companies as Vice President and Controller for 21 years, assuring that acquisitions are assumed as seamlessly as possible. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Applied Mathematical Sciences.
Job Titles:
- President and Senior Stop Loss Risk Officer
Mr. Smith has over 20 years' experience in the financial and insurance industries. Daniel joined Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company as all-lines Commercial Underwriter and then became Senior Underwriter at VGM Insurance in Waterloo, Iowa, responsible for underwriting a successful medical products liability book, countrywide, for Benchmark Insurance Company. In 2008, he joined Trean Corporation in Minnesota as program manager and AVP, responsible for underwriting oversight, compliance, administration and systems implementation for fronted programs written on an admitted basis in products liability, workers compensation, medical stop loss and non-standard auto lines. At Western Skies MGU, Dan is President, responsible for program design, reinsurance placement, carrier relations and all insurance related operations.
Job Titles:
- Senior VP Sales, CSO
- Vice President of Sales for the Voluntary Benefits
Mr. Robson joined the Companies in 2018 as Vice President of Sales for the Voluntary Benefits division. He was promoted to Chief Sales Officer in November, 2019. Prior to joining ManhattanLife, he held various senior leadership positions with ING, National Financial Partners, The Boon Group and Humana. Mr. Robson is a graduate of North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Companies in 1996 As a Director of Information Technology
- Senior VP, IT Core Applications
Mr. Parsons joined the Companies in 1996 as a director of Information Technology. Before coming on board, Mr. Parsons held the position of Assistant Vice President over Information Systems with Houston-based Charter Bank for 12 years. More than 30 years of his experience has been spent on both financial and insurance business acquisitions. David has also been responsible for the design and implementation of mainline and web-based systems.
Mr. Harris has held his current position since 1982, when he was Chairman of Peoples Life Insurance Company. He was named Chairman and CEO of ManhattanLife Insurance and Annuity Company in 1993; Chairman, CEO and President of Christian Mutual Insurance Company in 1996; Chairman and CEO of Manhattan Life Insurance Company in 2000; Chairman of Western United Life Assurance Company in 2013; Chairman of Standard Life and Casualty Insurance Company in 2020; and founded ManhattanLife of America Insurance Company in 2021 as its Chairman. Under his leadership, the companies of Manhattan Life Group have achieved consistent growth by developing a significant reinsurance facility, building a quality portfolio of products and providing personal customer service. Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas, Austin.
Job Titles:
- Companies in 2021 As Vice President of National Sales
- VP of National Worksite & Individual Sales
Mr. Weeks joined the Companies in 2021 as Vice President of National Sales for Worksite and Individual Products. As veteran of the industry for 35 years, he previously held various leadership positions with Aflac and as a partner with 19:21 Consultants. He remains on the board of 19:21 Consultants. Mr. Weeks holds a designation as a Registered Employee Benefit Consultant with NAHU and is a graduate of Mississippi State University.
Job Titles:
- EVP
- General Counsel
- Secretary
- Companies As General Counsel
Mr. McGettigan joined the Companies as general counsel in 2000. Prior to that, he was an attorney at the law firm of Winstead, Sechrest and Minick. From 1992 through 1997 he was an attorney at two firms, Weil, Gothsal and Manges and McGettigan, Gill and Hargas. From 1985 through 1992 Mr. McGettigan worked in the banking sector as the VP, real estate for First Interstate Bank of Texas. He earned his BBA, Finance, from the University of Texas, Austin, and his JD from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Job Titles:
- VP of Corporate Communications
Mr. McVey has served as the VP of Corporate Communications at ManhattanLife since January of 2022. John's previous roles include Director of Corporate Branding and Communications, Director of Sales Training for the Senior Market at Kanawha Insurance Company and KMG America, and Training and Marketing Director for Voluntary Benefits. John has his Bachelor's in Business Management and his MBA.
Ms. Jao joined the Companies in 2011. Ms. Jao has over 15 years experience working as an actuary in the insurance industry. As a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, Ms. Jao is the Company's in-house actuary that manages the financial reporting and rate filing teams in the company. She earned her MS and BS in Mathematics from University of Illinois and University of the Philippines respectively.
Mr. Lamb joined the Companies in his present position in 2000. He worked for the prior six years as senior vice president and controller at American General Annuity Insurance Company. He has also held financial reporting positions with American General and Great Southern Life Insurance Company and controllerships with American General and Philadelphia American Life Insurance Company. Mr. Lamb earned his BS in accounting and finance from the Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Ms. Blakey joined the Companies in 2004 and has been in the Health Insurance Industry for more than 20 years. Prior to joining ManhattanLife, she was an Independent Consultant for over 8 years and worked for ten years with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma in various capacities. Ms. Blakey has attained the designation of Associate, Life Management Institute (ALMI).
Job Titles:
- President / Western United Life Assurance Company
- Western United Life As an Annuity Regional Sales Director
BIO
Mr. Puzzo joined Western United Life as an Annuity Regional Sales Director in 2003. He was promoted to Vice President of Sales in 2014 and as of January 2017 is now the President. Prior to joining the Company he spent from 1993 to 2002 with ING ReliaStar (formerly Northern Life Insurance Company) where he held various senior marketing positions in their annuity division. Marc is a graduate of Washington State University and is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). He has also attained his Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designation from The American College and is currently serving as a member on the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner's Life & Disability Agent/Broker Advisory Committee.
Job Titles:
- VP of Compliance & HR, Corporate Counsel
Ms. Boudreaux joined the companies as Corporate Counsel in 2014, focusing on consumer claims issues, litigation, regulatory compliance, and employment law. In 2018, she was asked to lead the Human Resources team and handle employment matters related corporate acquisitions. In 2021, she was promoted to Vice President of Compliance and Human Resources. Before law school, she worked in private wealth and investment consulting for Morgan Stanley, Northwestern Mutual, and Clark Consulting, a former AEGON subsidiary. She earned her BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and her JD from South Texas College of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Job Titles:
- VP of IT Infrastructure, CISO
Mr. LaPlant began working for ManhattanLife in May 2021. Well certified and with over 30 years of IT management experience, Robert was tasked to lead IT Infrastructure and Security as a Director to ensure the systems, security, and helpdesk teams aligned to support evolving needs. He has become an integral part of the Enterprise Risk Management team as well, helping to improve processes and select a new Governance, Risk, and Compliance platform. Robert assumed the role VP of IT Infrastructure and CISO in June of 2022.
Job Titles:
- President, Worksite Voluntary Benefits
- Vice President of Worksite Voluntary Operations
Mr. DeMuesy joined the Companies in 2018 as Vice President of Worksite Voluntary Operations and was promoted to President at the beginning of 2019. Ryan brings 10 plus years of industry experience to the position. Prior to joining the ManhattanLife, he held various leadership positions at Humana Insurance. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor degree in Finance at Walsh University and a Masters degree in Business Administration at Malone College.
Ms. Moro joined the Companies in 2003. Prior to joining the company, she was portfolio manager at Kanaly Trust Company. She was also with American General and its subsidiary Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company for over 15 years where she was vice president and held various positions in portfolio management and trading. She earned her BBA in finance from Delta State University and her MBA in finance from The University of St. Thomas. She is a member of the Association for Investment Management and Research and has attained the designation of Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI).
Job Titles:
- President / Standard Life & Casualty Insurance Company
BIO
Mr. Tippets joined Standard Life & Casualty in 2021. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Tippets was a Director at Cigna Supplemental Benefits with primary accountability for the Direct To Consumer Channel. He began his career in the insurance industry in 1995 at Cigna. During his career, he has held a variety of leadership roles with increasing responsibility at Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Sterling Life Insurance Company (Windsor Health Group). His background and expertise includes Marketing, Operations, Underwriting, Sales, Distribution Management, and Telesales. Additionally, Mr. Tippets has international experience in Latin America, has lived in Chile for two years, and is fluent in Spanish. Mr. Tippets earned his BS in Microbiology from Brigham Young University and his MBA with a focus in Health Services Management from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Mr. Hayden joined the Companies in 2010 and was appointed to his present position in August, 2011. Prior to joining the companies of Manhattan Life Group, Mr. Hayden was an Assistant Vice President at Sun Life Financial, with primary oversight of its Professional Insurance Company individual voluntary unit. Mr. Hayden began his career in the insurance industry in 1996 with Connecticut-based Phoenix Home Life and has a multi-faceted background including Sales, Marketing, Operations and Distribution Management. A Colorado native, Mr. Hayden graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Mr. Harris joined the ManhattanLife Companies in 2011. Prior to becoming President, Tyler was Chief Information Officer. Before that, Mr. Harris led the Companies' data analytics endeavors and assumed various operational roles within the Medicare Supplement Department. Mr. Harris earned his BA in General Business from the University of St. Thomas, and his MS in Business Analytics from New York University. He is also an Associate of the Life Management Institute.