UNIVERSAL INSURANCE HOLDINGS - Key Persons
Mr. Lewis is an established trial attorney in Florida and throughout the southeast region of the United States, and was a shareholder with the law firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. since 2003. He previously served in the United States Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate General (JAG Lawyer) and attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC). Mr. Lewis has been named in the Best Lawyers in America publication in connection with his litigation practice since 2007 and in the South Florida Legal Guide as one of Florida's top trial lawyers.
Job Titles:
- Chief Actuary
- Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society
Elizabeth E.L. Hansen, FCAS, MAAA became Chief Actuary of Universal Insurance Holdings in July 2022. Prior to this role, she served as a Senior Vice President of Blue Atlantic Reinsurance Corporation since 2009. Elizabeth has been an integral part of the Company's risk management strategy, through her involvement in Florida rate management, reserving, and forecasting on an enterprise-wide basis.
Ms. Hansen is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and has over 30 years of actuarial experience. Prior to serving as Senior Vice President of Blue Atlantic Reinsurance Corporation, she was a Managing Director at Guy Carpenter, Senior Vice President at E.W. Blanch and held various actuarial roles at John Deere Insurance Group. She received her bachelor's degree from Luther College.
Mr. McCahill began his insurance career in 1972 with the Wall Street brokerage firm Frank B. Hall serving as junior account executive in the marine insurance department. He went on to manage the worldwide corporate risk management departments of three Fortune 500, multi-national corporations: Bristol Myers-Squibb, Norton Simon, Inc., and Harris Corporation. In 1989, he joined Johnson & Higgins, Inc. as a Vice President. From there he founded Cypress Underwriters, a regional property & casualty managing general agency. Ultimately, Mr. McCahill was a founder, President and CEO of Homeowners Choice, Inc. a Florida homeowners insurance company.
Mr. McCahill attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York and received his BBA from St. John's University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Principal Accounting Officer
Frank C. Wilcox became Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer of the Company and its wholly-owned insurance subsidiaries in 2013. Prior to this role, he served as the Company's Vice President - Finance since 2011. Before joining the Company, Mr. Wilcox was Director, Consolidation and SEC Reporting at Burger King Corporation from 2006 to 2011. From 2000 to 2006, he served as Senior Vice President, Controller at BankUnited. Earlier in his career he served in various capacities within the financial services industry, which included a role as an auditor at a large public accounting firm. Mr. Wilcox has been licensed as a certified public accountant in New York since 1996.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of the Company in 2013 and Was an Executive With the Company
Jon W. Springer became a director of the Company in 2013 and was an executive with the Company from 2006 until his retirement in January 2021. Mr. Springer served as President and Chief Risk Officer of the Company from March 2016 until his retirement on January 31, 2021. Prior to taking on such role, he served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company since 2013. Mr. Springer was an Executive Vice President of Evolution Risk Advisors, Inc. (formerly Universal Risk Advisors, Inc.), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, from 2006 through 2008, and an Executive Vice President of Blue Atlantic Reinsurance Corporation ("Blue Atlantic"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, from 2008 to 2013. Before joining Evolution Risk Advisors, Inc. in 2006, Mr. Springer was an Executive Vice President of Willis Re, Inc. and was responsible for managing property and casualty operations in its Minneapolis office.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administration Officer
- Chief Administrative Officer
- Chief Information Officer
Kimberly D. Campos became the Chief Administrative Officer of the Company in June 2015 and the Chief Information Officer of the Company in February 2015. Prior to assuming these roles, Ms. Campos spent eight years in the Company's IT department, serving as both IT Manager and then IT Audit Director. She managed new application deployment and performed ongoing security and risk awareness training to improve operational efficiencies and ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements. Before joining the Company, Ms. Campos supervised audit and assurance engagements for Fortune 500 clients in the financial services industry, both domestically and internationally, as part of the systems and process assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She has been licensed as a Certified Information Security Auditor (CISA) and Certified in Risk and Information Security Controls (CRISC) since December of 2007. Ms. Campos holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern).
Marlene M. Gordon has more than 25 years of experience serving as legal counsel within the consumables and service industries and championing women's leadership in the workplace. Mrs. Gordon has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Panera, LLC, comprised of Panera Bread®, Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels, since May 2022. Mrs. Gordon previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary for Del Monte Fresh Produce Company, a global producer, marketer and distributor of fruit and vegetable products, from 2020 to 2022, and she previously served as Chief Legal, Compliance & Communications Officer and Secretary at Del Monte from 2018 to 2022. Prior experience includes approximately six years at Bacardi U.S.A., Inc., a spirits company, where she served most recently as Vice President, General Counsel for North America, in addition to serving as the Global Chair for Bacardi's Women-In-Leadership Program, an initiative that was founded with the mission of unleashing the potential of current and future female leaders at Bacardi to drive sustainable top and bottom line business growth. Prior to Bacardi, Mrs. Gordon spent 14 years at Burger King Corporation, serving most recently as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Marketing and Intellectual Property, in addition to serving as chair of the company's Women's Leadership Forum. Mrs. Gordon brings to the Board substantial leadership experience along with compliance and corporate governance expertise.
Matthew J. Palmieri was named Chief Risk Officer of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. in November 2022 and has been President of Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company since January of 2021. Prior to assuming these roles, he served as President of Blue Atlantic Reinsurance Corporation, a wholly-owned reinsurance intermediary subsidiary of UVE. Mr. Palmieri began his career with UVE in 2006. Over approximately 15 years, Mr. Palmieri has been instrumental in placing all of UVE's annual reinsurance programs, including risk management, data analytics, negotiations, and contracts terms and conditions and compliance. Mr. Palmieri's additional experience includes prior employment at Chubb Tempest Re and Willis Re.
Mr. Palmieri received his bachelor's degree from Bentley University.
Michael J. Poloskey became the Chief Operating Officer of the Company in August 2020. Prior to this role, he served as the Company's Vice President of Underwriting since 2013. In this position, he focused on delivering results stemming from a complete restructuring of operational workflows, introduction and integration of technology platforms, and reorganization of staff hierarchy within the Underwriting Department. While working in collaboration with other business units, he spearheaded the Company's Enterprise Contact Center, which has provided significant operational benefits across Universal.
Mr. Poloskey began his career at the Company in March 2009 as Vice President of Universal Risk Advisors and as a liaising member of the Blue Atlantic Reinsurance team reporting to C-Suite executives. Initial duties revolved around creating operational strategies to counteract the effect of Florida's Windstorm Mitigation Discount Program and implementing them at the primary carrier level. Prior to joining the Company, he worked in the financial services industry as a portfolio manager.
Mr. Poloskey holds a Communications Degree from the University of Illinois.
Ozzie A. Schindler has been a director of the Company since January 2007. Mr. Schindler is a shareholder with the law firm of Greenberg Traurig and specializes in international tax, trusts and succession planning. He has an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law and graduated with honors from the University of Florida School of Law. Mr. Schindler graduated with high honors from the University of Florida Fisher School of Accounting. He is admitted to both the Florida and New York Bars.
Richard D. Peterson has over 20 years of experience in the areas of executive management, finance and accounting. Since September 2022, Mr. Peterson has served as Chief Financial Officer of Turn Biotechnologies, Inc., a private biotechnology company. Mr. Peterson previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of various biotech companies from 2015 to 2021, including the publicly traded Botanix Pharmaceuticals, Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and Novan, Inc. Mr. Peterson served in various executive roles at Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") listed company, from 1995 to 2012, including as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from 2008 to 2012. Mr. Peterson has an understanding of corporate governance matters and experience with financial reporting and executive leadership that make him a valued member of our Board.
Scott P. Callahan has been a director of the Company since June 2013. Mr. Callahan has more than thirty years' experience in the property and casualty reinsurance industry. Mr. Callahan currently serves as President and Managing Member of SPC Global RE Advisors, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in reinsurance matters, a position he has held since 2013. From 2002 to 2011, Mr. Callahan served as Executive Vice President of Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc. and Everest Reinsurance Company. Mr. Callahan also served as a director of Everest Reinsurance Company from 2001 to 2011, a director of Everest International Reinsurance, Ltd. from 2003 to 2007, and director of Everest Reinsurance (Bermuda), Ltd. from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Callahan's broad knowledge of the reinsurance industry allows him to provide valuable perspective to the Board, particularly on matters related to the Company's reinsurance program.
Sean P. Downes has been Executive Chairman since July 2019. Prior to being the Executive Chairman, Sean was Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 2013 to July 2019 and a director of the Company since 2005. Mr. Downes also served as President of the Company from 2013 until March 2016. Prior to serving in these roles, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company since 2005 and Chief Operating Officer and a director of UPCIC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, since 2003. Mr. Downes was Chief Operating Officer of Universal Adjusting Corporation from 1999 to 2003. During that time, Mr. Downes created the Company's claims operation. Before joining the Company in 1999, Mr. Downes was Vice President of Downes and Associates, a multi-line insurance claims adjustment corporation.
Job Titles:
- Director / President & CEO of BCS Consulting Services / Retired Senior Vice President of Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer, FedEx Express
Forty-four years ago, Shannon A. Brown began his FedEx career as a package handler at the company's Memphis World Hub. As the company grew, he grew as well and contributed greatly to the success of FedEx while mentoring many others along his extraordinary career journey. In November 2022, after a long and distinguished career, Brown retired from his position as Senior Vice President of Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer at FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company. He is lauded as a business trailblazer and one of the most iconic executives in the company's 50-year history.
In his role as Senior Vice President of Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer, Brown was responsible for station, hub and ramp operations in the eastern U.S. region. As Chief Diversity Officer, his work included maintaining an effective diversity and inclusion environment where every team member is valued and has an equal opportunity to succeed. His executive achievements also included serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources & Diversity Officer at FedEx Express and as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at FedEx Ground. His many honors included multiple FedEx Five Star Awards and the CEO Five Star Award.
Known admiringly as an innovative "man for all seasons," Brown's strong business acumen has propelled him to new heights as an executive consultant where he currently serves as Founder, President & CEO of BCS Consulting Services. His business focus areas include principles of strategic leadership, human resources, hiring and talent management, organizational effectiveness, workplace safety and security, and results-oriented corporate cultures.
Throughout his career, Brown has remained actively involved with a variety of corporate, academic, and nonprofit institutions. He currently serves on the board of directors for Cadence Bank and the board of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. Additionally, he was appointed by former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to the Advisory Board of Western Governors University. He also serves on the board of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver and is HR Chair of the International Air Transport Association. His dedication to community service includes memberships on the Central Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis and the Orpheum Theatre Group in Memphis. His background also includes service as past Chairman of the Board for United Way of the Mid-South.
Brown's outstanding professional and civic leadership achievements have brought him to the forefront of media attention. He has been named to Black Enterprise magazine's lists of "100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America" and "Top Executives in Corporate Diversity," as well as Savoy magazine's "Top 100 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America." He is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and was featured in Forbes magazine's "Diversity at the Top" edition honoring the ELC's 30th anniversary.
Brown is a recipient of the National-Louis University Distinguished Alumni Award and as a graduate of Westwood High School in Memphis, was inducted into the Memphis City Schools Alumni Hall of Fame. His educational background also includes a bachelor's degree in applied behavioral science from National-Louis University in Chicago and a master's degree in intermodal transportation from the University of Denver.
He and his wife, Beryl, currently reside in Memphis, TN and are the proud parents of two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- DIRECTOR
Stephen J. Donaghy has been Chief Executive Officer of the Company since July 2019. Prior to being the Chief Executive Officer Mr. Donaghy was the Chief Operating Officer of the Company from March 2016 to July 2019. Mr. Donaghy has held key senior leadership roles in the areas of operations, marketing, sales and corporate strategy throughout his career. Prior to assuming the position of Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Donaghy served as the Company's Chief Marketing Officer, a position he held starting in January 2015. Mr. Donaghy previously served as the Company's Chief Administrative Officer from 2013 to June 2015, Chief Information Officer from 2009 to 2013 and Executive Vice President from 2006 to 2009. Before joining the Company, Mr. Donaghy held various executive positions at JM Family Enterprises, a top 100 Forbes private company in the United States; including Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Senior Information Officer.