CONFERENCE CHAIR Eric Gilkey Editor in Chief Claims Magazine

Eric Gilkey joined Claims in February 2005 as editorial assistant. He was promoted to associate editor in January 2006, managing editor in July 2007, and editor in chief in June 2008. Eric manages all editorial matters and works with industry experts to solicit educational and newsworthy material for both the magazine's print and web outlets. In addition, he serves as conference chair to the magazine's yearly ACE Conference, held in June. Eric has a background in freelance writing and is a graduate of Ohio University.

Jim Hammonds, FCLS, CFEI Lead Investigator, Atlanta Field Office GEICO Southeast SIU

Jim Hammonds has been with GEICO since July 2003 and is assigned to the Atlanta Field Unit in Region 3 as a Lead Investigator. Jim has been assigned to all types of cases throughout the Region since his start with the company. He was the first field investigator to work the State of Alabama and Columbus, GA areas. Jim was the Investigator of the Year for the Southeast Region in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Jim has completed Cause & Origin training at the State of Georgia Arson Academy as well as Level 1 & 2 of the Georgia Fire Academy. He is an Accident Reconstructionist and has been sworn as an expert witness in court. He has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Chattahoochee Technical College and spent 8 years as a reservist with the U.S. Navy. He has obtained the FCLS designation and is a Certified Fire and Explosives Investigator. Prior to coming to GEICO Jim spent almost 10 years as a member of the Decatur, GA Police Department. He was last assigned as the Sergeant on patrol and well as the supervisor of the Traffic Unit. He was previously assigned as the K9 Handler and a Field Training Officer. Jim also provided his expertise in preparing training modules used in our Academy, as well as the Internet Training course presented to SIU Associates throughout the country. He is also an instructor at the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Mega-Academy.

Steven R. Henning, MBA, CPCU, ARe, RPLU Vice President, Senior Risk Manager, Business Risk Review Swiss Re America

Mr. Henning has twenty seven years in the insurance/reinsurance industry. His background encompasses the management of primary and excess claims with an emphasis on primary, excess and reinsurance asbestos and pollution claims, excess liability claims and professional liability claims. He also has extensive structured settlement and loss structuring experience. Mr. Henning is currently is Vice President, Senior Risk Manager, Business Risk Review for Swiss Re America. He is currently responsible for worldwide internal claim audit. He is recognized as an expert in claim audit design and implementation, process redesign and change management.

Chad Hersh Principal, Insurance Novarica

Chad Hersh is a principal in the insurance practice at Novarica. For the past five years, he has been the primary researcher and author of the market leading reports on insurance core systems, and is a widely recognized expert on the topic who has presented at numerous conferences and conducted numerous vendor selection projects for US and international insurers. He joined Novarica from analyst firm Celent, where he spent five years after serving as an e-business director and IT strategist at AIG American General. He holds a BA in Economics and an MS in Accounting with a MIS concentration from Rice University, where he has also taught consulting and e-business.

Alyssa Hostelley Vice President of Product Management BlueWave Technology

As vice president of product management, Alyssa Hostelley drives the product direction by balancing client needs with strategic market differentiators. Through analysis of the industry and the competitive landscape, Ms. Hostelley steers her product development team towards excellence by continuously providing quality products with measurable value. Ms. Hostelley has over 10 years of experience in management, product development, project management, operations and support, servicing, sales, staff management, and finance. During her tenure in the IT industry, she has developed products in all shapes and sizes for both the health and p&c insurance industry. She has executed projects between 1- month to 3 years in duration while managing up to 50 team members. She has managed operational support, strategic initiatives, and has conducted internal, servicing, and client training. Through her numerous successful implementations, she has fostered fruitful and trusted business relationships with business partners and clients for over a decade. Ms. Hostelley earned her B.S. in Business Management from Santa Clara University.

Bob Khosropur Chief Claims Officer Narragansett Bay Insurance Company (NBIC)

As vice president of claims for Privilege Underwriters, Khosropur built a claims organization from the ground up, including the installation of the claims processing system, the hiring and training of all claims staff, and the establishment of agreements with vendors in order to provide top quality claims service. During his 22-year insurance career, he also worked in several management positions within Allstate ranging from district claims management to catastrophe management to Home Office strategic sourcing. A graduate of Goddard College of Plainfield, Vermont, with a BA in Chemistry and Philosophy of Science, Khosropur has been committed to furthering his education, having received a Six Sigma Black Belt in Quality Assurance Sciences. Hande has served as a member of The Advisory Board of the Institute of Insurance and Risk Management (University of Las Vegas, Nevada) and a member of the Nevada Insurance Council. He also has served as a Rotating Catastrophe Staff and Field Manager with the most notable tours being Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge Earthquake.

Steve Piper Director of the Medical Investigations Unit Travelers Insurance

Steven oversees Travelers medical provider fraud and abuse investigative program countrywide. Additionally, Steve has responsibility for all multi-line anti-fraud programs for Travelers in the southern United States. Steve is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Insurance. Steve also has received his Senior Claim Law Associate (SCLA) designation from the American Educational Institute. Steve is active within the anti-fraud industry working with the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, the International Association of Special Investigation Units, and National Insurance Crime Bureau related to medical provider fraud and investigator ethics training programs. Steve is a member of the Steering Committee for the Consortium to Combat Medical Fraud as well as the chair of the NICB SIU Management Advisory Committee. Steve is a former law enforcement officer and has been with Travelers for the past 20 years.

Kevin M. Quinley Vice President, Risk Services Berkley Life Sciences, LLC

He has over 30 years experience in managing casualty claims and litigation. He has a BA from Wake Forest University and an MA from the College of William & Mary. He holds the Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation and specialty designations from the American Insurance Institute in Risk Management (ARM), in Claims (AIC), in Reinsurance (ARe) and in Management (AIM). A Contributing Editor of Claims Magazine, Kevin is the author of over 600 published articles and ten books. The latter includes Litigation Management, published by the International Risk Management Institute in Dallas. Kevin has taught classes in insurance, claims and risk management for the Washington D.C. Chapter of the Society of CPCU. He is a past President of the Washington D.C. Chapter of CPCU. He is a frequent writer, speaker and trainer on topics relating to litigation management.

Steven Rutzebeck Director of Claims Security/SIU GEICO

Steven Rutzebeck has been with GEICO since December 1999. He began his career in GEICO as the SIU Operations and Training Manager. In June of 2000 he assumed the position of Director. He is responsible for SIU operations from a company wide perspective providing corporate direction and vision to GEICO’s SIU. GEICO currently has over 310 insurance fraud investigators. Mr. Rutzebeck came to GEICO after retiring as a Captain from Maryland State Police after 25 years of service. During his career with the Maryland State Police he served in a number of management capacities including Commander of Professional Development, Commander of Training, Associate Director Mid-Atlantic Regional Community Policing Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Commander Violent Crime Strike Force and the Commander of the Crime Prevention Unit. He also supervised the agency’s Analytical and Tactical Sections within the Criminal Intelligence Division. He was also a nationally recognized educator on topics such as community policing, strategic planning, organizational change, time management, problem solving and facilitation. Mr. Rutzebeck has a Bachelor of Arts in Pre Law from Pennsylvania State University and a Masters in Legal Studies from the University of Baltimore.

Louis Saccoccio Executive Director National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA)

Louis Saccoccio began his service as Executive Director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) in January, 2005. Reporting directly to the NHCAA governing bodies, he serves as the chief staff executive of the Washington D.C.-based association that protects and serves the public interest by increasing awareness and improving the detection, investigation, prosecution and prevention of health care fraud. He is responsible for the successful undertaking of the association’s overall strategic objectives, as well as the management of all activities, operations, and staff. Mr. Saccoccio’s background includes legal, operational and business management expertise. Prior to joining NHCAA, he served as Senior Vice President of Professional Services at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). In this capacity, he was responsible for all business operations of the association, including membership, business development, marketing, and education programs. Prior to overseeing AHIP’s business operations, he served for six years as its General Counsel. Prior to joining AHIP in 1996, Mr. Saccoccio practiced law in Washington, DC, specializing in health care law and representing a range of health care clients, including hospitals, physician groups, behavioral health providers and long-term care providers. He also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. His military experience includes eight years of service as a Navy JAG lawyer, including tours as an appellate counsel handling national security cases and as the Legal Officer of the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63). He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and Harvard Law School.

William Sylianteng Member Bennett, Bricklin & Saltzburg, LLC

William Sylianteng is a member of Bennett, Bricklin & Saltzburg, LLC and focuses primarily on large loss property subrogation. Will is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. As co-chair of the firm’s subrogation department, Will represents insurers in the capacity of both national large loss counsel and regional counsel (Mid-Atlantic). Originally from southern California, Will attended California State University, Northridge, and received his B.A. in Political Science. After graduation, Will attended Temple University Law School (Philadelphia, PA) where he received his J.D. In 2007, Will was named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer and PA Law Weekly, an honor given annually to 35 attorneys under the age of 40 who are recognized by their peers and the judiciary as the future leaders of the Commonwealth’s legal community. Will was also named a Pennsylvania SuperLawyer Rising Star in 2007 and 2008 by Law and Politics, in accordance with its procedures, a designation bestowed on only the top 2.5% of Pennsylvania attorneys under the age of 40. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and as the Co-Chairman of the Insurance Coverage & Subrogation Committee of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute (PDI), an organization made up of insurance attorneys, insurance executives, and self-insureds. Will has authored the following articles: Subrogating Spoliation, The Subrogator, p.60 (Fall 2007 ed.); The Road to Partnership in Generation Next, The Legal Intelligencer (2008, Generation Next Supplement); and Pennsylvania Courts Address Subrogation "Priority" and the Issue of "Bad Faith", The Subrogator (Winter 2010 ed.).

The 2010 conference agenda is currently in development. More speakers will be announced soon; please check the website regularly for updates. If you are interested in speaking at ACE 2010, please click and complete the Speaker Inquiry Form.