Erie Insurance names new executive leadership

ERIE, Pa., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In June 2016 Timothy G. NeCastro was named the next CEO of Erie Insurance (NASDAQ: ERIE). Today, the company is pleased to announce the following additional executive leadership promotions.

Lorianne Feltz, will serve as executive vice president of Services. In this role Feltz is responsible for leading Erie Insurance's Corporate Claims, Field Claims and Customer Service divisions. 

Feltz has developed deep connections with employees, agents and customers in expansive roles during her 27 years with ERIE. Past positions include field assignments as district sales manager, branch manager and regional vice president; senior vice president of Agency & Marketing and, most recently, senior vice president of Customer Service. 

Feltz, a well-regarded insurance industry leader, frequently presents at industry events and conferences. Additionally, she has earned the designations of a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter and Chartered Property Insurance Woman.  Feltz is a graduate of Gannon University and serves on several community boards including the Erie Philharmonic, United Way and The Erie Club.

Doug Smith, will serve as executive vice president of Product and Sales. In this role, Smith will oversee ERIE's three product lines – personal, commercial and life insurance – a position he has held in an interim capacity since July 2016. ERIE's sales organization, which manages relationships with more than 2,200 independent insurance agencies across ERIE's footprint, will also report to Smith.

Smith has spent the last eight years – half of his ERIE tenure – as senior vice president of Personal Lines. Prior to that position, he served as a leader in ERIE's Actuarial Division. During his tenure, ERIE introduced forward-thinking personal lines products, including ErieSecure Home®, ERIE Rate Lock® and ridesharing coverage. 

Smith serves on the boards of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, where he chairs the Research Advisory Committee.  He also serves on the Young Leaders Council Steering Committee for United Way. He holds a bachelor's degree in statistics from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.  He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter.  

ERIE's Executive Council, its top-level leadership team, will also include Sherri Silver, senior vice president, Strategic Marketing. Silver is in her seventh year with ERIE.

Silver joined ERIE in 2010 as Marketing's senior vice president. With deep experience in financial services including roles at JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America, Silver has brought financial and analytical acumen to her leadership roles at ERIE. In 2014, Silver's oversight was broadened to establish ERIE's Customer Experience priority initiative. She has a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University in New York.  Silver served on the board of the Visiting Nurse Association of Erie County.

In addition to Smith, Feltz and Silver, members of the ERIE's Executive Council include Gregory Gutting, executive vice president and CFO, Bob Ingram, executive vice president and Chief Information Officer, Sean McLaughlin, executive vice president and general counsel, Dionne Wallace Oakley, senior vice president, Human Resources, and David Bednar, vice president, Executive Support. All members of the Executive Council will report directly to the CEO.

The new appointments are effective Nov. 10.

According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 10th largest homeowners insurer and 12th largest automobile insurer in the United States based on direct premiums written and the 15th largest property/casualty insurer in the United States based on total lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, has more than 5 million policies in force and operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Erie Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 company.

News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group are available at www.erieinsurance.com.

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SOURCE Erie Insurance