About Us
At WestCongress Insurance Services we are committed to delivering exceptional general liability coverage, unparalleled service, and steadfast support tailored to your unique needs. Our reputation for professionalism and integrity precedes us, earning the trust of brokers across artisan, energy, and security sectors.
Founders and Ownership
David Evans
Executive Co-Chair, Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Evans serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Champlain Insurance Group (CIG). He also is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GDH the parent company of CIG, which is a diversified conglomerate engage in early child education, specialty chemicals, energy and oilfield services, manufacturing, and insurance. He founded Glencoe Capital in 1994 and has been responsible for $2 billion in private equity investments as well as multiple billions of associated debt financings. He led the recapitalization and subsequent public offering on the NYSE of First Mercury in 2006 prior to Glencoe Capital he was at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in merchant banking/private equity.
Richard Smith
Executive Vice-Chairman
Mr. Smith serves as the Company’s Executive Vice-Chairman of Champlain Insurance Group (CIG). He oversees underwriting and reinsurance relationships across the platform. Mr. Smith has over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. Previously, Mr. Smith served as President and Chief Executive Officer of First Mercury which he joined in 1996 and together with David Evans took public in 2006. Mr. Smith began his insurance career with Providian Corporation in 1975 and held various financial positions before becoming Chief Financial Officer of Providian Direct Insurance in 1989 and President and Chief Operating Officer of Providian Direct Auto Insurance in 1993.
Executive Leadership
Thomas Dulapa
President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Dulapa serves as Champlain Insurance Group (CIG) and its subsidiaries President and Chief Operating Officer. He leads all day-to-day business activity across Champlain Insurance Group spanning: Operations, Underwriting, Revenue Generation, Claims, and Administration. Mr. Dulapa is also responsible for enterprise-wide talent development and further strengthening our shared team culture. Mr. Dulapa has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry in various operational and financial leadership roles. Previously, Mr. Dulapa was Senior Vice President, Operations for First Mercury.
Marc Zimmermann
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Zimmermann serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Staff of Champlain. He oversees all aspects of finance, accounting, reinsurance, claims, and enterprise risk management for the Company. As Chief of Staff, he is responsible for strategic alignment and team cohesion. He has over 30 years of leading organizations in insurance, financial services, oil and gas, and consulting industries. Mr. Zimmermann’s prior insurance experience was serving as CFO for American Physicians (NASDAQ: AMPH). In addition to his public CFO responsibilities, he oversaw claims, risk management, human resources, and technology. Mr. Zimmermann is a CPA and holds degrees in Accounting from Baylor and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
Michael Roskiewicz
Senior Vice President of Development, Legal, Regulatory, and General Counsel of CIG
Mr. Roskiewicz serves as Champlain Insurance Group’s (CIG) Senior Vice President of Development, Legal, Regulatory, and General Counsel with responsibility for legal affairs, claims administration, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and human resources. Mr. Roskiewicz has nearly 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to Champlain Insurance Group, Mr. Roskiewicz was Senior Vice President and General Counsel for First Mercury. He joined First Mercury from Dickinson Wright PLLC where he spent ten years advising business clients.
Karl Muth
Senior Vice President, Transformation & Strategic Underwriting Systems
Dr. Muth leads CIG’s adoption of advanced technologies and underwriting expert systems, including the design and deployment of AI/ML-based systems. Prior to CIG, Muth spun off Arturo.ai, one of the earliest AI-centric insurtech startups, from a Fortune 250 insurer. He also worked at Microsoft Ventures, where he worked directly with the CEOs/COOs of every fintech and insurtech startup in the portfolio on issues from operations to financing. Prior to Microsoft, Muth led work on the earliest parametric insurance product designs at Grameen, the only financial services firm to win a Nobel Prize. He holds multiple software-related patents and his research has been cited by Google, IBM, Microsoft, Rakuten, Yahoo!, and others.
Ted Camp
Senior Vice President, Global Underwriting Strategy of CIG
Mr. Camp serves as the Company’s Senior Vice President where he is responsible for the Global Underwriting strategy. Mr. Camp has over 35 years of experience in various underwriting and management roles within the excess and surplus lines insurance industry and holds his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associates in Risk Management (ARM) designations. Prior to starting at WestCongress, Mr. Camp was Executive Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer of First Mercury. He joined First Mercury from American International Group where he spent 16 years as Senior Vice President of underwriting for Lexington Insurance Company.
Operations Leadership
Michelle Miesch
Vice President, Director of Claims
Ms. Miesch serves as the Vice President of Claims for Champlain Insurance Group affiliate, WestCongress Risk Services, and has nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance adjusting field beginning in 1989. Her earlier career included roles of increasing responsibility at Federated, Reliance, and Citizens. Ms. Miesch previously served as a Claims Manager and as a Director of Construction Defect claims where she managed a large staff of adjusters. Ms. Miesch has strong technical claims adjustment skills with in-depth knowledge of commercial general liability coverage, and litigation rules/procedures for multiple jurisdictions. Ms. Miesch holds Associate in Claims (AIC) and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designations.
Scott Mygind
Vice President of CIG, Chief Data and Business Strategy Officer
Mr. Mygind serves as Champlain Insurance Group (CIG) and its subsidiaries’ Vice President, Chief Data and Business Strategy Officer. Mr. Mygind is responsible for the master system that analyzes end-to-end business, profitability assessment, and key decision actions across the CIG enterprise. Mr. Mygind has over 21 years of experience in finance and accounting roles in various industries. Previously, Mr. Mygind served as Vice President of Finance and Information Technology at Glencoe Diversified Holdings where he was responsible for financial governance across the portfolio of companies, which included Champlain Insurance and WestCongress, including oversight of budgeting & forecasting, liquidity, financial reporting, covenant compliance, and audit committee chairs.
Kate Gerheim
Director, Underwriting Operations
Ms. Gerheim serves as Champlain Insurance Group (CIG) and its subsidiaries’ Director of Underwriting Operations and Talent. As the Director, she is committed to a people-first approach to organizational success. Ms. Gerheim has over 18 years of experience in Underwriting Operations, Talent Development, and leadership. Ms. Gerheim connects people, psychology, and data to achieve impactful outcomes. At her previous company, as the Managing Director for over 10 years, she achieved many milestones in the world of Underwriting Operations, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Development. Ms. Gerheim is a St. Lawrence University graduate.
Jennifer Richardi
Vice President, Senior Controller
Ms. Richardi serves as Champlain Insurance Group (CIG) and its subsidiaries’ Vice President, Senior Controller, where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the accounting and reporting functions. Ms. Richardi has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Global MBA with a concentration in Qualitative Analysis. Ms. Richardi is an accounting professional with over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining CIG, she worked for a large public Property & Casualty company where she was responsible for Corporate Accounting, IFRS and Statutory Reporting, Reinsurance Accounting, and Captive acquisitions.
Laura Scarbro
Director, Operations & Services
Ms. Scarbro serves as the Director of Operations and Services. As Director, she is responsible for overseeing the functional units in day-to-day operations with a focus on service delivery excellence and accuracy. She is committed to optimizing service delivery, improving efficiency, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Ms. Scarbro has over 15 years of operational and service experience. Prior to joining CIG, she has worked in leadership, operational and service roles throughout insurance and banking industries. Ms. Scarbro is a graduate of Central Michigan University.