Below you will find information on U.S Risk Underwriters and Brokers. Use the drop-down menu to filter by office location, program or specialty.
Gary Atkins
Executive Vice President/Branch Manager
Gary specializes in brokerage of casualty lines with an emphasis on energy, oil and gas, contractors (industrial, commercial and residential), environmental, equipment rental, and product-driven accounts. He has 38 years of experience in the insurance industry with the last 26 years as an E&S wholesale broker.…
Read moreGary specializes in brokerage of casualty lines with an emphasis on energy, oil and gas, contractors (industrial, commercial and residential), environmental, equipment rental, and product-driven accounts. He has 38 years of experience in the insurance industry with the last 26 years as an E&S wholesale broker. Gary joined U.S. Risk in 2000.
Product specialties
- Artisan/trade contractors
- Drilling rigs/oilfield property
- Environmental
- Excess liability
- Excess maritime employers (workers’ compensation)
- Foreign coverages
- General contractors
- Liquor liability
- Offshore oil drilling and service risks
- Pollution contractors
- Products liability
- Refinery/oil and gas contractors
- Refinery/petrochemical risks
- Residential and roofing contractors
- Umbrella
Tim Bennett , CIC
Senior Broker
Tim joined U.S. Risk in 2013 as Senior Broker for the U.S. Risk Financial Services division. Tim has nearly 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, the last 15+ dealing with management liability, professional liability and fidelity bond coverages with a heavy focus on financial institutions. With experience in underwriting and sales, Tim is able to partner with retail agents in the placement of their financial institution clients, whether they are standard market accounts, complex risks or distressed. Tim is here to assist agents in ensuring that each account has the best coverage available on the most competitive basis.
Tim attended Case Western Reserve University School of Management.
Product specialties
- Cyber/privacy liability
- Financial institutions D&O
- Side A DIC
- Excess liability
- Financial institution bonds
- Insurance company E&O/D&O
- Mortgage brokers and bankers professional liability
- Professional liability (financial services firms)
- Mortgage impairment
- Lender-placed and REO insurance
- Commercial crime/kidnap and ransom
- Broker/dealer and investment advisor E&O
- EPLI
- Fiduciary liability
- Trust E&O
Sheila Boatman
Vice President/Senior Broker/Underwriter
Sheila specializes in miscellaneous medical malpractice professional and general liability coverages. She has over 25 years of E&S experience and helped establish the Houston Healthcare Division of U.S. Risk in June 2000. She is a Senior Underwriter with underwriting authority through our exclusive miscellaneous medical program through underwriters at Lloyd’s.
Sheila also has extensive experience as a senior broker. She partners with leading underwriters of highly rated national carriers to provide the expertise needed in today’s challenging market. Some eligible classes include surgery centers, home health agencies, staffing agencies, medical clinics, adult daycare, diagnostic imaging labs, MRI centers, DME, CRNAs, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and many more.
Product specialties
- Adult daycare
- Allied/misc. healthcare
- Assisted living centers
- Clinics
- Daycare centers/nurseries
- For-profit D&O
- Hospitals
- Medical laboratories
- Non-profit D&O
- Nursing/convalescent homes
- Physicians
- Professional liability
- Social services
- Staffing
- Umbrella
Beth Boisseau-Coots
Vice President, Sales
Grant Bryant, AU, AINS
Senior Underwriter
Grant has over six years of experience in the insurance industry, most recently as an underwriter for Chubb in their energy division in Dallas, Texas. Grant’s focus at U.S. Risk is underwriting oil and gas general liability, excess, and inland marine lines nationwide, as well as brokerage placements for all lines of coverage for the Energy & Environmental division.
Grant earned a Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University.
Product specialties
- Operators and non-operators
- Oilfield consultants
- Drilling contractors
- Well servicing contractors
- Roustabouts
- Pipeline operators
- Many other supporting classes
Cason Burdett, CIC, ARM
Vice President/Senior Underwriter
Cason joined U.S. Risk in 2012. He manages our in-house Energy & Environmental Division, which is responsible for underwriting general liability, professional liability, excess liability and inland marine in the oil and gas sector. In addition to his underwriting responsibilities, Cason is also a broker for all lines of energy coverage, handling mid-sized to large accounts. Prior to U.S. Risk, Cason was with AIG for six years as a business development manager and primary casualty underwriter.
Product specialties
- Operators and non-operators
- Oilfield consultants
- Drilling contractors
- Well servicing contractors
- Roustabouts
- Pipeline operators
- Many other supporting classes
Aaron Cardwell, CIC, RPLU
Vice President
Aaron specializes in insurance solutions for all types of financial institutions. He came to U.S. Risk with our acquisition of J.B. Lloyd & Associates and has over 16 years of experience in underwriting and placement of financial institutions business. He works with insurance programs for lender-placed hazard and flood and mortgage impairment/errors and omissions Insurance. The Texas Bankers Association and the Western Independent Bankers endorse these programs. Aaron specializes in coverage for banks, credit unions, mortgage bankers, real estate investors, and other financial institutions.
Product specialties
- Force placed/foreclosed hazard and flood
- Mortgage insurance tracking
- Financial institution crime bonds
- Directors and officers liability
- Cyber liability and breach response
- Mortgage impairment/mortgage E&O
- Employment practices liability
- Bankers professional liability
- Lender liability
- Trust errors and omissions
- Civil money penalties coverage
- Repossesed auto
- Lenders single interest
Joanna Carle
Assistant Vice President/Broker/Underwriter
Specializing in property and casualty, with more than fifteen years of E&S experience as both a broker and a company underwriter, Joanna’s diverse background gives her an edge to recognize her client’s needs and deliver solutions. Her positive, driven, professional approach to business has cultivated strong relationships with both her customers and her markets. For her clients, her blended capability of underwriting authorities and access to major brokerage markets is an advantage, with her appetite ranging from main-street business to complex and dynamic accounts.
Product specialties
- Artisan/trade contractors
- Boiler and machinery
- Builders risk/OCP
- Commercial property
- Daycare centers/nurseries
- Equipment floaters
- Excess/umbrella
- General contractors
- Habitational property
- Hotel/motel property
- Liquor liability
- Residential and roofing contractors
- Vacant property
- Wind property
Scott T. Carroll
Executive Vice President/Program Director
Scott has 25 years insurance industry experience that ranges from large company underwriting to small brokerage administration experience. He currently manages Take1, an all-lines underwriting program focused on the entertainment (film, TV, DICE, touring entertainers) and communication industries (audio, video, sound and lighting equipment specialists; event planners and event production service firms).
Product specialties
- Entertainment
- Sports and recreation
- Special events
Chris Chiodetti
Vice President/Underwriter/Broker
Chris underwrites and brokers packages, monoline property, monoline general liability, excess liability, H&NO auto, professional and inland marine coverages for a large variety of property and casualty classes.
Product specialties
- Churches
- Contractors (artisan and general)
- Distributors
- Habitational (dwellings, apartments, etc.)
- Hotels/motels
- Lessor’s risk
- Manufacturers
- Mercantile
- Shopping centers
- Truckers
- Vacant warehouses
- Many more
Chris Christian, CIC, RPLU
Vice President/Senior Broker
Chris stumbled into insurance in 1985 as a temporary employee at GAF Insurance Services, a bank-affiliated insurance agency in San Diego. After six years with GAF, Chris moved to the carrier side, opening the San Diego branch office of RLI Corp, an underwriter of specialty lines of insurance. The San Diego office was dedicated to directors and officers liability coverage, and was the launchpad for Chris’s specialization in professional liability.
Product specialties
- Allied/misc. healthcare
- Computer consultants
- Cyber liability
- D&O (including difficult-to-place)
- Environmental
- EPLI
- Errors and omissions
- Fiduciary
- Financial institutions D&O
- Insurance agents E&O
- Lawyers
- Nursing/convalescent Homes
- Pollution contractors
- Professional liability
- Software design/development
Cindy Cordes, CIC, CPIW, DAE
Broker
Cindy began her career in the insurance industry in 1970, working for St. Paul and Commercial Union. For the past 42 years, Cindy has worked on the E&S side of the business for The Insurance Marketplace and since 2000 with U.S. Risk. Cindy currently works in the Metairie office with Noel Martinsen, with whom she has worked with for her entire career.
Cindy brings a wealth of knowledge and professionalism to every account she works on. While Cindy is able to handle all lines of business, she specializes in environmental, foreign and professional liability coverages.
Product specialties
- Environmental
- EPLI
- Excess liability
- Excess maritime employers (workers’ compensation)
- Foreign coverages
- General contractors
- Hull and PI
- Non-profit D&O
- Offshore oil drilling and service risks
- Pollution contractors professional liability
- Public Entities
- Refinery/oil and gas contractors
- Residential and roofing contractors
- Umbrella
Leslie Craft
Senior Vice President
Leslie joined U.S. Risk in 2003. She has over 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry, with backgrounds in both retail and Wholesale. She earned her CIC designation in 1997.
Product specialties
- Artisan contractors
- Hospitality
- Manufacturing
- Product liability
- Liquor liability
- Builders risk
- Contractors liability
- Habitational
- Property
- General liability
Karla Dacosta
Associate Broker
Karla began her career in the insurance industry in 2011 during her senior year in college, after working for two years as an administrative assistant and later an assistant account manager for the professional division of a surplus lines brokerage in Framingham, Massachusetts. In 2012, Karla graduated cum laude from Framingham State University. where she received her B.A. in Business Administration. She then joined the professional division as an account executive specializing in for-profit and non-profit directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, and small miscellaneous E&O accounts.
At U.S. Risk, Karla focuses on D&O, EPL, E&O, and cyber liability, as well assists in our program business.
Product specialties
- Cyber liability
- Computer consultants
- D&O (including difficult-to-place)
- Environmental
- EPLI
- Errors and omissions
- Fiduciary
- Financial institutions D&O
- Insurance agents E&O
- Lawyers
- Professional liability
- Software design/development
Kim Daigle
Vice President/Personal Lines Manager/Underwriter
Kim joined U.S. Risk in 2015 when the company acquired IMS/London American. She has over 20 years of experience in property and casualty insurance underwriting, with broad expertise in the high-net-worth personal lines arena. Her background consists of wholesale and retail involvement and is diverse among both E&S and admitted marketplaces.
Product specialties
- High-net-worth accounts
- Personal homeowners and dwelling fires
- Personal auto
- Personal articles floater
- Personal umbrella and excess liability
- Farm and ranch
- Personal builders risk
- Personal watercraft
Jennifer Delatorre
Broker
Jennifer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University in 2008 and worked for Swett & Crawford in Los Angeles for five years before moving back to Texas. Recently Jennifer worked at another DFW wholesaler until coming to U.S. Risk in July 2016. At U.S. Risk, Jennifer focuses primarily on professional liability risks including but not limited to EPLI, D&O, E&O, miscellaneous professional, and lawyers professional.
Jennifer is based in Dallas but works closely with Dave Perkins in our Framingham, Massachusetts office.
Product specialties
- EPLI
- D&O
- E&O
- Lawyers professional
- Miscellaneous professional
- Cyber liability
- Fiduciary
- Crime
Gina Dobbs
Senior Underwriter/Broker
Dorothy Douglas
Senior Underwriter/Broker
Theresa Drago, CPCU, ASLI, ARM
Assistant Vice President/Senior Broker
Theresa specializes in placing workers’ compensation nationwide and can include, if necessary, longshore and maritime endorsements. Theresa joined U.S. Risk in 2000 and has over 30 years experience in the insurance business.
Product specialties
- Workers’ compensation
- USL&H
- Excess MEL (workers’ compensation)
- Foreign coverages
- Offshore oil drilling
William Duvall
Underwriter
William joined U.S. Risk in 2014 as part of the U.S. Risk Pros division located in Dallas, TX. At U.S. Risk he will be underwriting Professional Liability risks with a focus on Miscellaneous Professional Liability, Employment Practices Liability and Insurance Agents Errors and Omissions.
William graduated from Tarlton State University with his Bachelors in Business Administration. William also served in the United States Marine Corp as an aircraft mechanic.
Professional Product Specialties
- EPLI
- E&O
- D&O
- Miscellaneous Professional
- Insurance Agents E&O
- Title Agents E&O