About

“It’s a privilege to be part of the founding team for this venture. I am inspired daily by the people I lead and follow, the clients we serve and the agents we partner with.”

Kathy Tierney says the best things happening in our business right now will come from looking at what we do through a totally different lens, having a little bit of fun with it, and not being afraid to experiment and take inspiration from unlikely places.

She came to Berkley from a position as chief operating officer of Chubb’s personal insurance division. Her career has included leadership positions in specialty insurance, strategic development and surety.

Though she has won many awards for her accomplishments in the insurance industry, Kathy says she’s proudest of two things: her efforts to expand opportunities for women in insurance, and the fact that she can impress her two teenaged boys when she tells them about what Berkley One is doing.

She holds a B.A. from Williams College and an MBA in finance and economics from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

“I enjoy taking a creative approach to solving problems, applying technology, rethinking assumptions, challenging the status quo. It makes every day an adventure.”   

Susan Vella’s job is to walk in the client’s shoes in every meeting, in every discussion, on every topic – and to be the person who reminds everyone else to do so. That means delivering an exceptional service experience to members and agents that is easy, transparent, efficient and flexible.

After three decades managing underwriting, client service and agent-facing teams for Chubb in two countries, she says for her it all comes down to one very simple belief: that listening to clients and treating them fairly is the key to great service. She keeps challenging herself and others to look at processes from the outside, to see them as the client sees them.

Susan’s greatest passion is her family – her husband and three children. They enjoy exploring the world and trying new things. This year, it’s stand-up paddleboarding. She has a degree in Economics from Yale University.

“To be valuable, you have to find solutions, and we’re doing that. It’s exciting to create an insurance organization that finds new ways of doing things, making things easier for agents and consumers.”

Kevin Hogan says his guiding philosophy is to understand frustrations with the status quo and apply modern solutions to long-standing problems. To do that successfully, we will source views and opinions from people with different backgrounds, experiences and insights, and apply what we learn to design better process, products and services.

As COO, Kevin Hogan has his eyes on that kind of victory by integrating various strategies from underwriting, product development, risk management, and analytics across the Berkley One organization.

Before joining Berkley One, he spent 24 years at Chubb in various leadership roles including underwriting, sales and distribution, and field management.

He holds an accounting degree from Assumption College and, to stay sharp, has participated in continuing education classes in finance, sales management, organizational leadership and general management. Outside of insurance, Kevin’s passions are spending time with his wife and three sons, supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and following college football.

“I love having a job that not only allows but requires me to ask questions, come up with new ways of doing things and be willing to change.”

Making sure Berkley One’s vision works in practice is where Eileen Opitz really shines. She leads product management for homeowners, automobile, collectibles and liability at Berkley One, which means she manages pricing, contract and underwriting strategies and oversees development of new products.

She came to Berkley One after 18 years in product management and underwriting as a vice president at Chubb.

Eileen loves the beach, spending time with family and friends and watching her children succeed. She holds a degree from Montclair State University.

“Being part of a startup makes you more creative in every area of the company. We’re always looking for ways to pull our vision through.”

Vadim Mezhebovsky leads a team of actuarial analysts on pricing strategies, product development and reserving.

Over his 20-year career in the property and casualty insurance industry, he has held several senior roles, most recently as vice president and actuary at MAPFRE Insurance. His background includes product management, mergers and acquisitions, reinsurance, pricing, reserving, ERM, management consulting, and research and development.

Travel is Vadim’s personal passion. He holds degrees in math and economics from Brandeis University.

“I love to learn. I believe the principles of success are universal – to succeed, you have to constantly think about how the pieces fit, what’s changing and what’s next.”

In his marketing role for Berkley One, Christoph leads sales, distribution and marketing. That means listening and understanding to what clients need now and may want in the future, so we can respond in ways that help them enjoy what they have and restore it if necessary. For agents, it means understanding what’s important to build their businesses and giving them the support to do so.

Christoph came to Berkley One after 25 years in Chubb’s personal insurance division. He started as an underwriter and was drawn to marketing and strategy by his passion to analyze, plan and grow business – especially when it means leading fundamental changes to conventional ways of doing things.

He says he’s always found it fascinating that most of this planet is under water, which is why he’s a huge fan of scuba diving. He loves exploring both underwater and new parts of the world with his family.

Christoph holds a degree in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College and has done graduate work at the University of Maryland and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

“Part of creating a new kind of insurance organization means being straightforward and clear with both clients and agents. This way, we get everyone on the same page and satisfaction goes up.”

Elaine Reyes has been an attorney in the world of insurance for 27 years. At heart, though, she’s an English major, trusting in the power of words to communicate fully and transparently about every detail of all our insurance coverages and services. Our product is a promise set forth in words, so it’s very important to her that those words make it clear what that promise includes and doesn’t include.

Elaine is proud to say she has a track record of using compliance process improvements to help companies reduce regulatory inquiries and improve their relationships with clients.

In her personal life, her greatest passion is her children – providing for them and striving to be a good role model for them.

Elaine has a B.A. in English and Political Science from Montclair State University and a law degree from Seton Hall University Law School.

“I help our clients find ways to prevent bad things from happening to their homes and possessions. We can’t prevent every loss, but we can make the claim experience as easy as possible.”

In his 30 years as an adjuster and claims executive at companies like AIG, Marsh & McLennan, Allstate and Chubb, Paul Cuzzola has always been in the thick of it. He’s helped clients move artwork to higher ground to protect it from hurricanes, hired armed guards to protect homes after losses, even paid a company to sift through the debris of a fire in search of a wedding ring.

He knows people aren’t comparing Berkley One with other insurance companies, they’re comparing us to the best customer service they’re experiencing – anywhere. Because our model is to provide the kind of experience that gets people talking, he’s never satisfied with delivering anything less.

Paul is a foodie, likes being outdoors and traveling to new places. He has a degree from Rowan University.

“When someone’s experiencing a lawsuit for the first time, they need someone on their side with technical skill, business acumen, a curious nature and a love of the law. But above all, they need someone with compassion. My job is to make sure they get it all.”

Marylou Rodden is the kind of person who makes other people want to go into claims. In fact, in her 33 years of progressively more responsibility in claims positions at Chubb and later as president of a claims consulting firm, quite a few people who worked with her or heard her speak chose to follow in her footsteps.

Her emphasis at Berkley One is on making sure the claims department embodies the inventive, customer-centric approach that Berkley One is all about – in every way. She is confident that the company will grow and thrive, in large part because of its positive energy.

In addition to her passion for claims, Marylou loves to cook.

She has a degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State.

“Service is about providing the best possible solution. Sometimes that’s diving in deep to fix a problem but sometimes it simply means being there with empathy and understanding.”

Alyssa Acosta and her team are responsible for helping you navigate our organization so you get help when you need it – including servicing policies, technical support and much more. She brings to Berkley One more than 10 years of insurance experience plus 5 years of leadership outside the industry.

Alyssa knows that service, like leadership, is about relationships and trust. Her job is to invest in and train the people who work directly with agents and clients while optimizing our processes so that each interaction is as efficient and enjoyable as it can be. Take a moment to talk with her and you’ll realize she has a way with people. Combine that with a focus on the metrics and it’s a recipe for delivering service that goes above and beyond for clients.

Alyssa joined Berkley One because she’s a natural born collaborator and enjoys the satisfaction that comes from finding the best way to do something. She embraces the unknown and uses the experience to fuel learning. It’s that same growth mindset that has her continuously exploring new places to travel and enjoying outdoor adventures and motorsports.

Alyssa earned an Associates of Business Management from Lakeland Community College and is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Business Management from University of Phoenix.

“I’ve been looking at physical damage to autos for 28 years, but at Berkley One, every day is different. We’re always looking for ways to create a good experience out of the experience of having an accident.”

As the auto physical damage subject matter expert at Berkley One, Robert Young knows what he’s looking at when he looks at the results of an accident.

He also knows how important it is to have someone looking out for you when you have to make a claim. His orientation is about finding ways to help the client. When it comes to auto claims, he looks for ways to make the process go more smoothly.

If he’s not at work, Robert likes to play golf. He hopes to someday play at Saint Andrews and Pebble Beach.

Robert is an I-CAR Platinum member, holds an ASE-B6 certification and has received several customer service awards throughout his career.

“We will always live in a world with risk, but we can take steps to reduce it so people can live their lives more fully – with greater confidence that what means the most to them is protected.”

Dan Cuccia is helping Berkley One change the paradigm of personal insurance by leading its efforts to reinvent risk management based on the real-life needs of people.

Risk management, he likes to say, happens best when we listen to and collaborate with clients and agents.

His favorite story from his 20+ years in insurance is about a time he met with a young mother, gathering information and making suggestions. At the end of the meeting, she told him what she was really concerned about: baby-proofing her home. Dan tells this story to remind risk managers that listening to and having empathy for the client’s concerns is essential if we want to have a lasting impact. Only after you make that connection can you open the door to taking practical steps to mitigate or eliminate a client’s exposure to risk, he says.

Dan has a degree from The University of Washington in his home state. He is also a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and an Associate of Risk Management (ARM).

“Everything we do starts with and is grounded in our great people. I believe getting the people right leads to getting all the other stuff right.”

Ellen Long joined Berkley One the better part of a year before it opened its doors to focus on building a new kind of team for a new kind of insurance company. She spent that time helping to fill key positions to fully staff the launch of the new company.

After 30 years in property and casualty insurance – 11 of them in HR – Ellen couldn’t pass up the chance to help start a new organization that is taking a fresh, innovative and exciting approach to insurance. She’s passionate about building great teams and a great place to work. Ellen wants every employee to feel proud, engaged and energized by their role at Berkley One.

Outside of work, she enjoys travel, cooking, reading, paddleboarding and spending time with her husband, two sons and one crazy Goldendoodle.

Ellen has a B.A. in French with a minor in Spanish from Framingham State University.

“For me, helping agents move forward is about new and interesting approaches, a fresh palette of products and people dedicated to help them grow their businesses.”

Frances Brodeur listens. She listens to agents to learn what they need, what they’re concerned about and how Berkley One can help them figure out how to grow their businesses. Sometimes that means going the extra mile to pull metrics that point to growth areas that might not have been obvious.

To understand Frances, just connect the dots between her 10 years at Chubb, her position as executive director of philanthropy for a multi-state non-profit, and her volunteer work as a guardian ad litem for foster youth. It’s about advocacy. It’s about resourcefulness. It’s about a powerful drive to make things better. That’s why she came to Berkley One.

Frances has a degree in actuarial science from Ohio State University.