Senior Management Team
Gerry Wilson, Chairman and CEO, has been in the insurance industry for more than 20 years. As Chairman and CEO, he is responsible for all aspects of the High Point Safety & Insurance Management business, a Plymouth Rock managed company.
Jim Tignanelli, President and COO, insurance industry veteran of 32 years, was president of Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey when it was acquired in 2003 and became the High Point Insurance Group. Jim was then named President and COO of High Point which he continues to lead today.
Richard Adam, Vice President, Claims, with 25 years of insurance experience, leads 350 employees located in 4 offices servicing over 80,000 auto and homeowner claims per year.
Mary Lynn Biernbaum, Vice President, Customer Service, has worked in the insurance industry for 28 years, all of them with High Point or Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey. She’s the leader responsible for the engaging manner and enthusiasm of High Point Customer Service Representatives.
Marc Buro, Vice President, Marketing and Distribution, began his work with the insurance industry 18 years ago in the public sector. An expert in M&A and marketing, Marc is responsible for managing High Point’s dual distribution channel, the High Point brand and all communications functions.
Lisa K. Lasky, Vice President, Underwriting and Administrative Operations, has 27 years experience working in the insurance industry. She uses her expert skill at product, project and personnel management to keep High Point’s underwriting and administrative operations running smoothly.
Thomas G. Myers, Vice President, Product Management, has been part of High Point or Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey for the last 24 years. Strong actuarial credentials, deep industry experience and continuous leadership of professional associations have helped him define superior insurance products for High Point customers.
Carl A. Peterson Esq., SPHR, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, has over 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry.
Linda Schwabenbauer, Vice President, Finance, CFO, has worked for and with leading property and casualty insurers, life insurers, and state insurance departments for 18 years. She brought extensive industry and accounting experience with her to High Point when she joined as CFO in 2005.
Gerry Wilson
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gerry began his career with the Plymouth Rock group of companies in 2000 as President and CEO of Palisades Safety & Insurance Management Corporation, and was responsible for the management of the New Jersey personal lines insurance operation. During this time, Palisades experienced 300% growth and enjoyed strong financial results.
In 2006, Gerry shifted his attention to High Point, another Plymouth Rock managed company, which was acquired from Prudential in 2003. Gerry currently serves as Chairman and CEO of High Point, while continuing to serve as co-Chairman of Palisades.
Aside from his roles at High Point and Palisades, Gerry also serves as Chairman of Mt. Washington Assurance Corporation, Twin Lights Insurance Company, Teachers Auto Insurance Company of New Jersey, and as a Director of Shared Technology Services Corporation, all Plymouth Rock managed companies.
Prior to joining Palisades, Gerry served a thirteen-year tenure with The Progressive Corporation. He was President and General Manager of the Progressive Michigan Insurance Company where he was directly responsible for Progressive's business in the state of Michigan. During this time, Gerry served on the Executive Committee of the Insurance Information Association of Michigan and on the Government Affairs Committee of the Michigan Insurance Federation.
Gerry received a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College, an M.A. in History from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A from the University of Michigan. He also spent time in Osaka, Japan where he researched Japanese human resource management strategies.
Gerry is a member of the Insurance Council of New Jersey where he has sat on the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and the Government Affairs Committee. He was also named 2003 Insurance Company Person of the Year by the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey (PIANJ).
Jim Tignanelli
President and Chief Operating Officer
Jim Tignanelli was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of High Point Insurance Group in November 2003. He continues to serve in that capacity today. He had served as the President of Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey (PRUPAC-NJ) since February 2002.
Prior to becoming President of PRUPAC-NJ, Jim worked at Prudential in various capacities including: Vice President of Government Affairs; Vice President of Field Operations; Chairman of Pruco Securities; Chief Compliance Office for Prudential Insurance and Financial Services; and Corporate Vice President of Operations and Controls for Prudential Financial.
Jim holds a B.S. from Towson University, a J.D. from The University of Baltimore, and has his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation (CPCU).
Richard F. Adam
Vice President, Claims
Rick has over 25 years experience with 3 property and casualty companies. He has managed claim operations in other parts of the country and now directs High Point's Claim Services in New Jersey.
Rick is responsible for 350 employees located in 4 offices servicing both auto and homeowner claims. The department handles over 80,000 claims per year and maintains 24-hour service.
Rick has worked closely with both McKinsey & Company and with Accentra Consulting on claim-specific solutions to loss and expense issues. He has led claims process re-engineering initiatives, specializing in triaging claims by complexity to deliver customers faster service at lower costs. He also has managed the delivery of claim services to customers during large catastrophes including hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. Under his stewardship, High Point's claim operations have used specialization to gain competitive advantages and lower costs.
Rick is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Mary Lynn Biernbaum
Vice President, Customer Service
Mary Lynn heads the Customer Service department for the High Point. She holds a B.A. from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and has twenty-eight years of experience working for insurance companies.
From 1979 through 2003, Mary Lynn worked in numerous assignments within the Financial, Underwriting and Customer Service areas of Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey (PRUPAC-NJ) located in Linwood, New Jersey and also worked in the Holmdel, New Jersey location.
Highlights of Mary Lynn's assignments while with PRUPAC-NJ include managing the company's country-wide payment processing operation, responsibility for the hiring, staffing and training of an off-shore call center and managing one of four U.S. multi-state call centers, including back office operations.
In late 2003, at the time of Palisades' acquisition of PRUPAC-NJ, which became High Point, Mary Lynn was chosen to lead Customer Service.
Mary Lynn has recently been appointed to a term as a member of the Business Management Advisory Committee of Brookdale Community College. Brookdale, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, offers 2-year associate degrees and non-credit courses.
Marc V. Buro
Vice President, Marketing and Distribution
As Vice President of Marketing and Distribution, Marc is responsible for the company's agency management activities, direct-to-consumer sales and marketing activities, communications and advertising, specialty marketing efforts as well as mergers and acquisitions. Marc began his insurance career in the public sector holding various positions in the New Jersey Governor's Office, the New Jersey Legislature and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.
Marc began his career in the insurance industry 18 years ago. As an industry executive he has worked for several insurance companies specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining High Point, Marc served as the Vice President of Business Development for Palisades Insurance (High Point's parent company). During his tenure with Palisades, Marc was principally responsible for negotiating six acquisition transactions and served as the lead negotiator for distribution matters during Palisades' acquisition of Prudential Financial's New Jersey property casualty companies, which became High Point. Marc's time with Palisades and High Point covers 7 years.
Under Marc's leadership, High Point has implemented a series of new agent-based marketing programs, developed a new group and affinity sales and marketing program, secured two additional business acquisition transactions and expanded its subsidiary's marketing efforts within the New Jersey educational community. In addition to his High Point-related responsibilities, Marc is principally responsible for all marketing efforts associated with High Point's subsidiary, Teachers' Auto Insurance Company of New Jersey.
Marc has his B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers.
Lisa K. Lasky, CPCU
Vice President, Underwriting and Administrative Operations
Lisa has been working for High Point or Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey (PRUPAC-NJ) for 27 years in one demanding capacity or another. She currently heads High Point’s Underwriting and Administrative Operations Departments and is responsible for overseeing the business design, development and implementation of High Point's new technology. She has specific expertise in line and staff underwriting functions, product management, personnel management and project management.
Prior to Lisa's current position with High Point, she held one of PRUPACs six State Management positions, responsible for 20 states with more than $230 million in written premium. Lisa was instrumental in reducing PRUPAC's PML by $60 million by developing and implementing risk reduction plans in catastrophe-prone states. Concurrent with her State Management position, she successfully managed PRUPAC's two Underwriting Regional Service Offices, located in Arizona and Illinois, and the corresponding results of $1.1 billion in written premium.
Lisa also has several years of experience in the New Jersey market having successfully managed PRUPAC of New Jersey's underwriting operations for five consecutive years. During her tenure, Lisa succeeded in attaining profitable underwriting results, while simultaneously reducing administrative expenses.
She was a member of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Trenton Insurance Partnership Committee; served on the NJ PAIP Governing Committee (New Jersey Personal Automobile Insurance Plan) from 1999 to 2002; and has been a member of the Insurance Institute for Business Safety since 2003.
Lisa has her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation (CPCU) and has completed the Senior Leadership Program for Professional Women at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Thomas G. Myers, FCAS, ASA, MAAA, CPCU
Vice President, Product Management
Thomas G. Myers began his career in the insurance industry in 1983 with Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance in Holmdel, New Jersey. He contributed in various senior executive roles from 1990 through 2003, including Research and Strategic Planning, Actuarial and Auto Product Management.
In 2003, when Palisades Safety and Insurance Management Corporation acquired Prudential Financial's New Jersey property casualty companies and formed High Point, Myers was first appointed Vice President of Product and Distribution and then Vice President, Product Management. He is responsible for all of the company's insurance products: setting coverage provisions, determining appropriate premiums and establishing appropriate reserves for future claim payments.
Myers earned a B.S. in Actuarial Science from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS), an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA), a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) and holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.
During 2007, he served as the president of the Casualty Actuarial Society, and has had the honor of serving as a chairperson or an officer of that organization for the past 17 years.
Myers has also been chairman of the New Jersey Auto Insurance Risk Exchange since 2005. He is a past chairman of the Highway Loss Data Institute and the Insurance Research Council.
Carl A. Peterson., SPHR
Chief Legal Officer & Secretary
Carl has over 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. Prior to joining the High Point management team in 2003, he was a member of Prudential’s Property and Casualty Insurance Group Legal Department for 23 years. Throughout his Prudential career, he served in a variety of positions. He was named Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Property and Casualty Group in 1995 and held this position until his retirement from Prudential in 2003.
Carl is responsible for all legal and regulatory affairs of the High Point Group, as well as management of the Staff Trial Counsel operation and the Corporate Legal Department.
Prior to joining Prudential, Carl served as Assistant General Counsel with Motor Club of America companies engaging in general corporate and insurance law. He also served a Judicial Clerkship with the Honorable M. Raymond McGowan, Assignment Judge, New Jersey Superior Court.
Carl received his Juris Doctorate degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1974. He received his BA in History from Wake Forest University, Cum Laude with Honors, in History in 1971. He also holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources designation (SPHR). Through the years, Carl has been an active participant in state and national property and casualty industry associations and a member of corporate counsel professional organizations.
Linda Schwabenbauer, CPA
Vice President, Finance & CFO
Linda holds a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A from Cornell. From 1988 through 1993, Linda worked in the marketing and strategic business development areas of a direct response life, health, property and casualty insurance company located in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. In 1995, she joined the Boston office of PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she audited both privately held and public companies of various sizes within the property & casualty side of the insurance industry. While at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Linda also participated in several special projects for insurance clients, including six months spent in Switzerland assisting Zurich Insurance in its conversion of worldwide operations to a US GAAP basis of accounting.
To gain additional industry insights, Linda worked closely with a number of state insurance departments to lead major examination efforts on their behalf, including the 1999 and 2001 examinations of CNA’s Continental Insurance Company (working with the New Hampshire department), the 2000 and 2003 examinations of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (with the Massachusetts Division), and the 2002 examination of John Hancock, which included evaluating the proposed purchase of John Hancock by Manulife Financial.
In January of 2005, Linda relocated to Red Bank, New Jersey, to fill the CFO position within the High Point companies.