What Makes Us Distinguished?
People. Performance. Long-Standing Relationships.
Pioneers and Innovators.
In our early history, we formed the first real estate purchasing group in the nation. Later on, we were one of the first in the industry to introduce our Broker Portal so brokers could submit, quote and bind online, making things much more efficient.
Today, we're following those pioneering and innovative firsts by investing in product development, technology and most importantly: people.
Reputation for Integrity.
Through thoughtful innovation, we foster growth and opportunity for our brokers, carriers, and employees alike, and our commitment goes far beyond the words we use in our communications.
For decades we’ve been demonstrating our trustworthiness and professionalism to every individual and company we’ve interacted with. And throughout that time, our reputation for integrity has remained unchallenged.
For You.
We’ll be there to continue to lead the industry with an innovative product offering, inspiring a culture that is rich with a tradition of improvement. We will continue to be there when you need us.
When you call, you’ll likely speak with someone you know by name, who has been with our organization for years. Clients, carrier partners, and employees agree that those are just a few of the reasons why we are Distinguished.
Join Our Team
We're looking for people to grow with us
Bill Malloy
Chief Executive Officer
About
Bill Malloy serves as the CEO of Distinguished. His insurance career began in 1980, giving him considerable US and international insurance market expertise. Most recently, Bill was President of Acrisure Ventures. Before Acrisure, Bill was a Partner at Aquiline Capital, where his responsibilities included assuming the CEO role for various portfolio companies. Before Aquiline, Bill was the Global President of Marsh. Bill is currently Chairman of the Board for Antares Re and a member of Intact's US Advisory Board.
Chief Executive Officer
Jason Rotman
President and CFO
About
Jason Rotman is the President and CFO at Distinguished. Prior to joining, Jason was an Executive Advisor to Aquiline Capital Partners, where he co-led the firm’s insurance team. During his tenure at Aquiline, he was also a member of the Investment Committees of the Aquiline Financial Services Funds and the Aquiline Technology Growth Fund. Jason holds a B.A. in economics from Duke University.
President and CFO
Steve Sitterly
Chief Operating Officer
About
Steve Sitterly is the Chief Operating Officer, bringing over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining Distinguished, Steve was Executive Vice President of Acrisure, where he focused on driving organic growth through product development, technology enablement and carrier negotiations. Steve holds a B.A. in Economics from Siena College and an M.B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany.
Chief Operating Officer
Elizabeth Babington
President, Umbrella and Excess Liability
About
Elizabeth Babington, CPCU, ARM is the President, Umbrella and Excess Liability, responsible for maintaining carrier relationships and overseeing new program development for our Umbrella products. Elizabeth joined Distinguished in 2017, bringing with her over 20+ years of varied insurance industry experience in underwriting, retail brokerage, wholesale brokerage and program administration. Previously, Elizabeth worked at companies including Crum & Forster, Willis, PACCAR Financial Corp., and Ultra Risk Advisors (previously National Specialty Underwriters). Elizabeth holds a CPCU designation and received her BS in Accounting and Finance/Computer Science from Oregon State University.
President
Umbrella and Excess Liability
Barbara Bartson
President, Community Associations
About
Barb oversees Distinguished’s Community Association program including package, D&O, crime, and umbrella products. She is responsible for the program’s strategic planning, product management, and underwriting profitability. Barb joined Distinguished in 2017, bringing over 30 years of commercial insurance experience, with a focus on excess liability. Previously, she worked for Great American Insurance and Liberty Mutual in many roles including Production Underwriter, AVP Excess Liability Underwriting Manager, Product Management Consultant, and VP Program Underwriting Manager. Barb received a BA from the University of Dayton and an MBA from Miami University, Ohio. In addition, she maintains CPCU, CPL, and ARe designations.
President
Community Associations
Patrick Drummond
President
About
Patrick is the president of Distinguished Fine Art and Collectibles. He is an industry veteran with 25 years of experience, 15 of which have been focused on the specialty insurance market. Prior to joining Distinguished in 2022, Patrick was Head of Fine Art, Specie, and Bloodstock for the Americas at AXA XL. Over his career, he has held various leadership and management roles in underwriting, sales, marketing, product management, and claims. Like his teammates, he is a passionate collector and deeply cares about the industry. Patrick holds a BA in Marketing & Business Management from Franklin University.
President
Fine Art & Collectibles
James Frankel
Vice President, Corporate Development
About
James is the Vice President of Corporate Development at Distinguished, joining the firm in 2023. Before joining Distinguished, James was Vice President of Commercial Insurance & Programs at Vault, where he led the build of the firm’s commercial MGA business. Before Vault, James was Vice President of Large Accounts within Acrisure LLC, a top-10 global brokerage and leading M&A consolidator. James holds a B.A. in economics from Davidson College and MBA from NYU Stern.
VICE PRESIDENT
CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT
Karen Isaacs
Chief Talent Officer
About
Karen is the Chief Talent Officer, responsible for human resources and talent development across Distinguished and its subsidiaries. Karen joined in late 2019, bringing with her a great wealth of insurance industry experience to make Distinguished an employer of choice. Prior to joining Distinguished, Karen held senior human resource positions at JLT, Hamilton Insurance Group, and AIG. She received her BS in Human Resources from Indiana University – Bloomington.
Chief Talent Officer
Ursula Kerrigan
General Counsel
About
Ursula is Distinguished’s General Counsel and oversees our legal operations. Her responsibilities include ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations, overseeing licensing and filings, and providing strategic direction to underwriting division leaders. Ursula joined Distinguished in 2023, bringing over 30 years of legal experience in the insurance and reinsurance sectors. Prior to joining Distinguished, Ursula served as SVP & General Counsel of the Americas Region for AXA XL, a division of AXA. Over her legal career, she has held various other General Counsel positions, each with a diverse range of responsibilities. She has supported underwriting teams and (re)insurance clients at Valiant Insurance Group, Liberty International Underwriters, Skadden Arps, Gulf Insurance Group and Wilson Elser. Ursula obtained her undergraduate degree from Boston University and her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
General Counsel
Kurt Meister
Chief Sales Officer
About
Kurt is the Chief Sales Officer of Distinguished Programs, responsible for leading our 14 Regional Sales Executives and new business sales for all products. Kurt joined Distinguished in 2006, having originally led National Specialty Underwriters’ Hospitality and Medical Malpractice divisions prior to acquisition. Prior to that, Kurt spent 18 years in executive positions at Aon Affinity Insurance Programs, leading five separate business units focused on property/casualty, professional liability, and healthcare for specific association niches. Responsibilities included strategy & direction as well as complete P&L execution. Kurt earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and later attended the Villanova University MBA program, concentrating on Finance and Marketing.
Chief Sales Officer
Rick Ruiz
PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN HOLE ‘N ONE AND GRAND PRIZE PROMOTION
About
Rick is the President of American Hole ‘n One and Grand Prize Promotions. Rick joined the company in 2017 as the Chief Sales Officer and was appointed in 2019 to take over the President position at the company. In his current role, he has the responsibility for the strategic direction, P&L, and all facets of operations for this division of Distinguished Programs. Prior to working with American Hole ‘n One, Rick spent over 20 years in executive positions with York Risk Services Group and Zurich Financial Services. He is a results-driven senior sales executive with an incredible ability to build, motivate and decisively lead teams with proven results in driving B2B growth and delivering multimillion-dollar growth in revenue, earnings, and market-share ratings.
President
American Hole N' One and Grand Prize Promotion
Doug Stepenosky
President, Distinguished Environmental and Construction Professional
About
Doug has over 27 years of environmental underwriting experience and joined SiriusPoint in January 2017 from Great American Insurance Group, where he was a Senior Vice President. In 2008, Doug helped to build and launch Great American’s environmental division that produced over $300M in profitable premium over his tenure there. In addition to his time at Great American, Doug has held leadership roles with other environmental insurance carriers, including XL in Exton, PA as a Vice President - Executive Underwriter and at AIG in San Francisco, CA as a Zonal Vice President, and Product Line Manager. Doug earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Villanova University in 1993 and has his Resident Producer and Surplus Lines Licenses in all 50 states.
President
Environmental and Construction Professional
Erica Stoller
Chief Information Officer
About
Erica Stoller is the Chief Information Officer, responsible for supporting and driving business value through the use of data and technology. Since joining Distinguished in 2004, Erica has worked across the organization, assuming her current role as CIO in 2019. Her tenure and experience at Distinguished have allowed Erica to bring the business and technology together to drive transformational change. Erica received her BS in Applied Mathematics from Dartmouth College and an MS in Technology Management from Columbia University, where she wrote her master’s thesis on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Insurance Industry.
Chief Information Officer
Heidi Strommen
President, Primary Hospitality
About
Heidi oversees the overall strategy and management of Distinguished’s primary programs for restaurants and hotels. Heidi joined Distinguished in April 2019 with the acquisition of ProHost USA, a program administrator specializing in restaurants, where she served as President. She has an extensive background building programs for restaurants and related risks at ProHost. Her career experience also includes a variety of positions at Twin City Group, a retail brokerage. She is a past president of Target Markets Program Administrators Association and currently serves on the Advisory Board. Heidi earned a BA in Government from Cornell University and an MBA from Metropolitan State University.
President
Primary Hospitality
Neal Sullivan
Shared Services Leader
About
Neal Sullivan is Senior Vice President and Shared Services Leader for Distinguished Programs. In this role he oversees IT, Compliance, Project Management, Analytics, as well as numerous back-office operations. Since joining Distinguished in 2000, Neal has worked in multiple leadership roles across the organization, assuming his current position in 2022. Prior to joining, Neal was an underwriter for Chubb Insurance. He received his BA in Economics from Connecticut College and an MBA from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.
Shared Services Leader
Ritchie Vener
Chief Marketing Officer
About
Ritchie Vener is the Chief Marketing Officer of Distinguished Programs LLC, responsible for all marketing and PR activities across the business. Ritchie joined Distinguished in 2019, bringing 20 years’ experience as a CMO for rapidly growing companies, all in financial services and insurance. Prior to joining Distinguished, Ritchie was CMO of York Risk Services Group for 11 years, preceded by marketing leadership positions at GE Capital and its subsidiaries. Ritchie received a BS in Finance, Summa Cum Laude and an MBA with High Honors, both from Boston University.
Chief Marketing Officer
Katie Vespia
President, Real Estate and Builder's Risk
About
Katie Vespia is the President, Real Estate and Builder's Risk for Distinguished’s Real Estate Programs including City Insurance, New York Brick & Brownstone, Vacant Building and Builder’s Risk programs. She is responsible for the program’s strategic planning, product management and underwriting profitability. Katie began her insurance career in 2007 at Distinguished and has worked through the ranks to her current position. She has concentrated in Property and Casualty Underwriting and Program Management. Katie received her BS in Finance from Rhode Island College.
President
Real Estate & Builder's Risk
Andy Potash
Founder
About
Prior to founding Distinguished in 1995 and The Distinguished Social Ventures Foundation in 2012, Andy spent 28 years in the retail insurance brokerage industry in a variety of gopher, account management, production, new product design, and executive roles. As the company's Founder, he tries to stay out of trouble by mentoring younger colleagues and working on new programs.
A graduate of Cornell University and the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School, he has earned both the CPCU and CLU designations, was a member of Lloyds of London, and a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He is currently a member of the World Presidents Organization (WPO) and the Chief Executives Organization (CEO).
Founder
Vision
An ever-evolving MGA, delivering outstanding underwriting results and a superior experience for brokers and agents, built on a culture of partnership, exceptional talent and expertise, world-class support services, and distinguished products
Mission
- Create highly competitive specialty insurance products delivered in an easy and accessible manner
- Recruit exceptionally talented individuals and teams, giving them support with autonomy, enabling them to achieve superior outcomes
- Provide our carrier partners with outstanding underwriting results
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Submit?
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OUR CORE VALUES
ACHIEVEMENT.
We work with passion, persistence, and focus.
INTEGRITY.
We do the right thing, even when no one is looking.
INNOVATION.
We develop creative solutions for real problems.
RELATIONSHIPS.
We care deeply about the success of our colleagues, customers, partners, and communities.