Responsibilities
Michael Curran responsible for working directly with the firm’s Employee Benefits clients on strategic planning, funding arrangement reviews, plan design analysis, administrative and compliance oversight, and vendor management. Curran also provides assistance on a day-to-day basis in managing an assigned book of business which includes the evaluation and implementation of all health and welfare insurance products.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Curran worked at Towers Watson as a senior analyst specializing in Life and Disability insurance, along with other absence management strategies. He was responsible for the relationship management of large market client accounts from multiple sectors including: Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail, & Healthcare. Prior to Towers Watson, Curran began his career at Cigna in their financial development and underwriting program. Curran completed Cigna’s Life and Disability underwriting training program and went on to support Cigna’s mid-market book of business for the Northeast region.
Education
New York University – Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing
Responsibilities
Kate Kelly is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic and tactical risk management solutions supporting the business needs for public and private sector clients. Kate is responsible for insurance program design, marketing, placement, and the coordination of daily account service needs, including coverage analyses, program changes, and contract reviews. Her portfolio of accounts spans a range of industries, including construction, real estate, life sciences, and technology. Kate actively participates in several Conner Strong & Buckelew focus groups, including the Construction Practice Group, which works to address current industry trends, market conditions, and resulting impacts on insurance coverages for those in the construction industry.
Background
Kate joined Conner Strong & Buckelew in April 2016. Previously, Kate worked at Sovereign Insurance Group, where she was an Account Manager and Large Claims Consultant, servicing small to mid-size non-profit and education accounts. Prior to joining Sovereign Insurance Group, Kate worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company as a Workers’ Compensation Claims Case Manager for national market clients, where she investigated claims and determined compensability according to the statutory guidelines of various jurisdictions.
Education
Pennsylvania State University, Schreyer Honors College – Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies, Lifespan Developmental Science Option, Minor in Psychology
Professional Designations & Licenses
Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC)
Certified Risk Manager (CRM)
Property & Casualty Producer– New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida and Delaware
Workers’ Compensation Adjuster – Connecticut, Delaware and New Hampshire
Responsibilities
Su Pham is responsible for the design and marketing of comprehensive risk management programs during the onboarding of new clients across all industries. Additionally, he is responsible for the creation, development and presentation of the Conner Strong & Buckelew Consultative Review for new and prospective clients. He is a senior member of the Construction and Real Estate and Hospitality Practice Groups that focuses on key trends that are impacting these industries.
Background
Su has spent more than half of his 17 year career at Conner Strong & Buckelew, specializing primarily in large risk management accounts. His outside experience most recently includes working at Lockton as an Account Executive in the Real Estate vertical managing all aspects of the risk management and insurance programs for his clients. Primary responsibilities included the marketing and brokering of the program, oversight of the service team, and coordination of claims and loss control services for each account. He started his insurance career at ECBM Insurance Brokers and Consultants in Media, Pennsylvania serving in a number of roles including Account Executive and New Business Placement Specialist with a focus on Real Estate, Retail, Hospitality and Construction clients.
Education
Temple University – Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Insurance, Cum Laude
Professional Designations
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)
Associate in Risk Management – Enterprise Risk Management (ARM-E)
Community Involvement
CPCU Society, Philadelphia Chapter
Responsibilities
Ed Hanna oversees the development and delivery of new technologies and services to help clients better manage their overall cost of risk. The Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) practice works closely with National Accounts and Employee Benefits Departments to bring services full circle by mapping risks to commercial and human capital insurance solutions. Further, the ERM practice helps clients gain awareness of non-insurable risks too often managed in silos and be positioned to make better decisions to mitigate the downside and capitalize on the upside of risk.
Background
Ed has over 20 years’ experience with both enterprise and insurance-based risk management solutions in a broad range of industry verticals, including life sciences, healthcare, professional services, and education. Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Ed was the Commercial and Sales Team Leader for RCM&D’s Pennsylvania offices. He served as player coach responsible for growth, service, and retention by leading teams of Property and Casualty sales and service professionals in Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
Education
Indiana University of Pennsylvania – Bachelor of Science in Safety Sciences
Temple University – Master of Science in Epidemiology
John Hopkins University – Masters Certificate, Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Professional Designations
Certified Insurance Counselor, The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research
Certified in Comprehensive Practice, Board of Certified Safety Professionals Certification in the Comprehensive Practice of Industrial Hygiene, American Board of Industrial Hygiene
Community Involvement
Ed is the Chair and Board of Director for the Insurance Society of Philadelphia
Responsibilities
Travis Shaffer oversees the surety bond operation and is in charge of managing and expanding the book of business. Shaffer is also responsible for maintaining and further developing relationships with existing clients as well as the placement of new business. He possesses strong relationships with key surety markets such as Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Chubb, Zurich, and Berkley along with several other companies. These relationships are key to forging successful contractor-broker-surety relationships. Shaffer is actively engaged with our surety clients on various projects in the heavy highway, bridge, rail, and energy sectors. Shaffer has also built a substantial Property & Casualty book of business that is heavily concentrated in the construction industry but also includes transportation, real estate and manufacturing. His background in construction has allowed him to identify risks within construction companies and help develop strategies on driving down their total cost of risk.
Background
Shaffer comes to Conner Strong & Buckelew from Safeco/Liberty Mutual Surety. In this role, he managed a surety book in excess of $6 million, which included several heavy highway contractors and general contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region. Shaffer’s focus was on accounts with surety programs ranging in size from $100 million to $2 billion.
Education
Widener University – Masters of Business Administration
Shippensburg University – Bachelor’s degree
Responsibilities
Joseph Fuegel has over 25 years of accounting and financial experience in the insurance industry. He is responsible for the daily operation, management, and development of the Accounting and Finance team including but not limited to sales reporting, revenue analysis, corporate T&E, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and premium financing. He is also a member of the CSB Broker Tech Advisory Committee.
Background
Joseph joined Conner Strong & Buckelew in 2001 as a Staff Accountant before being promoted to Finance Manager, Vice President, and later to his current role as a Partner in the firm. Joseph began his career with CGU/One Beacon Insurance as a Technical Specialist. At this company, he was a member of a home office focus group responsible for corporate accounting decentralization including audits at various branch offices across the country. He also acted as a technical resource and provided training for Business Support Center staff.
Education
Philadelphia University – Bachelor of Science in Finance
Responsibilities
Maxx Hofmann specializes in designing comprehensive risk management programs for large commercial clients with a focus on the commercial real estate, development, and hospitality verticals.
Background
Maxx began his career with RPA Insurance Services in 2012, where he led the placement for their National Accounts Department. Maxx joined Conner Strong & Buckelew as an Associate Producer in 2018 with the responsibility of generating new business opportunities. In 2022 Maxx was promoted to Producer and in 2023 he became a Vice President. Maxx utilizes his intellectual capital and his consultative approach to help clients uncover coverage gaps and implement alternative strategies to structure their insurance program. Specialties include large, layered property placements in Domestic and London Markets; large retentions, plus aggregate deductibles; and Captive Insurance.
Education
La Salle – Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude
Community Involvement
Maxx is actively involved with various real estate organizations at both the local and national levels. Maxx serves on the NAHMA Educational Foundation Board, the Board of Directors for the Delaware Apartments Association, and co-chairs the Pennsylvania Apartment Association Eastern Regional Advisory Council. Additionally, Maxx is an active member of NAHMA, NAA, IREM, NMHC, and the local affordable and market rate apartment associations affiliated with these organizations.
Responsibilities
Tracy Jadico works closely with the Employee Benefits Consultant on strategic benefit planning (including plan design and funding analysis), marketing and negotiation of vendors, selection and implementation, and administrative and compliance oversight. Additionally, she assists with benefit plan materials, communication projects, the annual enrollment process and the resolution of high-level claim issues.
Background
Tracy joined Conner Strong & Buckelew in September 2018. Before joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Tracy worked for Gallagher Benefit Services for 11 years. Most recently, she worked as a Benefit Consultant focusing primarily on small to mid-sized clients. Her responsibilities included strategic planning, marketing and negotiation of renewals, product and vendor evaluation, implementation, and management as well as and day-to-day client management.
Education
LaSalle University – Bachelor of Arts
Professional Designations
Group Benefits Disability Specialist (GBDS)
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania Health and Life Resident
Responsibilities
Karen Kidd is responsible for coordinating the implementation and conversion of new clients, as well as managing the operations of the Benefit Administration Unit. Her responsibility also includes managing and coordinating projects with the Account Team, clients, outside vendors as well as within the Benefits Administration Unit.
Background
Kidd has over 14 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew in 2007, she was a Senior Data Manager for ASRM, LLC in Moorestown, NJ. Her responsibilities included processing weekly payroll, enrollment and deduction files as well as handling new client implementations and new plan setups in the system. Before ASRM, Kidd was a Claim Analyst for the National Employee Benefit Administrators.
Professional Designations
NJ Licensed in Life and Health Insurance
