Responsibilities
Lisa Vanore is responsible for setting the vision and direction for the Claim Advocacy and Consulting Department, a key differentiator of Conner Strong & Buckelew. The department is a 45-member diverse team that is focused on protecting clients. Lisa manages daily operations to ensure efficient claim handling and superior consulting services to our customers. She works closely with senior executives to drive optimization of operational efficiencies, and elevation of client service.
Lisa is also an active participant in the Alternative Risk Practice Group, providing invaluable risk mitigation guidance to organizations across industries.
Background
Lisa brings over 16 years of enterprise-level risk management experience to Conner Strong & Buckelew. Her experience spans various industries including, public companies, hospitality, and higher education where she was responsible for directing claims and litigation management strategies. Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Lisa served as the Director of Risk Management for a large casino, where she spearheaded the development and oversight of comprehensive risk management and loss control programs designed to reduce the total cost of risk.
Education
Temple University, Fox School of Business – Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Marketing
Professional Designation
RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)
Management Liability Insurance Specialist (MLIS)
Responsibilities
Michele Fields assists clients with all aspects of the claim process, including receiving, analyzing and submitting claims to the insurers. Her duties also involve consulting with clients on coverage analysis, providing guidance and direction, assisting in negotiations with insurers and monitoring open claims. Fields works closely with each client on their claims to ensure that the insurance carriers provide prompt, fair claim handling. She also assists clients with internal claim management. Fields advocates on behalf of each client to ensure that claim resolutions are in their best interest.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Fields served as a Claim Director in the Multinational Claim Unit of ACE Insurance Group, one of the world’s largest multiline property and casualty insurance companies with operations in 54 countries. In this role, Fields handled complex claims for seven years under the international insurance program for large multinational companies. As part of this work, Fields collaborated with international adjusting companies, colleagues in ACE’s foreign offices, and local defense counsel to ensure appropriate claims handling of non-litigated and litigated matters. She also completed complex coverage analysis that involved the application of U.S. law to the master policy while understanding the potential effect of local laws and procedures of various countries on policy interpretation and claim handling.
Education
Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts – B.A. Degree
Boston University School of Law – Law Degree, admitted to practice in NJ
RESPONSIBILITIES
Colleen Vallen is the Forensic Services Practice Leader for J.A. Montgomery Consulting. She provides forensic accounting expertise to clients including pre-loss consulting and post-loss claims services. In the post-loss claims process, her duties include project communication, guidance and planning, documentation management and analysis, financial analyses and modeling, responding to request for information and assistance in settlement discussions. She works closely with our Claims Department to assist clients with internal claims management allowing our clients to focus on their business, not their claim and to ensure claim resolutions are in our clients’ best interest.
BACKGROUND
Colleen has over 25 years of forensic accounting experience and is an expert in her field. Prior to joining J.A. Montgomery Consulting, she worked for a top 25 public accounting firm and served for a period as the practice leader for forensic services. She is highly experienced in the analysis and review of financial information. Other duties included planning and management of engagements, financial investigation and analyses, expert report preparation, assistance with discovery and expert testimony. She has successfully assisted clients in bringing claims to resolution including catastrophic property claims and complex losses such as cyber and crime claims.
EDUCATION
Colleen served as Adjunct Professor at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law.
PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF)
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2026 Risk & Insurance Power Broker Winner
Responsibilities
Juanita Gadsden provides claims support in a wide range of industries, including construction and real estate. In her role, she assists with all aspects of the claims process, including receiving, analyzing, and submitting claims to insurance carriers on behalf of our valued clients. Additionally, she conducts coverage analysis consultations, offers guidance on claims matters, aids in insurer negotiations, monitors ongoing claims, and supports clients with internal claims management programs. Juanita actively advocates for clients, promoting collaboration and resource optimization while ensuring insurers adhere to fair and prompt claim-handling practices, always prioritizing clients’ best interests in claim resolutions.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Juanita was a Claim Director at Chubb Insurance Company, one of the world’s largest multi-line property and casualty insurance companies. Juanita was the point person on several specialized, high-profile accounts where she handled complex property and casualty claims, with a specialty in coverage analysis, general liability, commercial auto, product liability, product recall and excess liability claims. Before Chubb, her extensive insurance career also included working in the excess casualty groups at AIG and XL Catlin Insurance Company. Her industry peers and business partners highly respect Juanita’s knowledge and collaborative approach in attaining optimal results.
Education
Adelphi University – Bachelor of Business Administration
Professional Designation
Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS)
Responsibilities
Laura Kerns assists clients with all aspects of the claim process. She is responsible for receiving, analyzing, and submitting claims to the insurance carrier on behalf of our valued clients. Additional duties include consulting with clients on coverage analysis, providing guidance and direction, assisting in negotiations with the insurance carrier and monitoring open claims. She works closely as an advocate for our clients to ensure insurance carriers deliver prompt, fair claim handling with claim resolutions in our clients’ best interest and to assist clients with internal claim management efforts. Laura is also a member of the Cyber Task Force, where she advises clients on claim and coverage issues as well as cyber insurance applications.
Background
Laura graduated from Villanova University where she received the David E. Worby Scholarship for excellence in advocacy. Upon graduating from law school, Laura spent three years as an Assistant District Attorney, serving in the Federal Litigation Department of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Between 2003 and 2019, Laura developed her civil litigation skills as an attorney with Pennsylvania and New Jersey based law firms handling first-party homeowner’s and commercial property damage claims, bad faith litigation, and property coverage opinions. Laura also represented various insurance carriers from 2013 to 2014 during the New Jersey Federal Hurricane Sandy Flood Litigation. During her time as a civil litigator, Laura handled third-party matters, including lawsuits against homeowners, automotive and personal injury claims, and workers’ compensation matters.
Education
Villanova University – Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minors in Sociology and Philosophy
Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law – Juris Doctorate, Admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Professional Designations
Cyber Professional Liability Practitioner (CPLP)
Cyber COPE Insurance Certification (CCIC)
Licensed Property and Casualty Producer
Surplus Lines License
