G. James Caldwell President and Chief Executive Officer jcaldwell@caringcomm.org Salvatore A. Pellegrino General Counsel spellegrino@caringcomm.org Chad Swigert Chief Financial Officer cswigert@caringcomm.org Ashur S. Odishoo National Director Sales & Marketing aodishoo@caringcomm.org Lauren M. Crow Vice President of Claims lcrow@caringcomm.org Laura Lally Vice President, Chief Claims Office llally@caringcomm.org Ed Sierra Senior Sales Executive esierra@caringcomm.org Mary K. Spencer Director Corporate Services mspencer@caringcomm.org Mary McCahill, JD RN Vice President, Risk Management mmccahill@caringcomm.org
Leena K. Heiti-Willegal Marketing & Administrative Coordinator lheitiwillegal@caringcomm.org Rita Nagle Underwriting Assistant, Client Manager rnagle@caringcomm.org Michael Timm Underwriting Account Manager mtimm@caringcomm.org Lindsay Bodeman Staff Accountant lbodeman@caringcomm.org Adam Villalobos IT Manager avillalobos@caringcomm.org Carla Casey Administrative Assistant ccasey@caringcomm.org
G. James Caldwell President and Chief Executive Officer Caring Communities Group, Caring Communities, a Reciprocal Risk Retention Group (CCrRRG), Caring Communities Insurance Company (CCIC), Caring Communities Shared Services, Ltd. (CCSS) Mr. Caldwell joined Caring Communities January 1, 2003 as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Caring Communities, he served as Managing Partner with the firm he founded, Caldwell Associates, Inc. (CAI). CAI, an independent consulting firm, specialized in developing alternative insurance strategies and focused on serving the healthcare industry. CAI led the process for organizing and founding Caring Communities. Prior to forming CAI, Mr. Caldwell was a member of the first group of executives employed by MMI Companies in the early 1980 s. He was instrumental in MMI s growth and development from a small privately owned hospital liability insurance company to a leading publicly traded (NYSE) international insurance and risk management organization serving the healthcare industry. Throughout his career, Mr. Caldwell has been involved with leading the development and growth of Specialty Insurance Companies and Risk Management Organizations. Mr. Caldwell has served on the Board of Directors of the Captive Insurance Council of the District of Columbia (CIC-DC) since 2005, and also served as its Chairman and President 2009 2010. He is a Member of the Society of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (CPCU). He received his BA degree from Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN. Salvatore A. Pellegrino General Counsel, Caring Communities Shared Services Mr. Pellegrino joined Caring Communities in December 2011 as Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to joining Caring Communities, he was a partner at Clausen Miller P.C., an international law firm specializing in the representation of domestic and foreign insurance companies. Sal brings extensive experience in the areas of insurance and reinsurance law. Sal has successfully represented insurers throughout the country in matters involving general liability (primary, umbrella and excess), professional liability, commercial auto liability and facultative and treaty reinsurance contracts. Mr. Pellegrino routinely worked with claim professionals to interpret policy terms under the laws of various states and also assisted underwriters in the drafting of policy language, also regularly counseling insurers on matters relating to legal and regulatory requirements. Mr. Pellegrino received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Northern Illinois University in 1999 and his Juris Doctor from The John Marshal Law School, cum laude, in 2002. Chad C. Swigert Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Caring Communities Shared Services Mr. Swigert joined Caring Communities in 2009. He oversees and manages the entire financial operations and financial-related relationships for the Caring Communities Group. He has served and been involved with Caring Communities since the Company s inception after being employed at the public accounting firm that performed accounting services for Caring Communities. Mr. Swigert received his Bachelors of Science in Accountancy and Masters of Science in Taxation degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Along with these degrees, Chad holds the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation, and is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois CPA Society. He has used his vast auditing, taxation, business consulting, and human resource experience to assist in the development of the Caring Communities finance operations. Being a CPA, Chad attends insurance and investment-related Continuing Professional Education classes to obtain as much information as possible to educate and benefit the Caring Communities organization. Chad not only looks to improve just the finance operations at Caring Communities, but also takes a more holistic approach when looking at what he can do to improve the Caring Communities strategies.
Ashur Odishoo, ARM National Director, Marketing and Sales, Caring Communities Shared Services Mr. Odishoo joined Caring Communities February 2009 as National Director of Sales & Marketing. Prior to joining Caring Communities, he served as Vice President of USI Insurance Services, a national insurance brokerage firm, specializing in commercial insurance and alternative risk finance programs. Mr. Odishoo s expertise is in advising management teams in insurance and risk management plan structure, negotiations, implementation, and program management. He has experience in a variety functional areas including: sales strategy, healthcare liability coverage, alternative risk finance plans, group captives, and risk management. Throughout his career, Mr. Odishoo has successfully designed and implemented sales and marketing strategies with measureable positive results. Mr. Odishoo received his bachelors of industrial management from Purdue University in 1991; he has also received his Associate in Risk Management (ARM) professional certification from the Insurance Institute of America. Mr. Odishoo is an active member of Leading Age (formerly known as AAHSA) and many other state based Aging Services associations. He is also involved with the sales and marketing programs for the Center for Aging Services Risk Management (CASRM), he is also a member of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and the National Association of Risk Retention Association (NRRA) and Mr. Odishoo resides in Chicago, IL. Lauren Crow, Esq. Vice President Claims Management, Caring Communities Shared Services Ms. Crow began her work with Caring Communities in 2003 as an independent consultant and joined Caring Communities in 2005. She has over 20 years of litigation experience. Ms. Crow manages the incident/claim resolution process for both the CCrRRG and PCRRG programs. Working closely with the members, Ms. Crow assesses the exposure from reported incidents and claims, provides advice for responding to incidents, monitors incident and claim development and establishes claim reserves and settlement recommendations. Ms. Crow developed the claims handling policies and procedures for defense counsel and members. Ms. Crow serves as the liaison to the claims committees of the CCRRG and PCRRG Boards of Directors, reinsurers, state regulatory agencies and auditors. Formerly the head of the Professional Liability Claims division of the Meadowbrook Insurance Group, based in Detroit, Michigan, Ms. Crow served as claims counsel for Nursing Home, Medical, and Non-Profit Errors and Omissions liability claims. Prior to joining Meadowbrook, Ms. Crow was a litigation attorney handling insurance coverage and civil litigation matters at two prominent Detroit-based law firms.
Laura Lally, Esq. Vice President of Claims Management, Caring Communities Shared Services Ms. Lally has over 20 years of experience in litigation, long-term care defense and claims management. As Vice President of Claims Management for Caring Communities Shared Services, she plays a critical role in efficiently directing the strategic operations of the claims management processes. Prior to joining Caring Communities, Ms. Lally worked as a partner in a law firm defending long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities and home health providers. She possesses extensive experience in the management and litigation of third party liability claims in the professional liability field and has demonstrated knowledge of the value of liability claims and the court process. Ms. Lally has been a practicing attorney since 1991, working in state, federal, and appellate courts, as well as administrative proceedings. She has also served as a guest lecturer at various industry events, speaking on risk management and compliance with state and federal guidelines to both individual clients and trade association audiences. Ms. Lally received her bachelor s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois. Ed Sierra Senior Sales Executive, Caring Communities Shared Services Mr. Sierra joined Caring Communities in 2016 with over 10 years of demonstrated success with multiple Fortune 500 companies as a leader in sales and account management. Adept in formulating unique business solutions to an often complex and competitive industry, Ed brings new vitalization to our sales efforts and Member relationships. Prior to joining Caring Communities, Mr. Sierra worked as a manager and business owner with direct control of sales, book of business management, recruiting, training, accounting, claims, underwriting, negotiations and customer service. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2001 with high honors and is licensed for property & casualty, life & health in all 50 states. Mary Spencer Director Corporate Services Ms. Spencer began her career with Caring Communities in 2002. She has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance and healthcare industries. In addition to high-level administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer, she provides supervision and oversight of general office functions. Ms. Spencer is responsible for corporate event planning, maintenance of corporate records, and compliance filings. She works in partnership with the Executive Management Team and serves as the recording secretary at Board of Director Meetings. Prior to joining Caring Communities, Ms. Spencer worked with MMI Companies, Baxter, and St. Therese Medical Center.
Mary McCahill, JD RN Vice President, Risk Management, Caring Communities Shared Services Ms. McCahill brings a wealth of professional experience in healthcare, both as an executive, as well as a bedside registered nurse. Prior to joining Caring Communities, Ms. McCahill worked as a Director of Risk Management for a Chicago based tertiary medical center, and for the last 6 years, has served as the Chief Nursing Officer/ Director of Quality for another Chicago hospital. Ms. McCahill has extensive experience in Risk Management, Health Law, and Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement. Ms. McCahill received her Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from Saint Louis University, in Saint Louis, Missouri. She also holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University Chicago, with a certificate in health law. Ms. McCahill provides a critical component of leadership and strategy for the Risk Management System at Caring Communities. Leena K. Heiti-Willegal Marketing & Administrative Coordinator, Caring Communities Shared Services Ms. Heiti-Willegal joined Caring Communities in February 2014 with experience in public relations, branding, and communications. Her skills in marketing and communications coupled with a solid background in technology assist Caring Communities in enhancing branding and moving forward to embrace current technological trends and best practices. Ms. Heiti-Willegal holds a BA with honors in Business Communications from the University of DePaul in Chicago and has an additional background in emergency medicine. She has been recognized with an excellence award for her writing on the application of cognitive behavioral therapy in a nonclinical setting. She has worked in a variety of roles, including PR Chairperson for a non-profit educational organization, advertising and marketing coordinator, and website and social media consultant. Rita A. Nagle Underwriting Associate, Caring Communities Shared Services Ms. Nagle joined Caring Communities in October 2009 with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry specifically in the areas of underwriting and policy administration. Prior to joining Caring Communities Ms. Nagle worked for local Independent Insurance Agencies as an Account Manager. Her main duties included analysis, marketing and selecting appropriate property/casualty insurers for a portfolio of commercial business. Her expertise lies in areas of policy coverages and policyholder services. Ms. Nagle also has 14 years experience working for a Managing General Underwriter (MGU) specializing in Voluntary Term Life, Occupational Accident and Group Disability products. She served as Vice President responsible for the management and administration of underwriting and processing of business. She was instrumental in the design of the company s management system. Ms. Nagle has held an IL Insurance License since 1984, earned her Fellow, Life Management Institute (F.L.M.I.) designation in 2004, and Associate, Customer Service (ASC) in 1992.
Michael Timm Underwriting Account Manager, Caring Communities Shared Services Mr. Timm joined Caring Communities in the summer of 2015. He brings a wealth of professional experience in underwriting and actuarial science. Before joining Caring Communities, Mr. Timm worked as an Underwriting Manager for a Chicago-based property and casualty insurance company. Prior to that, he was a college mathematics instructor. Mr. Timm holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology and a Master of Science degree in Mathematics, both from Northern Illinois University. Mr. Timm provides a critical component of innovation and strategy for the Underwriting System at Caring Communities. Lindsay Bodeman Staff Accountant, Caring Communities Shared Services Ms. Bodeman joined Caring Communities in the summer of 2015. She successfully completed a summer internship for Caring Communities in 2014 and we are pleased to have her return as a full-time member of the Finance Department. She recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Ms. Bodeman provides a critical component in the accounting, financial reporting, and expense management processes at Caring Communities. Adam Villalobos IT Manager, Caring Communities Shared Services Mr. Villalobos joined Caring Communities in 2011 as an office assistant, providing support services to the administrative, underwriting and claims departments with their day-to-day operations while attending school fulltime. In December 2014 he graduated with a Bachelor s of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, majoring in Management Information Systems. Mr. Villalobos background in technology and familiarity with Caring Communities needs are a key factor in Caring Communities adoption of current technology as well as keeping abreast of future IT developments in senior care and housing. Carla Casey Receptionist and Administrative Assistant Ms. Casey has worked as an administrative assistant and receptionist for the past 20 years. Her experience includes supporting senior management for a company that provides pharmacy automation systems to hospitals, long term care facilities and the retail market. Her background and experience working in both small and mid-sized companies brings valuable insight to Caring Communities' customer experience.