NATASHA STARCHESKI BIO
Natasha Starcheski is a business owner who’s spent the last seven years building and operating in high-pressure environments where clarity, communication, and decision-making directly impact outcomes.
She often jokes that her job is being a “glorified janitor”—cleaning up messes, solving problems, and supporting into situations where things aren’t working the way they should.
Through her work, Natasha has helped thousands of business owners and their teams improve how they think, communicate, and operate under pressure—focusing on staying grounded, making clear decisions, and not getting pulled into chaos when things get difficult.
She’s known for her direct, no-fluff approach and her ability to turn complex emotional and communication challenges into practical tools people can actually use.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/natoutofoffice?igsh=eThub2RlZXRsbHl6&utm_source=qr
https://outofofficethehuddle.com/
COYTE COOPER BIO
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
EXECUTIVE COACH & CORPORATE TRAINER
Dr. Coyte Cooper is a bestselling author, international speaker and high performance coach who is one of the premier experts in the area of leadership and maximizing human potential.
A former NCAA Division I All-American, college professor and the CEO of Ollin Leadership, Dr. Cooper has worked closely with thousands of proactive professionals the past few years to develop a unique transformational system that helps audience members radically enhance their clarity, focus, ENERGY, motivation, passion and results on a consistent daily basis. This has been carefully crafted in a way that allows professionals to build an uncommon personal brand that fosters meaningful interactions, solid relationships and inspires others around them to live to potential.
STEVE HAWKS
Senior Director for Wildfire
Steve Hawks is the Senior Director for Wildfire for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Steve’s responsibilities at IBHS include wildfire policy, partnerships, and code development, post-fire analysis, and implementation of the Wildfire Prepared Home and Neighborhood programs. Steve has over three decades of experience in fire suppression and prevention, having served since 1989 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) until his retirement as Assistant Deputy Director of the CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division in 2022.
ANDY CASE BIO
Andy Case is the Director of Property Casualty Rating Division for the Mississippi Insurance Department as well as Director of Strengthen Mississippi Homes. Prior to that, he was Director of Consumer Affairs, appointed to this position on January 1, 2010 by the Honorable Mike Chaney, Commissioner of Insurance. Prior to joining the Mississippi Insurance Department, he worked for 23 years in various claim leadership capacities with Allstate Insurance Company. He was Frontline Process Leader in Louisiana from 1987-1995 and subsequently worked as Frontline Process Expert and Retained Counsel Manager in Louisiana from 1995-2001.
In 2002, Andy assumed the Frontline Process Expert leadership position as well as Compliance Manager and Retained Counsel Manager position for Allstate for the states of Mississippi and Arkansas. He also worked in a similar support role for the states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana. Andy served as Mississippi 30-b6 Expert Corporate Witness on behalf of Allstate Insurance for claim litigation matters in Mississippi. Born in Natchez, Ms,, Andy now makes his home in Madison, Ms.
DAVE SNYDER BIO
Dave Snyder is Vice President, International Policy and Counsel for APCIA, with more than 30 years' experience in the insurance industry. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dickinson College and earned a law degree from George Washington University. He is a lawyer licensed to practice in three jurisdictions and is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter. He has previously served as a regulator with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, a civil litigator for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and General Counsel of the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce. In the insurance industry, he worked for both predecessor organizations of APCIA and for Nationwide and State Farm.
He has presented before the FSB, IAIS and OECD and in programs in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and has testified multiple times before the NAIC, NCOIL, Congress and state legislatures. He currently chairs the Global Federation of Insurance Associations’ market conduct and corporate governance working groups.
Since 1994, Dave has been an elected member of a city council, having served as mayor and vice mayor. He served as the Vice Chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and Chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. He is also Chair of the National Capital Region Emergency Preparedness Council and is the Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee. He is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician and has participated recently in missions in Poland in support of Ukraine refugees.
VICTOR BAYUS BIO
Victor Bayus is VP of Product Management for LexisNexis Risk Solutions. He joined the organization in 2010 and is responsible for managing existing products and developing new data solutions, including contributory database solutions, for the insurance industry.
Prior to joining LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Victor spent 11 years at S1 Corporation in Product Management where he was responsible for launching and growing insurance and financial services software solutions. Victor also spent more than six years in consulting roles with firms such as McCall Consulting Group and Accenture. Victor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Allegheny College and an MBA from the College of William and Mary.
Brent Walker is the Director of Government Relations at the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, leading national advocacy and cross-sector efforts to strengthen antifraud policy.
In this role, he serves as liaison to lawmakers, regulators, and industry leaders; supports member committees and task forces; and contributes to a weekly member newsletter. He also represents consumer interests as an appointed Consumer Representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). His work focuses on highlighting that insurance fraud prevention is consumer protection, along with staying on top of emerging insurance fraud trends.
Brent spent over two decades in the Special Investigation Units (SIU) at two major U.S. carriers, leading regional field operations, national anti-fraud regulatory compliance, and SIU quality initiatives. He has conducted major case investigations, improved technology systems, and partnered with law enforcement nationwide. He has served on the board of IASIU and has a law enforcement background.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from East Texas A&M University, Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator and Senior Claim Law Associate designations and is a certified Police Instructor. A proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Walker has been married for over 30 years with three children.
LIANA BORTOTO
Liana Bortoto serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Oklahoma Insurance Department, where she leads statewide outreach initiatives to build trust and strengthen relationships with diverse and underserved communities. She coordinates community meetings, consumer education events, and Coffee with the Commissioner programs, while developing partnerships with agencies, chambers of commerce, libraries, nonprofits, and community organizations to expand access to insurance education and Department resources. She also creates and delivers presentations, educational materials, promotional videos, and social media content to increase public awareness of insurance services and consumer protection programs.
TIM MULLEN BIO
Tim Mullen, JD, MBA, CPCU, CIE, MCM is the Director of Market Regulation at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He joined the NAIC in 1997 and was with the Missouri Department of Insurance prior to joining the NAIC. In addition to his work in state government, he worked for Aetna Insurance and was a practicing attorney before joining Aetna. He is a member of the Missouri Bar and the Kansas Bar, the 2009 recipient of the Paul L. DeAngelo Memorial Teaching Award from the IRES Foundation, the 2026 recipient of the Al Greer Achievement Award from IRES, and past president of the Kansas City CPCU Chapter.
REBECCA VASQUEZ BIO
Rebecca M. Vasquez is Associate General Counsel for Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc., where she partners with business leaders to navigate the complex regulatory, legal, and compliance issues that shape the employee benefits and insurance brokerage industry. Her work spans insurance licensing and regulation, ERISA, HIPAA, broker compensation, regulatory governance, audits and risk assessments, and compliance matters arising from mergers, acquisitions, and business integrations.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Rebecca has built a career focused on helping organizations manage risk while supporting business growth. Her professional journey has included leadership roles in consumer affairs, corporate compliance, regulatory affairs, and legal counsel. She spent 13 years with a national health insurer before serving as Vice President and Legal Counsel for a boutique life and health insurance company. She later joined RegEd, where she spent more than a decade advising clients on insurance regulatory and compliance matters.
Rebecca earned her J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law and an LL.M. in Human Rights Law from the University of London. She is especially passionate about using her legal skills to serve others and provides pro bono legal assistance in humanitarian and family-based immigration matters.
Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family in Texas, and caring for her backyard chickens, a hobby that provides a welcome contrast to the complexities of legal and regulatory work.
ADAM E. STANHOPE
Sr. Compliance Consultant
Adam joined The Hanover Insurance Group as a customer service representative for Claims in 1987 and worked through several different roles within the Claims organization over the following 25 years, including adjusting No Fault and Bodily Injury claims, Worker’s Compensation and Assigned Risk Claim Management. During his last 7 years as part of the Claims organization he worked as an Automation Analyst responsible for the design and development of various claim-related software applications as well as maintenance and reporting of claim system activity. In 2012, Adam joined The Hanover’s Corporate Compliance team in 2012 and is currently a senior consultant with a focus on managing consumer complaints, market conduct exams, review of laws and regulations and various other compliance functions that the corporate compliance department is charged with managing.
Adam previously served as an adjunct faculty member of Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Massachusetts which sought his expertise to develop and conduct insurance courses for their Business and Technology school. He has been a member of the ICAE Executive Committee, currently serving as Treasurer. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and holds several other industry designations in both insurance and risk management studies.
Amy previously served as Insurance Commissioner and is senior counsel in Taft’s Indianapolis office, leading the firm’s insurance regulatory practice. She brings over a decade of public service to the firm and extensive experience in major insurance regulatory matters, including acquisitions and mergers of domestic insurance companies, formation and licensing of insurance companies, health care reform, regulatory practices, insurance policy form and rate filings, insurance company compliance, insurance holding company matters, multi-state examinations, receiverships, and government contracts.
Frank Paul Tomasello, J.D., is Executive Director of The Institutes Griffith Insurance Education Foundation (“The Institutes Griffith Foundation”), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-advocative organization that provides objective and non-partisan insurance education to public policymakers. He oversees the work of this affiliate of The Institutes and is responsible for advancing strategic plans, serving as a liaison to the Board of Directors and Advisory Council, and interacting with both internal and external stakeholders to further The Institutes Griffith Foundation’s mission.