In this WCRI Member Spotlight, we spoke with Fred Yamashita, Secretary-Treasurer and Executive Director of the Arizona AFL-CIO, about the value his organization gains from being a member of the Institute. Fred has led the Arizona AFL-CIO since November 2017, overseeing an organization that represents approximately 185,000 union members across more than 200 local affiliates statewide. The Arizona AFL-CIO advocates for workers' rights at…
November 05 2024
Our latest WCRI Member Spotlight features Neil DeBlock, Vice President and Head of Workers' Compensation at Zurich North America, a proud WCRI member since 1990. In his interview, Neil highlights the critical importance of WCRI's data and studies—especially in areas such as opioid use and state benchmarking—in helping Zurich make informed and impactful policy decisions that improve outcomes for injured workers and their…
July 16 2024
We had the pleasure of interviewing Stacy Kohlnhofer, the Division Chair at the Mayo Clinic, a longstanding member of WCRI. The Mayo Clinic, a renowned nonprofit American academic medical center, is celebrated for its innovative treatments, research, and commitment to patient care. It boasts a workforce of over 7,300 physicians and scientists and 66,000 administrative and allied health staff across its campuses in Rochester, Minnesota;…
April 01 2024
In this WCRI Member Spotlight, we talk with Marianne Saylor, the director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (PBWC), a longstanding member of WCRI. The PBWC serves as the administrative hub of Pennsylvania's workers’ compensation system, collaborating with the Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication and the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board to ensure the system's effectiveness for all stakeholders.…
December 27 2023
In this WCRI member spotlight, we interviewed Marc Poulos, executive director of the Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting (IIIFFC). The III FFC is a nonprofit construction industry foundation, established to increase market share for responsible contractors, work opportunities for skilled workers, and value for taxpayers by executing a comprehensive program of procurement oversight, jobsite monitoring, market analysis, legal…
October 16 2023
Long-time WCRI supporter Carmen Sharp of The Hanover Insurance Group talks about why she is a member of the Institute in this video recorded member spotlight. Carmen is vice president of workers’ compensation and personal injury protection claims, medical strategy and shared services.
July 15 2023
Recently, we spoke with John Smolk of Southern California Edison (SCE), a self-insured and self-administered employer with over 13,000 employees, about why he and his organization became a WCRI member. In his present role, John oversees workers’ compensation and disability management for SCE. He has over four decades of combined risk management, safety, and claims experience. In addition to his work at SCE, John is the president of the…
April 13 2023
Recently, we spoke with Evelyn V. McGill, executive director of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWCC), about why the VWCC is a member of WCRI. The VWC is responsible for carrying out the requirements of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act, while administering Virginia's workers' compensation program, meeting legal requirements, and providing various protections. Most employers doing business in Virginia and…
January 13 2023
Recently, we spoke with Dan Allen, executive director of the Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO), about why he is a member of WCRI. CISCO is a labor-management group that brings together unions of the building trades and construction contractor associations representing more than 140,000 construction workers and 8,000 union contractors in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area.
October 14 2022
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Tom Glasson of AIG ─ about how he came to know WCRI. As a senior member of the AIG State and Federal Government Affairs Team, Tom is responsible for AIG's relationship with the legislatures and regulatory agencies in multiple southern states. He also serves as the team subject matter expert for many property and casualty industry matters. Prior to joining the government…
July 01 2022
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Loyd Hudson of American Electric Power (AEP) ─ about how he came to know WCRI. In his role, Loyd directs, administers, and manages all of AEP’s disability and leave programs, including their workers’ compensation program, for more than 17,500 employees. AEP delivers electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states.
April 08 2022
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Sheri Bowles, interim director of the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) ─ about how she came to know WCRI. In her role, Sheri serves as the administrative and executive head of the DIA, which strives to provide prompt and fair compensation to employees who sustain occupational injuries and illnesses, by ensuring injured employees receive appropriate…
January 14 2022
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Corey Hill, president of United Auto Workers, Local 3520 in North Carolina ─ about how he came to know WCRI. Corey leads a union comprised of over 3,000 union men and women who proudly build Class 8 trucks in Cleveland, North Carolina. Their facility is the largest Class 8 production plant in the United States with more than 1.2 million square feet of under roof…
October 13 2021
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Paul Kearney, chief claims officer for AF Group ─ about how he came to know WCRI. As the leader of AF Group’s corporate claim organization, Paul brings more than 30 years of experience in insurance to his role. Paul reports directly to AF Group’s CEO and president, and as a member of the AF Group’s Executive Leadership Team, shares in the responsibility of…
July 13 2021
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our board members ─ Joan Vincenz, managing director for operations risk at United Airlines ─ about how she came to know WCRI. At United, Joan has enterprise-wide responsibilities for emergency response, business continuity planning, workers’ compensation, and on-site clinics that serve United’s 85,000 employees. As one blogger wrote, “Joan’s career is pretty…
April 02 2021
We recently had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Jeffrey Austin White, former senior vice president and product manager for workers' compensation at Gallagher Bassett (GB) ─ about how he came to know WCRI. At GB, he was largely responsible for advanced analytics, digital technologies, and product development efforts for GB’s global operations. Jeffrey began his career as an aerospace engineer and has since worked…
January 20 2021
We recently had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Chairman Michael Brennan of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC). The Chairman oversees the work of the IWCC, which is to resolve claims made by injured workers for injuries arising out of and in the course of employment. The Commission strives to assure financial protection for injured workers and their dependents at a fair cost to employers.
October 06 2020
We recently had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Billy Dycus, president of the Tennessee AFL-CIO ─ about how he came to know WCRI. Billy has been president of the state’s largest labor organization since 2015. The Tennessee AFL-CIO includes 273 different local labor unions and has more than 60,000 members statewide. Before becoming state AFL-CIO president, Billy served as president of United Steelworkers Local 1155L in…
July 13 2020
Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Matt Massaro, head of workers’ compensation middle and large commercial at The Hartford, which is a Fortune 500, US-based investment and insurance company. In his job, Matt leads a team that drives and supports a broad array of workers’ compensation products and underwriting initiatives to support customer needs.
April 13 2020
Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with John Culhane, claim services insights manager at Wegmans Food Markets, which is a regional supermarket chain with 101 stores and 50,000 employees. John is responsible for maintaining the integrity of all Wegmans' risk management systems. The team he leads analyzes, develops, interprets, and publishes incident information. With this information, they are able to identify trends; areas of risk;…
January 01 2020
Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Andrew Sabolic, assistant director for the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation, about how he came to know WCRI. The Division, which is a member of the Institute, actively ensures the self-execution of the workers' compensation system by educating system participants of their rights and responsibilities; by leveraging data to deliver exceptional value; and by holding participants…
October 01 2019
Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Paul Sighinolfi, a senior managing director with Ametros, about how he came to know WCRI. Ametros is a WCRI member that provides post-settlement medical management services to workers injured on the job. Before Ametros, Paul was the executive director and chair of the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board.
July 03 2019
Recently we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky AFL-CIO ─ about how he came to know WCRI. Bill has been president of the state’s largest labor organization since 1999. Before becoming state AFL-CIO president, he was secretary-treasurer-business manager of the Greater Louisville Building and Construction Trades Council and a delegate to the Greater Louisville Central Labor…
April 08 2019
Recently, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Libby Christman, VP, Risk Management & Safety for Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize USA company ─ about how she came to know WCRI. Libby leads a department that is responsible for reducing risk, for claims management, and for ensuring a safe workplace and shopping environment for associates and customers of Ahold Delhaize USA's great local brands including:…
January 11 2019
Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with one of our members—Frank McKay, chairman of the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation—about how he came to know WCRI. As chairman, Judge McKay also serves as the State Board's Chief Appellate Court Judge. Judge McKay came to the State Board of Workers' Compensation as chairman in 2013 from private practice where he concentrated in workers' compensation…
October 04 2018
Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with a member of our research committee—Kevin Brady, Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary for the PMA Companies—about how he came to know WCRI. Kevin has more than 30 years of actuarial experience, with the last 10 plus years being responsible for the overall actuarial function at PMA. The PMA Companies are industry leaders of workers' compensation, casualty insurance, and TPA &…
July 16 2018
Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with one of our board members, Donna Glenn of Liberty Mutual Insurance, about how she came to know WCRI. Donna is Senior Vice President and Casualty Product Manager for National Insurance at Liberty Mutual. She has more than 25 years of property and casualty insurance experience. In her current role at Liberty Mutual, she is leading the strategic direction of the workers’ compensation line of…
May 15 2018
Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking to one of our long-time members, Stephanie Bloomingdale of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO about how she came to know and join the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). Stephanie is the secretary-treasurer for the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO with more than 20 years of experience in labor as an organizer, negotiator, trainer, and activist.
March 20 2018
Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking to one of our long-time members and chair of our Disability and Medical Management Program Advisory Board, Artemis Emslie of myMatrixx about how she came to know the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
December 20 2017
Recently, we had the pleasure to talk to one of our long-time members, Steve Perroots of Marriott International, Inc., about how he came to know the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), why his organization chose to become a member of WCRI, and what value he derives from membership. As vice president for global claims, Steve is in charge of all Marriott claims programs, which cover more than 225,000 employees, and 5,700 properties…
August 09 2017
Recently, we had the opportunity to talk to one of our long-time members, Mike Fenlon of United Parcel Service (UPS), about how he came to know the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), why UPS became a member of WCRI, and what value he derives from membership. Mike heads global corporate risk management for UPS, which is the world’s largest package delivery company serving more than 220 countries and territories.
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