Meet the Experts at Encore Fiduciary

Benefit from Our Fiduciary Bench Strength.

Meet the Encore Fiduciary Team

Our team of experts and thought leaders who have decades of experience in complex fiduciary liability underwriting and claims.

Michael Saa - Bio

Michael Saa, Chief Underwriting Officer

Michael is the Chief Underwriting and Strategy Officer for Professional Liability for Encore Fiduciary. His experience includes underwriting fiduciary liability insurance for multiemployer and public benefit funds, and professional liability insurance for labor non-profit entities. He also has experience with management liability programs for public, private and non-profit entities. Michael has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and an MBA in Management from Iona College. Michael and his wife keep very busy with their three young children and Michael enjoys coaching basketball and other activities with his family.

Justin Bove - Bio

Justin Bove, Chief Revenue Officer

Justin Bove is the Chief Revenue Officer for Encore Fiduciary. Formerly the Chief Underwriting and Business Development Officer, Justin has over twenty years’ experience as a professional liability underwriter focusing on fiduciary lability insurance for public and private companies, governmental retirement systems and multiemployer benefit plans. He began his career with the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, spending several years underwriting management liability insurance for public, private and non-profit companies. He is a member of NAPA, PLUS and RIMS. Justin has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Management Information Systems from The College of New Jersey. Justin is an active member of his community, including as a leader in the local Boy Scout troop and a member of the Cranford Jaycees, and organization which sponsors many volunteer service and fundraising opportunities in town.

james flesicher

James Fleischer, Head of Management Liability

James is the Head for Management Liability at Encore Fiduciary. His experience includes over 22 years in underwriting, finance, and accounting. Areas of expertise include management, underwriting financial lines products, mergers and acquisitions, financial analysis, loss portfolio transfers, and private equity analysis. James has served in numerous leadership roles across the country for Financial Lines and Professional Liability during his time at both AIG and Chubb. James oversaw the Northeast during his 12 years at AIG. While at Chubb, he oversaw the Westcoast and led Chubb’s private equity practice nationally. James has an Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Adelphi University. James lives in Rockville Centre, NY with his family and enjoys coaching his daughter’s sports and golfing.

John O'Brien - Bio

John O'Brien, Chief Business Officer

John is the Chief Business Officer of Encore Fiduciary. He has over twenty-five years of experience working with benefit plans in the multiemployer and governmental niche as well as labor non-profits. John has served in the capacity of marketing executive as well as brokerage sales executive. John has a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. John lives in Avon Lake, Ohio with his wife and family and enjoys golf and travel in his spare time.

Jeffrey Koonankeil - Bio

Jeffrey Koonankeil, Chief Claims Officer

Jeffrey is the Chief Claims Officer at Encore Fiduciary. He has extensive Professional Liability claims experience having worked on Fiduciary Liability, Directors and Officers, Employment Practices Liability and Fidelity claims for leading professional liability insurance companies. Jeffrey has more than 20 years of experience with national insurance carriers, including CAP Specialty, Beazley and Travelers. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and has a law degree from University of Connecticut School of Law. Jeffrey is a regular speaker at the American Conference Institute, the ExecuSummit EPL conference and the Professional Liability Attorney Network Conference and is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. Jeffrey and his wife reside in Colchester, CT with their three young children. In his spare time, Jeffrey enjoys coaching his kids in sports and teaching their Catechism classes. Jeffrey also spends part of his weekends selling Indian food spice blends at various Farmers Markets throughout Connecticut.

Directors & Senior Underwriters

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Mark Richardson, Director of Underwriting

Mark is Director, Underwriting Management Liability for Encore Fiduciary. He has 30 years of experience within commercial management liability as an underwriter, manager, insurance broker and leader with Chubb, Argo and NFP. Mark has extensive knowledge within management liability specializing in D&O, Employment practices liability, Fiduciary liability, Crime and Kidnap Ransom insurance for public, private and non-profit commercial entities. He is also a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS). Mark has a Bachelor’s Arts degree from Gettysburg College. Mark his wife and their twins reside in Long Beach, NY where they enjoy the beach, sports, music, reading, spending time together and with friends.

Monique Alvarez

Monique Alvarez, Senior Underwriter

Monique Alvarez joined Encore Fiduciary in September 2020. Monique’s experience is in Directors & Officers liability where she wrote complex D&O risks, including E&O coverage for public and private risks including investment advisors, REIT’s and private equity firms. Monique spent time in the London market at Lloyd’s of London as a D&O broker, where the majority of the risks were based in Israel, South Africa, and the UK consisting of public entities, large mining companies, and IT firms that were listed on the LSE. Monique began her career in New York at AIG and Chubb specializing in management liability. Monique holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California. She is also a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. Monique and her husband reside in Pasadena, CA with their two young boys. In her free time, she is active with her sons’ sports teams and passions in the arts, as well as exploring the California coastline; and travel to visit family in Spain.

Jeff Coleman

Jeffery Coleman, Senior Underwriter

Jeff joined Encore Fiduciary in November of 2024. Prior to joining Encore, Jeff was an underwriter at Travelers with stints in the Public Company Liability group and later the Private/Non-Profit Group. Jeff also has experience of the Broker side, having worked at Marsh as well as several wholesale brokerages. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree from the Hampden-Sydney College. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and fly fishing.

Kathleen Santos

Kathleen Santos, Senior Underwriter

Kathleen Santos is a Senior Underwriter with Encore Fiduciary. She joined the team out of college in 2014. Katie started on our Operations Team which led to her interest in Underwriting, where she has been working for the last three years. Katie was recently promoted to Senior Underwriter and has embraced the underwriting role. Katie is a graduate of King’s College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She has passed several insurance certifications and holds the Associate in Insurance “AINS” designation. In her free time Katie enjoys spending time with her fiancé, hiking, floral design and taking care of her two South African Mastiff dogs.

Crystal Thomas

Crystal Thomas, Senior Underwriter

Crystal Thomas is a Senior Underwriter for Encore Fiduciary, a leading fiduciary liability insurance underwriting company for America’s employee benefit plans.  She was previously an Underwriter for a leading niche professional liability carrier for three years focusing on fiduciary liability. She started her career in the operations/ underwriting department of a nationally recognized transportation insurance company. Crystal has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from DeVry University. She is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society and has achieved both her RPLU and RPLU+ designations. Crystal is one of the first professionals to achieve her Cyber Professional Liability Practitioner (CPLP) designations in the country. Crystal and her husband live in Deer Park, NY with their twin sons. When she is not studying for her next designation, she is taking her sons to Tae Kwon DS. She is a self-proclaimed Tae Kwon Do mom.    

Pamela West, Senior Underwriter

Pamela is a Senior Underwriter with Encore Fiduciary and Keystroke Underwriters. Pamela leads underwriting for the Miscellaneous Professional Liability and Accountants Professional Liability programs and is actively involved in underwriting for our Labor Professional Liability program. Pamela has worked with our parent company subsidiaries including Capitol Special Risks. Pamela enjoys cooking and spending time with family.

We Wrote the Book on Fiduciary Insurance (literally)

We’ve put our fiduciary experience and expertise on paper and online in the “Fiduciary Liability Insurance Handbook,” for you to download and gain insight into why it is so critical that coverage is designed to fit an employer’s or entity’s benefit plan. Obtain your complimentary copy here.

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