(1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Image credit: Ryanandlenny/Wikipedia.)
Stan McNaughton, president and CEO, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company (Seattle), has been elected chair of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS; Arlington, Va.) Board of Directors for 2022. McNaughton takes over from Dan Clapp, EVP, Shelter Insurance Companies (Columbia, Mo.), who remains on the Board.
Stan McNaughton, President and CEO, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company.
“I am honored to chair the Board for IIHS after partnering with this innovative organization for more than three decades,” McNaughton says. “Dan Clapp helped lead IIHS through the extraordinary task of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, working with IIHS leadership to ensure the organization continued to fulfill its mission. I’m grateful for his leadership, and I’m excited to expand upon the strong foundation he and the IIHS team have built.”
PEMCO and IIHS have a long history beginning in 1991 when McNaughton, then a PEMCO executive, sustained a neck injury in a crash and wondered whether his vehicle’s low head restraint was partly to blame. Short head restraints were common at the time, but there was a lack of research on head restraint height.
PEMCO donated two Oldsmobile Cutlass Cieras to IIHS for the first rear crash tests. The tests showed that head restraints positioned no lower than the crash test dummy’s ears significantly reduced the whiplash effect. In the years that followed, IIHS began conducting static evaluations of head restraint geometry and later added sled testing of vehicle seats and head restraints to its ratings.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Stan as our Board chair,” comments David Harkey, president of IIHS and HLDI. “Thanks to his long involvement with IIHS, Stan brings to this role a deep understanding of our mission, along with a wealth of knowledge about the insurance industry.”
David Harkey, President, IIHS and HLDI.
The Board’s new chair-elect is Scott Ziegler, business leader at Progressive Insurance, and the vice chair is Kristina (Kriss) Barronton, VP, auto product line, at USAA. Ziegler will serve as chair-elect for 2022 and will take over as board chair in 2023.
Other current IIHS Board members are:
Neil Alldredge, president and CEO, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
Allen Anderson, SVP and chief underwriting officer, personal lines, Selective Insurance
Michael Arnold, operations VP, property and casualty claims, State Farm Insurance Companies
Dan Clapp, EVP, Shelter Insurance Companies
Cody Cook, SVP, claims, Erie Insurance Group
Todd Davis, VP, personal lines field product, Nationwide
Brian Deephouse, VP, membership and insurance product management, Auto Club Enterprises
Ben Ewbank, personal auto product lead, The Hartford
Daniel Halsey, president, personal lines, The Hanover Insurance Group
David Harkey, president, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Jeffery Hay, chief underwriting officer, Donegal Insurance Group
Jim Litherland, regional product manager, CHUBB
Robert Lyon, president and CEO, Rockingham Insurance
James MacPhee, president, COO, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Chris Malone, SVP and CFO, NJM Insurance Group
John McCaskill, SVP, property and casualty underwriting, American National
Rob McDade, SVP, property casualty, COUNTRY Financial
Ted Murphy, COO, Amica Mutual Insurance Company
Tim Nee, COO, The Responsive Auto Insurance Company
Holly Reston, senior executive, underwriting, North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company
Don Robinson, VP, underwriting, product management and data science, GEICO Corporation
David A. Sampson, president and CEO, American Property Casualty Insurance Association
Duane Sanders, EVP and president, property and casualty division, Kemper Corporation
James Sutton, head of auto product, Farmers Insurance Group
Todd Walker, chief actuary, CSAA Insurance Group
Bill Westrate, president and CEO, American Family Insurance
Andrew Woods, VP. personal lines—research and development, The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Floyd M. Yager, SVP. product and experience design, Allstate Insurance Company