Introducing the 2023 CRF Speakers!

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Robert serves as Regional Chief Sales Officer and member of the Midwest Executive Leadership & Management Team. He is responsible for driving corporate growth, business development, and sales strategies across Hub International’s target client industries, products, and market segments. Robert leads a dynamic team of producers, complex risk and insurance specialists, recruits leading industry talent, and sources strategic M&A opportunities.

Prior to joining Hub International, Robert served in various Executive Leadership roles at Aon, Marsh (formally JLT Group), and USI. For over two decades Robert served as a Producer and Client Executive for global corporate clients such as BP (pre-and-post-Deepwater horizon), Honeywell International, Takeda – Abbott Pharmaceuticals, Sears Holding Corporation and General Growth Properties (pre-and-post-bankruptcy). In addition, Robert led large-scale engagement teams advising insurers such as AIG and Chubb (formerly ACE) on the design and implementation of strategic product distribution strategies across the Americas, UK, Europe, and Asia. Robert developed his Risk & Insurance expertise by producing and serving an array of large and mid-market companies and Private Equity sponsors across multiple industries since beginning his career as a commercial insurance broker with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in New York in 1988.

Robert serves on the Chicago Chapter Board of the Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS), Co-Chairs The Chicagoland Risk Forum, mentors the Rising Risk Professionals group, and is an active member of the Economic Club of Chicago. He received a degree in Economics from the University of Rhode Island and advanced studies in International Finance at Richmond College in London. Robert resides in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood with his wife and four teens/young adults.

Moderator: Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Stacie provides oversight and strategic direction related to program design and implementation of tailored solutions addressing each client’s unique risk profile, emerging threat landscape, risk tolerance, and industry sector. She is also actively engaged in building effective risk mitigation and claim strategies aimed at further reducing total cost of risk for her clients. Through HUB’s proprietary EPS Model, Stacie assists clients in more effectively aligning their enterprise-wide business strategies with risk strategies to generate enhanced financial value for the organization beyond traditional risk management methodologies.

Prior to joining HUB, Stacie was a Senior Account Executive for Aon and a Client Executive for Marsh serving large, multinational clients for both firms.

Awards

Risk & Insurance Magazine—Power Broker, Retail Industry

Education

B.A. Miami University of Ohio

Professional Licenses

Property & Casualty

Life, Accident & Health

Based in New York, Chris is responsible for driving profitable growth and innovation while maintaining AXA XL’s industry-leading service, creativity, and nimbleness. The Americas portfolio includes US Risk Management, Multinational Casualty, Excess and Surplus Lines Primary Casualty, US-Incoming Global program Primary and Excess Casualty, and Canadian Primary & Excess Casualty.  

Chris joined AXA XL in October 2018 from AIG where he was Global Head of Primary Casualty.  Over his 17-year AIG tenure, Chris held several leadership positions in primary & excess casualty underwriting, National Accounts Sales & Marketing, M&A Insurance, and environmental underwriting. 

He began his career as a Chemical Engineer in the Water, Wastewater and Hazardous Waste consulting engineering and process equipment manufacturing industries. He is a graduate of Purdue University’s School of Engineering where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.

Before joining Assurance, Michael worked as a loss prevention consultant at a risk management firm outside of Chicago. While there, he gained experience reviewing workers’ compensation claims as well as conducting loss prevention and trend analysis on the frequency and severity of injuries.

Michael received a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Governors State University. He sits on the Governor’s State Advisory Board and is a member of the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association, Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, and the American Occupational Therapy Association. He’s authored several published articles and has spoken on a wide range of risk management topics for various associations.​

Theresa Severson is the vice president, insurance and risk at Kite Realty Group – a publicly traded REIT that owns and operates high-quality open-air shopping centers, including properties with a mixed-use component. In her role, Ms. Severson oversees the insurance risk management and insurance program for operational and corporate exposures, claims management, and Business Continuity Plan. In addition, she has led the formation and management of captive insurance companies.

Ms. Severson joined Retail Properties of America, Inc. (“RPAI”) in 2008 and played an integral part in the strategic transaction that merged RPAI into Kite Realty Group in October of 2021. Prior to joining RPAI, Mrs. Severson worked as an insurance broker handling real estate owners and developer’s insurance programs.

Ms. Severson currently serves as the President of the Chicago RIMS chapter.

Mrs. Severson received her B.S. in Economics from Illinois State University and is a certified Management Liability Insurance Specialist.

Overcoming Risk & Insurance Challenges

Courtney Davis Curtis is the Assistant Vice President for Risk Management and Resilience Planning at the University of Chicago, where she provides leadership and direction to senior managers, working to identify, evaluate, and plan strategies for enterprise-wide insurance programs. Her focus is on maximizing the protection of assets at the most economical rates and minimizing the effects of fortuitous loss. She also develops and directs risk management strategies and policies which identify, assess, and mitigate the impact of risks originating from or impacting the enterprise’s portfolio of activities/interests.

The enterprise consists of the University of Chicago, UChicago Medicine and its clinically integrated network, UChicago Ingalls Memorial, the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, UChicago Charter Schools, and several global centers and institutes. She also leads resilience planning across the University to anticipate potential threats, to cope effectively with adverse events, and to adapt to changing conditions. Previously, Courtney was an Account Executive at Arthur J. Gallagher and Vice President of Educational Placement Specialist at Marsh. Courtney is the Immediate Past President of the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA), a member of the Subscribers’ Advisory Board (Board of Directors) for United Educators, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Trulen Insurance SPC Limited captive.

She holds a B.S. in Marketing from Northern Illinois University in addition to having earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management-ERM (ARM-E) designations. She is embarking on our Executive MBA journey at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Courtney is recipient of the RIMS Risk Management of the Year 2022, 2020 Business Insurance Women to Watch, 2017 Business Insurance Break Out, and 2015 Risk & Insurance Power Broker awards.