Senior Management Team

Management Team

• Scott Murphy

  President and CEO

  Scott Murphy is the president and CEO of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. Murphy officially began his role with Jewelers Mutual in January 2015. Prior to joining the company, Murphy was an executive partner and principal in the insurance industry consulting group Triad Analytic Solutions, which offered product, pricing/underwriting and distribution solutions for numerous insurance companies across multiple lines of business.
  
  His successful career in insurance includes roles as chief operating officer at GMAC Insurance with responsibilities for personal, commercial and specialty lines of insurance across all distribution channels. He also has held executive or management positions within the Great American family of insurance carriers, including Infinity Insurance and Windsor Insurance Group.  He began his career in corporate marketing with United Parcel Service (UPS).
  
  
  Murphy serves on the board of directors for the American Gem Society, a jewelry association comprised of the top jewelers in the United States and Canada. Locally, he serves on the board of directors for the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
  
  He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he earned his undergraduate and an MBA with a concentration in marketing and finance.

• Mike Alexander

  Senior Vice President

  Mike Alexander is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Lines at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.
  
  Alexander began his role with Jewelers Mutual in 2015, overseeing all aspects of commercial lines operations and sales.
  
  Prior to joining Jewelers Mutual, Alexander was the Senior Vice President of National Sales and Strategy at National General Insurance (formerly GMAC Insurance) in Winston Salem, North Carolina. His responsibilities included overseeing a variety of property and casualty products including auto, property, flood and commercial vehicle. He also held roles as Divisional Vice President of Product Management, General Manager of Agency Product and Pricing and Senior Product Manager.
  
  Today, Alexander serves on the board of directors for Jewelers of America (JA). Locally, he serves on the board of directors for the YMCA of the Fox Cities. For over 127 years, the YMCA of the Fox Cities has been a unifying force in the Fox Valley, positively impacting the quality of life for more than 60,000 people each year.
  
  Alexander holds a Master’s Degree and Bachelors of Arts in Geography and History from the University of Delaware.

• John Cowden

  Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

  John Cowden

• Bryon Nelson

  Vice President, Product and Risk Management

  Bryon Nelson is the vice president of product and risk management at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.
  
  Nelson joined Jewelers Mutual in 2015 and leads the company’s product management group responsible for profit and loss covering both personal lines and commercial lines business. He has many years of experience in product management, including nearly 12 years as director of product management for the National General Insurance in Winston-Salem, NC.
  
  He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

• Michael Pelto

  Vice President, Chief Information Officer

  Michael Pelto is the Chief Information Officer at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.
  
  Pelto joined Jewelers Mutual in 2016 and leads the companys IT and PMO functions. Prior to joining Jewelers Mutual, Pelto held senior leadership roles at Kohl’s Corporation, MillerCoors, and Miller Brewing.
  
  Pelto has ample experience managing essential IT functions, including enterprise data management, technical architecture, infrastructure and operations, security, application architecture and solution design, application development, IT outsourcing services, and program management offices.  He is a trusted advisor to business leaders in the assessment and implementation of technologies to improve business performance and to ensure smooth business acquisitions and divestitures.
  
  He is a graduate of Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Computational Mathematics and a minor in Economics.

• Dylan Place

  Vice President, Actuarial Services

  Dylan Place is the vice president of Actuary Services at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. Headquartered in Neenah, Wis., Jewelers Mutual is the only insurance company in the U.S. and Canada that specializes exclusively in protecting jewelry and the jewelry industry.
  
  Dylan joined Jewelers Mutual in 2014 and has over 21 years experience as an actuary. As vice president of Actuary Services, he oversees actuarial, predictive analytics, risk management, data management, and market research activities. Dylan holds the FCAS and MAAA designations.
  
  Prior to joining Jewelers Mutual, Dylan served as vice president and actuary at Assurant, Inc. in Scottsdale, AZ and in a leadership role at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in Novato, CA. He began his career at Ernst Young in Los Angeles, CA.
  
  He is a graduate of Washington State University with degrees in mathematics and economics.

• David Sexton

  Vice President, Loss Prevention

  David Sexton, CPCU, is vice president of loss prevention consulting at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. Headquartered in Neenah, Wis., Jewelers Mutual is the only insurance company in the U.S. and Canada that specializes exclusively in protecting jewelry and the jewelry industry.
  
  Since joining Jewelers Mutual in 1980, Sexton has been involved in the companys Commercial Lines underwriting and loss prevention programs. He currently is responsible for developing and executing activities related to the companys loss prevention efforts, including initiating and maintaining key relationships in the jewelry industry, insurance and alarm industries, and law- enforcement community.
  
  He serves on the board of directors for the Jewelers Security Alliance, a nonprofit association devoted to reducing crimes against the jewelry industry, Jewellers Vigilance Canada, a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing ethical practices and crime prevention education in the Canadian jewelry industry, as well as the Canadian Jewellers Association. In 2016 Sexton was the recipient of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance Industry Service Award.
  
  Sexton has served on the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Security Systems Council, formerly known as the Burglary Protection Council, since 1994 and also serves as a corporate member of UL in the insurance category. He served on the Central Station Alarm Associations Insurance Liaison Committee, which assisted in the development of the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) burglar alarm modular certificate program and the revised UL standard. He received his bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

• Mark Willson

  Vice President, General Counsel

  Mark Willson is general counsel and corporate secretary at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.
   
  Willson joined Jewelers Mutual in 2010 and leads the company's legal and regulatory compliance functions and oversees the company’s claims operations. He has many years of experience in corporate legal matters and private legal practice, including nearly 12 years as corporate counsel for the CUNA Mutual Group, an international insurance and financial services provider based in Madison, Wis. 
   
  Today, Willson serves on the board of directors of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB). PLRB is the nation’s foremost provider of proprietary property and liability claims information and resources.  
  
  A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his undergraduate and law degrees, Willson is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin.  He is also accredited as a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).

Our Board of Directors

• Alex Barcados

  Vice Chair of the Governance Committee

• Jonathan Bridge

  Vice Chair of the Investment Committee

• Mark Fiebrink

  Chair of the Board

• Dione Kenyon

  Chair of the Compensation Committee

• David Lundgren

  Chair of the Investment Committee

• Sherry Manetta

  Chair of the Audit Committee

• Marianne Marck

  Board Member

• Scott Murphy

  President & CEO of Jewelers Mutual

• Robert Reeg

  Board Member

• Kurt Steckbeck

  Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance Committee

• Craig Underwood

  Vice Chair of the Compensation Committee

• John Ward

  Vice Chair of the Audit Committee