Executive bios
Meet the Senior Management Team
John Roberts, President and Chief Executive Officer
John joined Disability RMS in 2003, and became Assurant Employee Benefits’ interim President/CEO in 2007. Prior to joining Assurant, he held a variety of top management positions at Unum and UnumProvident Corporation in the areas of group insurance operations and long-term disability products. A frequent presenter at the Association of Insurance and Financial Analysts (AIFA) annual conference, he also has extensive experience in managing underwriting, claims, product and systems development, and marketing areas. He is a past chairman of the Health Insurance Association of America’s Disability Subcommittee.
John earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bowdoin College. He currently serves on the Westbrook (ME) Economic Development Committee and is treasurer for the Portland (ME) Museum of Art.
Matt Gilligan, President of Disability RMS
Matt is responsible for the business’s overall operational management. Matt has worked in the disability insurance industry for more than 27 years. Prior to joining Disability RMS in 2003, Matt held a variety of leadership positions with Unum in sales, underwriting, product development and claims management.
Matt earned an undergraduate degree from Bates College and an M.B.A. from the Whittemore School of Business & Economics at the University of New Hampshire.
J. Marc Warrington, Senior Vice President – Sales
Marc was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and is a graduate of Cornell University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1989. Upon graduation he began his business career at UnumProvident as a Sales Representative in their Los Angeles, California office. Marc joined Assurant Employee Benefits in 1996 as District Sales Director in the Orange County, California sales office, where he increased the territory’s annual production from $375,000 to $4 million in less than 24 months. He was named Regional Sales Director of the Houston sales office in 1999 and regional sales manager later that year. In 2001 Marc was named Regional Vice President, and in 2003 he moved to the Home Office in Kansas City to accept the position of Vice President of Sales. Marc was named Senior Vice President of Sales and became a member of the Senior Management Team in 2005.
Joe Sevcik, Senior Vice President – Marketing
Joe is a marketing professional with 25 years of consumer and business marketing experience. He has been with Assurant Employee Benefits since August of 2005. Joe’s responsibilities include strategic planning, brand positioning, product and distribution channel development, advertising, and market research. The company’s line of products includes Dental, both PPO and Prepaid, Long and Short-Term Disability, AD&D and Term Life.
Prior to Assurant Employee Benefits, Joe led marketing teams and programs for H&R Block and Hallmark Cards.
He earned an M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central Michigan University.
Miles Yakre, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Miles is responsible for the Financial Division and leads the Life and Disability Board for Assurant Employee Benefits. He began his career with Assurant in 1991, serving as an actuary with Assurant Health’s John Alden operations in Miami. In 1999, Miles moved to Assurant in New York to become the corporate actuary. Miles assumed treasury responsibilities in 2002, and was instrumental in financing matters for Assurant’s initial public offering in 2004. During 2006 and 2007 he was also responsible for managing Assurant’s relationships with rating agencies. He joined Assurant Employee Benefits in July 2007 as the Chief Actuary.
Miles has a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Actuarial Science from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Fellow of the Life Management Institute.
Rosemary Polk, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Development
Rosemary is responsible for overseeing Human Resources and Development, Employee Communications, Community Relations and Health Promotions.
Rosemary has over 30 years of HR experience. She began her career in insurance with Mutual Benefit Life in Newark, New Jersey, and relocated to Kansas City when Mutual Benefit opened their western home office in 1975. She has held positions such as Senior Compensation Analyst, Personnel Manager, HR Director, 2nd VP of Human Resources and Development and became Vice President of Human Resources and Development in 2000. In 2005, she was assigned to look at non-executive compensation across Assurant, and in 2007, she became the Vice President of Corporate Compensation.
Rosemary graduated from Vassar College in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She was awarded the CEBS designation in 1995 and has served on boards and volunteered with organizations serving individuals with developmental disabilities.
Karla Schacht, Senior Vice President - Information Technology, Chief Information Officer and Chief Service Officer
Karla has extensive global experience as a senior management executive with responsibility for e-business, software, electronics distribution, transportation and energy. Since 2002, Karla worked in an entrepreneurial role as the owner of a full-service print, copy and design company in Dallas, Texas. Previously, she was Senior Vice President for Information Services of I2 Technologies Inc., a worldwide provider of e-business services; and Vice President, Corporate Operations, of Arrow Electronics, Inc., Melville, N.Y., an electronics distributor with more than $8 billion in annual sales worldwide.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and has attended post-graduate programs offered by Harvard Business School and IBM, among others. She has been inducted into the New York Academy of Women Achievers. Karla formerly served on the Board of Directors of Genesis School.
Dianna Duvall, Senior Vice President - True Group Operations and DHA Networks
Dianna began her career with Mutual Benefit Life, now Assurant Employee Benefits, in 1984. She began in Customer Service and has held a variety of management positions within the company since that time including Vice President of Life and Disability Underwriting until June 2003. Dianna grew up involved in family owned small businesses. She previously served on the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts Mid-Continent Council. She currently leads the True Group Advisory board and is responsible for driving True Group results.
Dianna received a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University, in Manhattan, Kansas.
Tim Knott, Senior Vice President - Voluntary
Tim returned to Assurant in July 2008. He is responsible for the profitable growth of our Voluntary business and he leads the Voluntary advisory board. Tim is also responsible for the SSDC operations.
Previously, Tim was Vice President of Specialty Benefits Products and Operations for Principal Financial from 2004 to 2008. In this role he led the Product Management, Underwriting, and Administration areas for Principal. From 1997 to 2004 Tim was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for CNA Group Operations. Tim started his career at Mutual Benefit Life in 1984 and held numerous roles in the Actuarial and Underwriting areas for MBL/Fortis including a role as Appointed Actuary in 1995 and 1996.
Tim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Central Missouri. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Sheryle Ohme, Senior Vice President, Claim Management of the life, disability and dental claim department
Sheryle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota and was the first women elected to the school’s business board. She has spent her entire career in claims starting with Mutual Benefit Life, now Assurant Employee Benefits. During her career she has spearheaded claim management efforts in disability, utilization review, medical case management, rehabilitation and clinical intervention. She also serves as a member of the Life-Disability Board, One Assurant, shared services Call Center Board and a coach at the Center for Emerging Leaders.
She is a Certified Life Underwriter, a Fellow, Life Office Management Institute and an AHLC of the International Claims Association.
Ken Bowen, Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
Ken is an honors graduate in political science and history of Kansas State University and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho. He is currently a member of the Missouri and Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Associations, as well as, the Legal Issues Committee of the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Association of Corporate Counsel, Defense Research Institute and its Life, Health and Disability Committee.
He has published several articles and given presentations at national meetings for the Defense Research Institute and the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association.
Ken began his in-house career with The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company in 1983. Prior to becoming General Counsel, his practice primarily concentrated on group claims, litigation and employment law. He has assisted with various merger and acquisition opportunities including the merger of the Group Operations of Mutual Benefit into Western Life Insurance Company, the acquisition of Core, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates and the Dental Benefits Division Protective Life Insurance Company. He manages the attorneys and legal support staff in Kansas City and at DRMS in Westbrook, Maine.
Joi Tillman, Vice President-Customer Advocacy
Joi began her career at Assurant Employee Benefits in 1989, in the Premium Collections department. Soon after, she moved to the Human Resources and Development division, where she spent nine years honing her coaching, development and leadership skills. In 1998, Joi moved to the Risk division and held various positions through the years, including: Risk Development Team Leader; Voluntary Issue Managing Team Leader; Managing Team Leader - Prototype Customer Focused Risk Team; and Regional Team Leader – East Team. Joi transitioned out of Risk in 2007 to become co-leader of the Easy to Do Business With team, and then co-leader of the Voluntary Growth Initiative in 2008. Additionally, Joi became an Officer in 2003, 2nd V.P. in 2007, V.P. in 2008, and took on her current role, V.P. – Customer Advocacy, in late 2008 while simultaneously becoming a member of the Senior Management Team.
Joi has attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and will soon earn her Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Baker University. She is also a member of the Black Achievers Society of Kansas City.