Headquarters:
Chicago, IL
Year founded:
2010
Number of employees:
6,100+
Phone:
800 366 5810
Email:
programs@ryansg.com
Website:
RyanPrograms.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/ryan-specialty-national-programs
“Every portfolio manager or advisor has fewer clients than the industry standard, so we can devote more time to each client and deliver a level of service and precision that is well above average”
David Poliquin,
BGY Wealth Management
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RYAN SPECIALTY NATIONAL PROGRAMS
Jill McTiernan
CEO,
Ryan Specialty National Programs
Bill Evans
Co-President and COO,
Ryan Specialty National Programs
Chris Kelleher
Co-President,
Ryan Specialty National Programs
Leadership
Jill McTiernan is chief executive officer for Ryan Specialty National Programs. She oversees National Programs’ strategy, operational execution, underwriting governance, and carrier relationship development. She brings extensive experience in advanced analytics, risk modeling, underwriting operations, and complex program oversight. Her career reflects a strong foundation in technical underwriting and data-driven decision-making, supported by longstanding relationships across the industry.
McTiernan served as vice president and head of alternative risk property at Lexington Insurance Company, where she held strong relationships with large complex risk-focused MGUs and MGAs. Previously, she was vice president and head of underwriting operations for programs at XL Group.
CEO, Ryan Specialty National Programs
Jill McTiernan
Bill Evans is co-president and chief operating officer of the Ryan Specialty National Programs practice, a division of Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers. National Programs is dedicated to underwriting, distributing, and administering class-focused products with multiline coverage solutions. Evans oversees Staffing Protect and applies his extensive operational experience to streamline workflows and elevate organizational performance across the program platform.
Evans joined Ryan Specialty in September 2020 through the acquisition of All Risks where he had responsibility for underwriting and compliance of National Programs, in addition to being instrumental in developing numerous Lloyd’s relationships. He holds the CIC, CRM, and ASLI designations.
Co-President and COO, Ryan Specialty National Programs
Bill Evans
Chris Kelleher is co-president of the Ryan Specialty National Programs practice. National Programs is the Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers division dedicated to developing, underwriting, distributing, and administering class-focused products with multiline coverage solutions. He leads the building services-focused Protect programs, as well as SUITELIFE Underwriting Managers, dedicated to the hotel industry, and PerimeterGuard Underwriting Managers focused on security guards.
Kelleher joined Ryan Specialty in September 2020 through the acquisition of All Risks. He has been instrumental in cultivating new capital relationships in addition to developing new programs. Kelleher has 30+ years of industry experience and holds the CIC designation.
Co-President, Ryan Specialty National Programs
Chris Kelleher
SPECIAL REPORT
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Bio
Chris Narron
Co-President,
Ryan Specialty National Programs
Chris Narron is co-president of the Ryan Specialty National Programs practice. National Programs is the Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers division dedicated to developing, underwriting, distributing, and administering class-focused products with multiline coverage solutions. Narron oversees the property-focused Protect programs, including Dealer Protect, Real Estate Investor Protect, and Self-Storage Protect.
Narron brings more than 15 years of commercial property and program underwriting experience across CAT-exposed risks, MGA operations, and national-scale delegated authority platforms. He is recognized for cultivating high-value carrier relationships and driving growth through disciplined underwriting and market insight. He holds the CPCU, ASLI, and ARe designations.
Co-President, Ryan Specialty National Programs
Chris Narron
Jennifer Fifer
Senior VP, Programs
Jennifer Fifer is senior vice president of programs at RPS, where she leads initiatives focused on delegated authority, program business, and commercial underwriting. With more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, she has extensive expertise in developing high-performing insurance programs, strengthening underwriting governance, and building long-term partnerships among carriers, MGAs, and distribution partners.
Fifer holds the CPCU and AIC professional designations and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Away from the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three sons. Their free time is often spent at football games, on the lake, or traveling together.
Senior VP, Programs
Jennifer Fifer
Ryan Specialty National Programs is a leading program administrator of specialty insurance products and part of the Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers platform. Underwriting managers offer specialty market expertise in distinct and complex market niches underserved in today’s marketplace through 40+ MGUs and numerous multiline national programs that act on behalf of insurance carriers.
These carriers have given Ryan Specialty delegated authority to design, underwrite, bind coverage, and administer policies for specific risks. Program teams are comprised of individuals with deep industry expertise, who understand specialty coverages, and program underwriters often have 20 to 30 years of experience in their respective industries. Each program is unique and evolves as the world becomes a riskier place. As a result, each program manager must consistently adjust and improve their program to support the changes in their specific industry.
Ryan Specialty was founded by Patrick G. Ryan, the widely respected entrepreneur and insurance visionary, to address the growing need for specialists in the increasingly important E&S market. The firm's professionals have extensive knowledge of the industries in which they specialize and the complex insurance products they distribute and underwrite.
Ryan Specialty has a platform of extraordinary wholesale brokers and expert underwriting managers who deliver customized insurance solutions for hard-to-place risks, both big and small.
“We excel at communicating complex strategies in a clear, transparent manner, empowering clients to make informed decisions while maintaining confidence in the discretionary process.”
David Poliquin,
BGY Wealth Management
Laurie Schoch
Senior VP, Property
Kiera Cope
Lead Actuary
Diana Criscione
Head of Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Laurie Schoch is senior vice president of RPS Property Facilities, bringing more than 30 years of E&S and commercial property underwriting experience. Since joining RPS in 2025, she has overseen seven property programs and helped shape underwriting strategy for scalable, delegated authority solutions.
Schoch’s background includes leadership roles at Aspen Insurance Group, XL Insurance and Great American, with deep expertise in facultative placements, catastrophe-exposed risks, and technical underwriting. Known for her industry insight and collaborative approach, she is also passionate about mentoring emerging underwriters and developing solutions that meet evolving marketplace needs.
Senior VP, Property
Laurie Schoch
Kiera Cope is an accomplished insurance actuary and Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, with 30 years of experience in property and casualty risk analysis, underwriting strategy, and actuarial disciplines. She built RPS’s actuarial team and processes to deliver enhanced insights that support profitable program growth, strategic decision-making, and stronger risk management outcomes.
Cope’s team supports existing programs and new expansions through deliverables including M&A due diligence, rate filings, profitability reviews, segmentation analyses, and underwriting tool enhancements. She also volunteers with the CAS Ratemaking Working Group, contributing to technical white papers on emerging and standard ratemaking topics.
Lead Actuary
Kiera Cope
Diana Criscione leads operational systems design and execution for nearly 50 RPS specialty insurance programs. With more than 25 years of experience across insurance operations, technology, and process improvement, she helps streamline workflows, strengthen underwriting practices, and support business growth.
Before joining RPS Programs, Criscione spent 14 years with Gallagher in program operations and business systems leadership roles and previously founded a database company serving clients across industries. She is also a dedicated mother of three and has served as a Girl Scout troop leader for 17 years.
Head of Operations
Diana Criscione
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation of the company’s internal customer service department.
Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
Portfolio manager and partner David Poliquin says, “Every portfolio manager or advisor has fewer clients than the industry standard, so we can devote more time to each client and deliver a level of service and precision that is well above average.”
That depth of service extends to the firm’s approach to tax optimization, a discipline BGY treats as integral rather than incidental. Its sophisticated use of flow-through shares is well recognized in financial circles, and its emphasis on personalized tax strategies for each client reflects a conviction that typical advisors leave meaningful value on the table by treating investments and tax planning as separate exercises.
BGY serves a clientele that includes entrepreneurs, high-income earners, and medical professionals, the majority of whom have corporate structures incorporating holdings and trusts. To protect the quality of its service, the firm deliberately limits client intake and controls its onboarding rate.
Communication is another pillar of the BGY model. The team adapts its approach to match each client’s investment knowledge, interest, and need, by going deep into technical detail with the more than 300 clients who are themselves finance professionals, and taking the time to explain fundamentals clearly with those who are less familiar with the sector.
“We excel at communicating complex strategies in a clear, transparent manner, empowering clients to make informed decisions while maintaining confidence in the discretionary process,” Poliquin explains.
On returns, the approach is similarly measured: BGY declines to promise outcomes, preferring to remain conservative and overdeliver.
Internally, the culture reflects the same values BGY projects to clients. Employee compensation is not tied to sales or referrals – a deliberate structural choice that has fostered a high-performance environment built on collaboration, accountability, and long-term career growth. There is no internal competition; instead, the team works collectively toward shared client outcomes, fully aligned with the firm’s values and objectives.
Looking ahead, the firm’s ambition is to continue growing the business while maintaining the quality of service that defines the BGY experience.