Selective Insurance Group Announces Officer Appointments

BRANCHVILLE, N.J., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGI), announced the following appointments by its subsidiary, Selective Insurance Company of America:

Sarita Chakravarthi (Chesire, CT) to senior vice president, Tax and assistant treasurer.  Ms. Chakravarthi joined Selective in December 2006 as vice president, Treasury and Taxation.  Prior to that, she served as a senior tax manager for Aetna Inc.  Ms. Chakravarthi earned her Bachelor's of Commerce from Madurai University in India;  her Masters in Tax from the University of New Haven in New Haven, CT; and her M.B.A. from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT.  She holds designations as a Certified Public Accountant (NJ - Inactive) and an Associate Chartered Accountant from the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Brian Sarisky (Sparta, NJ) to senior vice president, Commercial Lines Underwriting and Product Development.  Mr. Sarisky joined Selective in 1991 as a corporate trainee and has held a variety of regional and corporate positions throughout the organization.  Mr. Sarisky earned his B.A. in Business Management from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA and received his M.B.A. from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.  He holds designations as both a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter and a Certified Insurance Counselor.

Paul Anderson (Sparta, NJ) to vice president, Contractors Strategic Business Unit (SBU).  Mr. Anderson joined Selective in 2010 as a segment manager for Selective's Contractors SBU.  Prior to that, he was a sales executive with Eastern Insurance Group.  Mr. Anderson earned his B.A. in Operations Management and Marketing from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH.  He holds designations as a Certified Insurance Counselor, Certified Risk Manager and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist.

Darrell Frantz (Summit, PA) to vice president, Field Marketing Director.  Mr. Frantz joined Selective in 2000 as an agency management specialist and was promoted to territory manager in 2008.  Previously, Mr. Frantz worked at National Grange Mutual as a senior district marketing manager. He holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY and is a Certified Insurance Counselor.

John Guerra (Oak Ridge, NJ) to assistant vice president, Northeast Claims Manager.  Mr. Guerra joined Selective in 1984 as a claims trainee and has held a variety of claims management positions throughout the organization.  Mr. Guerra earned his B.S. in Business Management/Marketing from Stockton State College in Galloway, NJ and holds a designation as an Associate in Claims.  Mr. Guerra is a member of the Professional Insurance Association and the New Jersey Property Claims Association.

John Koch (Dingmans Ferry, PA) to assistant vice president, Actuarial Manager – Large Account Pricing.  Mr. Koch joined Selective in 2005 as an actuarial assistant and was promoted to actuarial manager in 2010.  Mr. Koch earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Joseph Vernale (Southington, CT) to assistant vice president, Quality Management.  Mr. Vernale joined Selective in February 2012. Previously, he served as a program manager for Chubb & Son, a division of Federal Insurance Co.  Mr. Vernale attended Hartford State Technical College in Hartford, CT and is a graduate of the Morse School of Business in Hartford, CT.

About Selective Insurance Group, Inc.
Selective Insurance Group, Inc. is a holding company for eight property and casualty insurance companies rated "A+" (Superior) by A.M. Best.  Through independent agents, the insurance companies offer primary and alternative market insurance for commercial and personal risks, and flood insurance underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program.  Selective maintains a website at www.selective.com.

SOURCE Selective Insurance Group, Inc.